AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The module examines the concepts and theoretical principles developed by different schools of semiotics, concerning the function of language and other expressive systems in the structure of human knowledge, applying them to texts such as social processes, cultural phenomena and the most advanced and innovative debates on contemporary society, such as food sovereignty, objection to consumerism, degrowth theory. The aim is to develop independence and autonomous thinking with respect to stereotypes and clichés of current mass culture.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

to. The first aim of the course (6 credits) is to provide historical and theoretical keys to understanding the main concepts developed by the various schools of semiotics on the function of language in the formation and organization of human knowledge.

b. The second aim of the course (6 credits) is to develop autonomy of judgment, independence of thought and personal critical vision in the adoption of theoretical principles, operational tools and criteria for interpreting significant phenomena (facts, objects, processes) of contemporary reality (such as food sovereignty, objection to consumption, degrowth theory, theatrical anthropology) and of a hermeneutic character (such as the distinction between the process of interpretation and the process of signification, and the question about the nature of "writing), knowing also adopt an adequate historical-cultural perspective that culturally contextualises the examined phenomena and the tools of use of the analyst, avoiding commonplaces widespread in the current mass culture and learning to organize a clear, coherent and structured discourse devoid of jargons.

At the end of the course the student will be able to:

- examine the concepts elaborated in various semiotic theories and schools on the function of language and on the organization of human knowledge

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

- analyze and distinguish the technical and operational procedures of the "interpretation" and "signification" processes

- distinguish the different paradigms and operational models of communication and semiosis that have followed over time

- evaluate the different theories on writing and compare their adherence to different forms of writing

- trace the issues and particular cases examined to general and broader topics

- develop conceptual links between particular cases and general issues

- thematically linking different texts

- critically identify current commonplaces and possibly detach them

- create and formulate original theses starting from the cases, themes, problems examined

- summarize and expose, with a clear, organized, and free of jargon, the evolutionary stages of the history of semiotics and the basic principles of semiotics

- critically compare different assumptions, theses and theories in the texts on the program on the notions of "development", "(economic) growth" and "well-being"

- describe what the NGO's current operating procedures consist of and their change over time

- explain your choice of text in the groups of texts of your choice

- describe and discuss in detail the contents of the texts brought to the exam, in particular those not compulsory

TEACHING METHODS

Classroom lesson, with attendance requirement

For non-attending students the addition of 1 text is foreseen, to be chosen however from the "choice" texts indicated in the exam program. However, an interview will be useful to guide the choice of texts in relation to specific interests

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Title:

Dissident traits. Beyond the paradigms.

Course program.

The institutional part of the course will focus on the reconstruction of the themes of the history of semiotics, of the social sciences and of contemporary linguistic-anthropological and philosophical thought merged into interpretive semiotics, up to the formation of contemporary semiotics which examines identities and characteristic features of dissenting forms of thought with respect to to the commonplaces and stereotypes settled in contemporary cultural systems, in current common thought, and in socially diffused ideologies. In the monographic section of the course, different types of organisms that practice forms of dissenting economics within the paradigm of "demercification" (or "objection to the market") will be examined, whose themes and characteristics will be examined (NGOs operating in international cooperation, theory of Degrowth, anti-consumer social movements) up to delineate the recurring characteristic features.

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, 1997.

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.

M.Bloch, I re taumaturghi, Torino, Einaudi, 1989.

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, Il formaggio e i vermi, Torino, Einaudi, 1976.

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

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).

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

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

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, 1997.

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.

M.Bloch, I re taumaturghi, Torino, Einaudi, 1989.

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, Il formaggio e i vermi, Torino, Einaudi, 1976.

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

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).

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

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

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

Exam Board

ROBERTO PELLEREY (President)

MAURO MIGLIAVACCA

SELENE D'AGOSTINO (Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

Classes will begin  according to the Department and Degree Course calendars

Class schedule

SEMIOTICS

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 underlying 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 abstraction on general and wider themes starting from particular issues and cases

- ability to conceptual link between particular cases and general issues

- ability to connect between different texts

- ability to critically identify common stereotypes

- capacity for criticism and any theoretical detachment from current commonplaces

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

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

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

- ability to describe and examine the concepts elaborated in different theories and semiotic 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 the different theories of theater, 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 skills

- ability to identify the thematic nuclei of a text

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

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

- ability to describe and discuss in detail the contents of the texts brought to the exam, in particular those which are not compulsory

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

- ability to orientate critically between 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

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

a) The subsequent re-editions and reprints are equally usable for all the texts in the program.

b) For didactic information and for the second semester receptions, you can contact the didactic tutor, Dr. Stefania Basso: babel2002@libero.it