So far, we have been talking about the media as industries, organizations, and institutions. The media, however, have a strange trait: what they deliver to people are not things or objects you can hold in your hand. The main thing media transmit are symbols. And symbols are strange things, requiring some difficult intellectual work to make sense of them. That is the project of this section.
In this section, you will do a good deal of reading and viewing of online lectures. But you also will do your own analysis of media symbols, using a conceptual system called "semiotics."
Begin by viewing this Semiotics and Media online lecture. Give yourself some time: it takes most people an hour or more.
Next, study (or print out) this definition of semiotic terms.
Take this practice quiz to see how you're doing.
By June 21st, you will upload an essay that is a semiotic analysis of a magazine advertisement. You'll be learning how to do this kind of thing all week, but you should start thinking about it now. To prepare:
- Look at the paper assignment
- look at these examples of student papers, and start searching for an interesting magazine ad
Read MediaMaking Chapter 5, "Meaning." Use these questions to guide your reading:
- What is semiotics?
- What are some problems with representational and conceptual theories of meaning?
- What is the semiotic theory of meaning, i.e., the principle of difference?
Next, there are a lot of terms you'll need to learn: sign, signifier, signified, iconic/ motivated sign, arbitrary sign, metaphor, metonymy, paradigm, syntagm, denotation, connotation, myths, codes, articulation.
Post at least two questions about this material to the list by midnight, June 15.
Part of what makes symbols hard to deal with is that they do not just get beamed into our brain; we don't just absorb facts when we're watching TV or reading the newspaper. But what, then, are we doing when we try to make sense of something symbolic, i.e., a "text?" This is the central question of your next reading, MediaMaking Chapter 6, "The Interpretation of Meaning."
As you read, look for answers to these questions:
- What questions does an interpreter ask of a text?
- Why is the notion of the author and the author's intention problematic?
- What is the commutation test?
You'll also need to learn these terms: discourse, narrator, narratee, binary opposition, polysemy, aporias.
Post at least two questions or comments on these terms and concepts no later than midnight, June 16.