ENGL 306F
Dr. Andrew McMurry
HH 265, ext. 32121
amcmurry@uwaterloo.ca
Office hours: Wednesday 1:45-2:45 and by appointment
Overview:
Semiotics is the discipline that studies the capacity of humans and others to make, disseminate, and understand signs. What is a sign? Basically, a sign is anything that can stand for something else. Obviously, then, the range of semiotic inquiry is very broad--from the dance of the honey-bee to the films of Christopher Nolan, from the expression on your face at this moment to a segment of your DNA. In this course we'll have three main tasks: to read about the history and theory of semiotics; to learn the vocabulary and methodology of semiotics; to practice this vocabulary and methodology on all kinds of everyday things.
Texts:
306F course book
Roland Barthes, Mythologies
Daniel Chandler, Semiotics: The Basics (recommended)
Assignments And Evaluations:
Students are expected to complete all course readings for the week before class and come prepared to discuss them. Students will be apprised of the examination formats before they are administered. Assessment will be based on the following:
Weekly Interventions: 10 points
Students will respond to at least 10 readings from the course material (the choices are noted in the schedule, below). For each cogent, thoughtful intervention—filed no later than 8 AM on day the reading is to be discussed—students will be awarded 1 point. Students are encouraged to read, and may respond to, each others’ interventions; “responses to responses” will count as interventions. Late submissions will not be counted. Length: minimum of 250 words.
Midterm: 25 points
The test will cover all terms and concepts studied to this point.
Mythology: 25 points
Students will analyze artifacts of their choice using the terms and methods we've discussed. The choice of artifact is open, but some which tend to conform well to the length and depth requirements include:
Found objects (things you come across in your everyday travels)
Advertisements
Buildings
Fashion, music, and styles
Foods, toys or other consumer items
Information and communication technologies
Popular figures or icons
Activities (e.g., snow-boarding)
Format: essay or annotation (see Harris in the coursebook for an example of an annotation)
Length: between 600 and 700 words
Depth: Students should choose an artifact that will allow them to quickly demonstrate 1) their command of one or two semiotic principles and 2) their understanding of the coding regime and ideological context in which the artifact is embedded. The analysis must be focused and concise: this is not an essay but a brief encounter with an object of interest using a semiotic framework. Compression of thought and elegance of style will be rewarded; slackness and prolixity won’t. See R. Barthes.
Submission: A hard copy is due on Mar. 20 in class. As well, a digital copy must be placed in the dropbox on or before that date.
Late penalty: 2 points per day.
Final Examination: 35 points
The exam will be designed primarily to test students’ ability to apply semiotic principles to supplied artifacts.
Class Attendance and Participation: 5 points
Schedule: (* indicates eligible readings for interventions)
|
Date |
Topics |
Readings |
|---|---|---|
|
Sept 8 |
What is/are sem(e)iotic(s)? |
|
|
Sept 13 |
History of the sign |
Pierce; Saussure; Chandler Ch.1 |
|
Sept 15 |
||
|
Sept 20 |
Natural signs |
Sebeok*; Chandler Ch. 2 |
|
Sept 22 |
Structure |
Chandler Ch. 3 |
|
Sept 27 |
The semiotic square |
Floch* |
|
Sept 29 |
Myth |
Barthes, “Myth Today”; Chandler Ch. 4 |
|
Oct 4 |
Critical vocabularies: power & ideology |
Thwaites*; Chandler Ch. 5 |
|
Oct 6 |
Hall* |
|
|
Oct 11 |
Modality |
Van Leeuwen* |
| Oct 25 |
Semiotics and literature |
Bowles*; Chandler Ch. 6 |
|
Oct 20 |
Midterm test |
|
|
Oct 11 |
No class meeting |
|
|
Oct 13 |
No class meeting |
|
|
Oct 27 |
Semiotics and popular culture |
Barthes, “Mythologies”* |
|
Nov 1 |
Harris* |
|
|
Nov 2 |
Fashion codes |
Owyong* |
|
Nov 8 |
Social media codes |
Rightler-McDaniels* |
|
Nov 11 |
Memes |
Grundlingh* |
|
Nov 15 |
Comic codes |
Batman comic selections in coursebook |
|
Nov 22 |
Food codes |
Sahlins* |
| Nov 22 |
Gender codes |
Adams*; Mythology due |
|
Nov 24 |
Proxemics |
Canetti* |
|
Nov 29 |
Buildings and architecture |
Jencks* |
|
Dec 1 |
Film codes |
Monaco* |
|
Dec 9 |
Screening of La Jeteé |
Take-home exam released |
|
Dec 15 |
Take home exam due |
Class Format & Electronic Device Policy
This is an old-fashioned lecture-discussion course, which prioritizes open-ended questioning, on-the-fly critical thinking, face-toface interchange, and verbal presentation. Please turn off and put away laptop computers, phones, and other electronic devices, which distract and undermine discussion and engagement.
Fine Print
Academic Integrity: In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility.
Discipline: A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity, to avoid committing academic offences, and to take responsibility for his/her actions. A student who is unsure whether an action constitutes an offence, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offences (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about “rules” for group work/ collaboration should seek guidance from the course professor, academic advisor, or the Undergraduate Associate Dean. When misconduct has been found to have occurred, disciplinary penalties will be imposed under Policy 71 – Student Discipline. For information on categories of offenses and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71 - Student Discipline.
Grievance: A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of his/her university life has been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70 - Student Petitions and Grievances, Section 4.
Appeals: A student may appeal the finding and/or penalty in a decision made under Policy 70 - Student Petitions and Grievances (other than regarding a petition) or Policy 71 - Student Discipline if a ground for an appeal can be established. Read Policy 72 - Student Appeals. Other sources of information for students: Academic Integrity website (Arts) Academic Integrity Office (UWaterloo) Accommodation for Students with Disabilities Note for students with disabilities: The AccessAbility Services office, located on the first floor of the Needles Hall extension, collaborates with all academic departments to arrange appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities without compromising the academic integrity of the curriculum. If you require academic accommodations to lessen the impact of your disability, please register with the AS office at the beginning of each academic term.
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