B030712 - SEMIOTICS OF THE NEW MEDIA

The course will be held in Italian.

The course intends to offer an introduction to semiotics, explaining its origins, its history and its current ramifications from a theoretical and methodological perspective. In particular, the "new media" will be investigated by analyzing concepts such as multimedia, interface, usability, virtual, virality, etc. in relation to websites, user-created content, virtual and gaming communities. In the final part, the concepts of banality, mediocrity and commonplace will be examined, in a new light.

1. Maria Pia Pozzato, Capire la semiotica, 2013, Carocci
2. Giovanna Cosenza, Introduzione alla semiotica dei nuovi media, 2014, Laterza

Knowledge objectives
The course aims to provide knowledge of the main theoretical concepts of semiotic analysis in general and those of new media semiotics in particular, as well as of the main figures in the history of semiotics, stimulating students' reflection on this particular level of structuring of meanings. Furthermore, the course aims to deepen the knowledge related to constructing and organizing meanings in textual structures and environments and in narration, and their use with respect to the communicative intentions of those who produce the message.
Competence objectives
The learner will have to apply the tools of semiotic analysis to the various types of texts.

The course starts from the basics of the semiotic discipline, therefore the only prerequisite, apart from the interest in the subject, is a sufficient knowledge of the Italian language.

Lectures (if the health situation allows it) with the active participation of the students; collective analysis of various types of texts.

Attendance is mandatory for at least 2/3 of the lessons (in the event of a health emergency, lessons will be in streaming).

The exam is written and consists of a test containing a series of questions regarding the basic concepts of semiotics and semiotics of new media, with the addition of a short exercise in textual analysis.
In particular, the exam focuses on 1) The skills required by semiotics, including its fundamental concepts and methods of analysis; 2) Intertextuality and syncretism, as constitutive processes of texts and narratives; 3) Its field of application, including linguistic textuality as well as visual texts and other semiotic structures; 4) The construction of meaning and its elementary components; 5) The production of text and the responsibilities of those who produce it. The written grade may, at the request of students, be integrated with an oral exam.

Part 1
What is Semiotics. The skills needed by semiotics. Intertextuality and syncretism. The key concepts of the discipline. The field of semiotics. Narration. The construction of meaning. The production of text and the responsibilities of those who produce it. Construction of visual texts.
Part 2
What new media and what is the semiotics of new media. Interface, interaction, interactivity, usability: what they are and what they are for. How to analyze a website. How to analyze various types of interpersonal communication. Content created by users (web 2.0): advantages, disadvantages, potential.
The concepts of banal, mediocre and cliché: why take them into consideration.