AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course examines the concepts and theoretical principles developed in semiotics on the function of language and other expressive and meaning-making systems, and applies them to texts such as the most advanced social processes, debates and theoretical conflicts of contemporary reality, such as food sovereignty, consumer objection, degrowth theory, the cathartic and transformative properties of theatrical languages, visual arts, artistic expression theatrical. Objective is the development of autonomy of thought and independence with respect to stereotypes and clichés of the current mass culture.

TEACHING METHODS

Classroom lesson, with mandatory attendance.

For non-attending students, 1 additional text is planned, to be chosen from the "choice" texts indicated in the exam program. An interview during the office hours will be useful to guide the choice of texts in relation to specific interests

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Title:

Dissident traits. Beyond paradigms.

Course program.

The institutional part of the course will focus on the reconstruction of the themes of the history of semiotics, social sciences and contemporary linguistic-anthropological and philosophical thought that have merged into interpretative semiotics, up to the formation of contemporary semiotics that examines the identity and characteristic traits of forms of dissenting thought with respect to the commonplaces and stereotypes established in contemporary cultural systems, in current common thought, and in socially widespread ideologies. In the monographic section of the course, different types of organisms that practice forms of dissenting economy within the paradigm of "decommodification" (or "objection to the market") will be examined, of which the themes and characteristics will be examined (NGOs operating in international cooperation, Degrowth theory, anti-consumerist social movements) until their characteristic recurring traits are outlined.

Texts for the exam.

1. Reference text:

R.Pellerey, Semiotica e decrescita. Obiezione al consumo, cooperazione internazionale e sovranità alimentare: un nuovo paradigma, Milano, FrancoAngeli, 2015.

2. A classic text of contemporary semiotics and linguistics, chosen from the following:

AAVV, L’analisi del racconto, Milano, Bompiani, 1969.

R.Barthes, S/Z, Torino, Einaudi, 1973.

M.Bachtin, Dostoevskij. Poetica e stilistica, Torino, Einaudi, 1968.

U.Eco, Lector in fabula, Milano, Bompiani, 1979.

U.Eco, Trattato di semiotica generale, Milano, Bompiani, 1975.

A.J.Greimas, Maupassant. Esercizi di semiotica del testo, Torino, Centro Scientifico Editore, 1995 (Ried. Meltemi, Roma)

R.Jakobson, Saggi di linguistica generale, Milano, Feltrinelli, 1966.

R.Jakobson, La linguistica e le scienze dell’uomo. Sei lezioni sul suono e sul senso, Milano, Il saggiatore, 1978.

J.M.Lotman-B.A.Uspenskij, Tipologia della cultura, Milano, Bompiani, 1975.

T.Todorov (a cura di), I Formalisti russi. Teoria della letteratura e metodo critico, Torino, Einaudi, 1968.

3. A classic text of contemporary thought, chosen from the following:

M.Bachtin, L’opera di Rabelais e la cultura popolare. Riso, carnevale e festa nella tradizione medievale e rinascimentale, Torino, Einaudi, 1979.

E.De Martino, La terra del rimorso, Milano, Il Saggiatore, 1961.

P.Feyerabend, Contro il metodo. Abbozzo di una teoria anarchica della conoscenza, Milano, Feltrinelli, 1979.

M.Foucault, Storia della follia, Milano, Rizzoli, 1963.

C.Ginzburg, Indagini su Piero, Torino, Einaudi, 1981.

C.Ginzburg, Storia notturna, Una decifrazione del sabba, Torino, Einaudi, 1982

E.Goffman, Modelli di interazione, Bologna, Il Mulino, 1971.

T.Kuhn, La struttura delle rivoluzioni scientifiche, Torino,.Einaudi, 1969.

I.Illich, Nella vigna del testo, Milano, Raffaello Cortina Editore, 1994.

J.Lacan, Scritti I, Torino, Einaudi, 1974.

C.Lévi-Strauss, Tristi tropici, Milano, Il Saggiatore, 1965.

C.Lévi-Strauss, Razza e storia, e altri studi di antropologia, Torino, Einaudi, 1967 (NB: solo ed esclusivamente questa edizione, evitando le riedizioni Einaudi dagli anni 2000 in poi che portano due soli saggi sulla decina originale).

R.Mangieri, Isole, mappe, labirinti. Lo spazio nei romanzi di Umberto Eco, Perugia, Morlacchi, 2023.

H.Marcuse, L’uomo a una dimensione, Torino, Einaudi, 1967.

E.Panofsky, La prospettiva come forma simbolica, Milano, Feltrinelli, 1984.

K.Polanyi, La grande trasformazione, Torino, Einaudi, 1974.

F.Yates, L'arte della memoria, Torino, Einaudi, 1993.

C.Segre, Fuori del mondo. I modelli nella follia e nelle immagini dell’aldilà, Torino, Einaudi, 1990.

C.Segre, Teatro e romanzo, Torino, Einaudi, 1984.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Texts for the exam.

1. Reference text:

R.Pellerey, Semiotica e decrescita. Obiezione al consumo, cooperazione internazionale e sovranità alimentare: un nuovo paradigma, Milano, FrancoAngeli, 2015.

2. A classic text of contemporary semiotics and linguistics, chosen from the following:

AAVV, L’analisi del racconto, Milano, Bompiani, 1969.

R.Barthes, S/Z, Torino, Einaudi, 1973.

M.Bachtin, Dostoevskij. Poetica e stilistica, Torino, Einaudi, 1968.

U.Eco, Lector in fabula, Milano, Bompiani, 1979.

U.Eco, Trattato di semiotica generale, Milano, Bompiani, 1975.

A.J.Greimas, Maupassant. Esercizi di semiotica del testo, Torino, Centro Scientifico Editore, 1995 (Ried. Meltemi, Roma)

R.Jakobson, Saggi di linguistica generale, Milano, Feltrinelli, 1966.

R.Jakobson, La linguistica e le scienze dell’uomo. Sei lezioni sul suono e sul senso, Milano, Il saggiatore, 1978.

J.M.Lotman-B.A.Uspenskij, Tipologia della cultura, Milano, Bompiani, 1975.

T.Todorov (a cura di), I Formalisti russi. Teoria della letteratura e metodo critico, Torino, Einaudi, 1968.

3. A classic text of contemporary thought, chosen from the following:

M.Bachtin, L’opera di Rabelais e la cultura popolare. Riso, carnevale e festa nella tradizione medievale e rinascimentale, Torino, Einaudi, 1979.

E.De Martino, La terra del rimorso, Milano, Il Saggiatore, 1961.

P.Feyerabend, Contro il metodo. Abbozzo di una teoria anarchica della conoscenza, Milano, Feltrinelli, 1979.

M.Foucault, Storia della follia, Milano, Rizzoli, 1963.

C.Ginzburg, Indagini su Piero, Torino, Einaudi, 1981.

C.Ginzburg, Storia notturna, Una decifrazione del sabba, Torino, Einaudi, 1982

E.Goffman, Modelli di interazione, Bologna, Il Mulino, 1971.

T.Kuhn, La struttura delle rivoluzioni scientifiche, Torino,.Einaudi, 1969.

I.Illich, Nella vigna del testo, Milano, Raffaello Cortina Editore, 1994.

J.Lacan, Scritti I, Torino, Einaudi, 1974.

C.Lévi-Strauss, Tristi tropici, Milano, Il Saggiatore, 1965.

C.Lévi-Strauss, Razza e storia, e altri studi di antropologia, Torino, Einaudi, 1967 (NB: solo ed esclusivamente questa edizione, evitando le riedizioni Einaudi dagli anni 2000 in poi che portano due soli saggi sulla decina originale).

R.Mangieri, Isole, mappe, labirinti. Lo spazio nei romanzi di Umberto Eco, Perugia, Morlacchi, 2023.

H.Marcuse, L’uomo a una dimensione, Torino, Einaudi, 1967.

E.Panofsky, La prospettiva come forma simbolica, Milano, Feltrinelli, 1984.

K.Polanyi, La grande trasformazione, Torino, Einaudi, 1974.

F.Yates, L'arte della memoria, Torino, Einaudi, 1993.

C.Segre, Fuori del mondo. I modelli nella follia e nelle immagini dell’aldilà, Torino, Einaudi, 1990.

C.Segre, Teatro e romanzo, Torino, Einaudi, 1984.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

As per the Department and Degree Course calendar: lessons will begin on September 16, 2025 and will end on December 23

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Final oral interview.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The exam will consist of a part of targeted questions on the institutional section and a part of specific questions on the monographic part of the program to verify the understanding of the problems and basic issues examined and discussed in the course, in addition to the basic principles of semiotics.

- The "understanding of the problems" will be verified through the following parameters:

- ability to abstract to general and broader themes starting from specific questions and cases

- ability to conceptually connect specific cases and general themes

- ability to connect different texts

- ability to critically identify current commonplaces

- ability to criticize and possibly detach theoretically from current commonplaces

- ability to form original theses starting from the cases, themes, problems examined

- ability to synthesize and expose the evolutionary stages of the history of semiotics and the basic principles of semiotics

- ability to describe and examine the concepts developed in different semiotic theories and schools on the function of language

- ability to describe and examine the concepts developed in different semiotic theories and schools on the organization of human knowledge

- ability to analyze and distinguish the fundamental thematic nuclei of contemporary social and cultural phenomena examined in the course

- ability to analyze and distinguish the technical and operational procedures of the "interpretation" and "deciphering" processes

- ability to evaluate different theories on theatre, art and education and compare them with different forms of art and education

- ability to critically compare different theses and ideologies on the concepts of "development", "(economic) growth", "well-being"

- independent reasoning ability

- ability to identify the thematic nuclei of a text

- ability to compare different theses and theories on the same basic issues in different texts

- ability to explain one's choice of text in the groups of texts of choice

- ability to describe and discuss in great detail the contents of the texts brought to the exam, in particular the compulsory ones not of choice

- ability to understand and explain the choice for the course of the texts present in the program

- ability to orient oneself critically among the theoretical assumptions of the texts in the program

- ability to identify a relationship between the chosen texts and one's personal interests or vocations

FURTHER INFORMATION

a) Subsequent reprints and reissues of all the texts in the program are equally usable.

b) Non-attending students will bring an additional text to the exam, to be agreed with the teacher, and in any case chosen from the texts in the program to be chosen