COM 507-01 (23506) Introduction to Semiotics
Steven Alan Carr, Ph.D.
Course Syllabus
Spring 2007

Location:

KT 245 and webct.ipfw.edu

Meeting Time:

T 6-8:45 PM

Office:

NF 230 H

Office Hours:

MW 9-10 AM, T 3:30-4:30 PM, and happily by appointment

Office Phone:

(260) 481-6545

Email:

carr@ipfw.edu

Website:

users.ipfw.edu/carr

Required Texts:

Johansen, Jørgen Dines and Svend Erik Larsen.  Signs in Use: An Introduction to Semiotics.  Trans. by Dinda L. Gorlée and John Irons.  London UK: Routledge-Taylor, Francis, 2002.

Additional readings will be made available from within WebCT via HTML or PDF file formats. See below for more information.

Last updated 10 Apr 2007; changes marked in yellow

A general set of course policies (http://users.ipfw.edu/carr/courses/policies.htm) accompanies this document.  Please make sure to read it as well, as it governs both what is expected from you, and what you can expect from me.

Course Content and Goals

This course 1) surveys major theories studying human communication and its uses of signs, “moving from the most abstract and simple, the code, to the most concrete and complex, the culture” (Johansen and Larsen 6); 2) considers selected humanities and social sciences approaches that incorporate semiotic theory and practice; and 3) considers selected cultural contexts – audiences, gender and sexuality, and globalization – where semiotic meaning circulates.  You will be expected to demonstrate an informed perspective - both in discussion and in written assignments - that engages with the quantum nature of sign systems and their paradoxical ability to do two things at once: organize and classify reality, as well as produce and create the very reality to which these very sign systems refer.

Prerequisites and Intended Audience

Although there are no prerequisites for this course, it is assumed that undergraduate students have taken or are currently enrolled in the COM 250/COM 251/COM 330 sequence; or, that graduate students have some undergraduate background in communication and/or media theory.  The intended audience consists of senior Communication majors and graduate students.

Course Requirements

The normal schedule for reading assignments will vary considerably from week to week, and may be as much as 100 pages in a given week.  One of your primary responsibilities will be to prepare for each week's reading by completing assigned readings before Tuesday's class meeting.  Not including the scheduled final exam, this course meets 16 times during the semester.  To earn a passing grade, you must attend at least 10 of these meetings.  Arriving late or leaving early may affect this requirement.  In addition, all of the following requirements must be met by the specified week in order to earn a passing grade for the course:

Although there is a participation grade, you do not earn a grade just for attending class.  On select dates, attendance will be taken as one measure of classroom performance and contributions to group efforts.

If you need to miss a class, you are expected to make appropriate arrangements in ways that minimally impact fellow students and the instructor.  Although you are responsible for any announcements or material covered whether you are in class or not, neither fellow students nor the instructor are required to fulfill unreasonably open-ended requests such as “what did we cover in class?”

No incompletes will be given for this course, except in extreme circumstances. If an extreme circumstance does arise, however, you are urged to notify the instructor and propose a workable solution as soon as possible. A workable solution in this case, of course, would include the possibility of an incomplete. However, a request for an incomplete only will be granted only for assignments that already have been started. Under no circumstances can a student do additional work after final grades have been submitted to raise his or her final grade.

It is expected that all work submitted is original work prepared specifically for this course by the student whose name appears on it. It also is expected that all contributors to the original work have their names listed accurately on the assignment at the time of submission.

You are expected to abide by an honor code as described in the accompanying course policies document.  By continuing in this course, you are promising to uphold high standards both for yourself and for others, and to take timely action if necessary should you have knowledge of academic misconduct.

Assessments and Assignments

Exams (1000 possible points): You will take a midterm (ME) and a non-comprehensive final (FE). Both the midterm and final will build upon readings, in-class discussions, and online activity.  Both exams will consist of written essays.  Both the midterm and the final each will count 500 possible points toward your final grade.  The midterm must be completed outside of scheduled classtime.

Position Papers (1000 possible points): At least ten (10) times throughout the semester on scheduled dates, you will be required to post a brief (250-500 word) position paper (PP) on WebCT that responds to the week’s assigned reading.  Each paper counts 100 possible points toward your final grade.  These are due no later than 6 PM on the Monday before a scheduled class meeting.  Each position paper examines the value of a significant semiotic perspective covered in the week’s assigned reading.  This examination should 1) weigh the costs and consequences of taking this particular perspective; 2) consider potential conflicts with other communication theories you have encountered; and 3) explore ways in which this perspective might complement and share common ground with other communication theories.  These papers should show engagement with the assigned reading by employing specific terminology used and by paraphrasing and quoting from significant passages.  You will not receive written feedback from the instructor on these submissions, unless specifically requested in writing.

Forum Reports (1000 possible points): At least ten (10) times throughout the semester on scheduled dates, teams of 5-7 will collaborate in synthesizing the responses of the position papers into a brief (250-500 word) forum report (FR).  Two (2) graduate students will serve as facilitators for each team.  Team members are expected to bring a hard copy of the position paper to class.  Each team will have approximately 30 minutes of in-class time to identify a significant question or issue raised in the position papers that directly pertains to the semiotic perspective covered in the reading.  The forum report will list all members of the group who directly contributed to it; state the question or issue raised by the group; explain how the question directly relates to the semiotic perspective covered in the reading; and offer a synthesis of the position papers represented in that group.  Graduate student facilitators from each team will be responsible for collating and submitting this report on WebCT within 24 hours after the scheduled class meeting.  Attendance and the initial quality of the position paper submitted will be used as an index to help assess an individual grade for this assignment.  You will not receive written feedback from the instructor on these submissions, unless specifically requested in writing.

Forum Discussions (200 possible points): At the end of 30 minutes time, the instructor will solicit one team to present and model their forum discussion (FD) to the entire class. Teams are encouraged to prepare materials before class.  The team will write their question on the chalkboard, and then sit in a circle in the center of the room.  Each team member will briefly (no more than 3 minutes) summarize his or her position paper in relation to the group’s question.  After all team members have summarized their position papers, other students will be invited to respond to the group’s initial question.  Throughout the semester, each student will be responsible for participating in two (2) of these team presentations to the entire class on an assigned date and worth an additional 100 possible points per presentation. Presentations will be made only on the assigned date of a forum.  You cannot redo or make up this assignment, and you will not receive written feedback unless specifically requested immediately after the presentation. Individual grades for team members will be assessed on the basis of participation in leading class discussion, as well as on how well the presentation communicates the following: the substantiality of the question or issue itself, its relevance to the reading, and how well it extends a concept or concepts from the reading.  Due to variations in team memberships, you may present more than once as part of a different team. In that case, only the highest grades for the in-class presentation will be counted.

Synthesis Paper (800 possible points): You must write a final, argument-driven synthesis paper (SP). This paper will be submitted in parts - including a proposal and abstract (SP1 - 100 points), an annotated inventory of semiotic theories presented as part of the paper (SP2 - 200 points), a sample paragraph from the body of the paper (SP3 - 200 points), and a final draft (SP4 - 500 points) - at various intervals throughout the semester. Written feedback will not be offered on SP3 and SP4 unless specifically requested and submitted 2 weeks in advance of the due date. The synthesis paper will synthesize two or more substantive concepts covered during the semester, and show how your synthesis could be applied to a topic relevant to an issue or controversy concerning semiotics. There is no page or source minimum requirement. The successful final draft will include, all in the same file, the following: an introduction that states a problem, explains its significance, and clearly states a central thesis; an explanation of each theory or concept covered in the paper, with appropriate citations; three to five (3-5) paragraphs (paragraph=key statement, plus 3-5 additional sentences) with each paragraph advancing and developing the central thesis; a conclusion that reconsiders (as opposed to restating) the central thesis in light of the body of the paper; and a works cited page that demonstrates the breadth and diversity of sources used in the paper. The final paper will be evaluated on the basis of its relevance to a topic concerning semiotics; the substance and significance of the thesis; how well the paper engages the theories and concepts discussed; the thoughtfulness and originality with which the paper synthesizes these concepts; the overall structure, readability, clarity, and effectiveness of how well the paper advances its argument; and the ability of the paper to draw from multiple theoretical perspectives. With regard to the last criteria, make sure you can demonstrate that your list of sources used in the paper can demonstrate how you were able to engage with multiple perspectives.

Your participation is worth 1000 points or 20% toward your final grade. This participation will be assessed primarily, though not exclusively, on the basis of what you do during our scheduled class meetings. You will not receive feedback on your participation unless specifically requested. The burden of proof is on you to maintain detailed, accurate, and clearly presented records of your contributions to the success of the class. Although you are not required to do so, you are strongly encouraged to maintain evidence of these contributions throughout the semester. This data can include evidence of preparation (such as detailed, original notes), letters of support from other students, written self-evaluations of your performance, etc. Should a difference of opinion arise with regard to the level of your performance, you will be asked to produce these records upon request. Failure to participate in class, regardless of attendance, will directly impact this portion of your grade. Questions regarding participation raised earlier in the semester will receive far greater consideration than questions raised later in the semester.

Grading

Your final grade will be determined based on the following criteria:

Ten (10) Position Papers (PP) @ 100 pts ea

1000 points (20%)

24 hrs before scheduled class

Eight (8) Forum Reports (FR) @ 100 pts ea

800 points (16%)

within 24 hrs following end of class

Two (2) Forum Discussion Presentations (FD) @ 100 pts ea (Grads)
One (1) Forum Discussion Presentation ( FD) @ 200 pts (Undergrads)

200 points (04%)

in class, as marked with FR

Midterm Exam (M)

500 points (10%)

T 13 Mar

Argument-Driven Synthesis Paper(SP1,SP2,SP3,SP4)

1000 points (20%)

30 Jan; 13 Mar; 3 Apr; 24 Apr

Final Exam (FE)

500 points (10%)

T 1 May 5:45-7:45 PM

Participation (P)

1000 points (20%)

Ongoing

TOTAL POSSIBLE POINTS

5000 points (100%)

  

A
(Outstanding)

B
(Above Average)

C
(Average)

D
(Below Average, But Passable)

F
(Fail)

4500-5000

4000-4499

3500-3999

3000-3499

0 - 2999

Tentative Course Schedule

9-Jan

Course Introduction and Overview

Semiotic Theories

  

16-Jan

Structures and Codes

Chs 1-2

23-Jan

Signs

Ch 3

PP1 (by 6 PM M 22 Jan)

FR1 (by 9 PM W 24 Jan)

30-Jan

Pomerance Guest Lecture SB 168 7 PM

Pomerance

Paper (SP1)

6-Feb

Discourse

Ch 4

PP2

FR2 - Canceled due to weather

13-Feb

Narrative and Causation

Ch 5

PP3

FR3 - Canceled due to weather

20-Feb

Text and Intertext

Ch 6

PP4

FR4

Semiotic Approaches

27-Feb

Semiotics as Cultural Analysis

Ch 7

PP5

FR5

Paper (SP2)

6-Mar

SPRING BREAK - NO CLASS

13-Mar

Schlosser Omnibus Lecture WB Ballroom 7:30 PM

Schlosser

Midterm (ME)

20-Mar

Interpersonal-Organization Semiotics

Barley, Fiol, Guerrero

PP6

FR6

27-Mar

Semiotics and Media Studies

Metz, Browne, Fiske, Seiter

PP7

FR7

3-Apr

Class Canceled

Paper (SP3)

Semiotic Contexts

10-Apr

Semiotics and Popular Culture

Williams, Hall, Radway

PP8

FR8

17-Apr

Semiotics and Audiences

Livingstone, Moores

PP9

FR9

24-Apr

Semiotics, Gender, and Sexuality

de Lauretis, Tannen, Mohanty

PP10

FR10

Paper (SP4)

All Revise and Resubmits

1-May

Scheduled Final Class Meeting 5:45-7:45 PM

Semiotics and Globalization / Conclusion

Blommaert, Appadurai

FD (as needed)

Final (FE)