28371 - Semiotic Interpretation (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

The student will become acquainted with an advanced competence on the theoretical and methodological features of interpretative semiotics and will get ability to verify the effectiveness of this approach in the analysis of texts and languages.

Course contents

This year's course is dedicated to a semiotics of subjectivity, specifically focusing on how language and semiotic systems construct what is considered the "subject" in Western philosophical tradition. The course will also explore this through the analysis of contemporary languages, applying semiotic categories to both aesthetic texts and popular culture, such as films, TV shows, songs, music videos, etc.

In the first part of the course, the characteristics of interpretative semiotics will be illustrated, demonstrating how it can address and tackle the theme of the subject. Some concepts will be introduced to aid in the subsequent analyses, which will focus on the cinema of Lynch (Mulholland Drive, Lost Highway), Nolan (Inception), and Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), TV series (Westworld), parodies (Guzzanti, Elio e le Storie Tese, Neri Marcoré), pop-rock author songs (Radiohead, Pink Floyd, The Doors, The Cure, Sigur Rós), and opera (Rossini).

Given the nature of the course, it is highly recommended to attend the classes.

Readings/Bibliography

C. Paolucci, Strutturalismo e interpretazione, Milano, Bompiani, only chapter 1 and 3.

F. Casetti, Dentro lo sguardo, Milano, Bompiani.

- C. Paolucci, Persona. Soggettività nel linguaggio e semiotica dell'enunciazione, Milano, Bompiani, pp. 1-217 e 285-362.

- C. Paolucci, "Una percezione macchinica: realtà virtuale e realtà aumentata tra simulacri e protesi dell’enunciazione", in: Meaning–Making in Extended Reality. Senso e Virtualità, Roma, Aracne, 2020, pp. 43 - 62.

Teaching methods

Il corso integrerà lezioni frontali e analisi testuali, nel tentativo di applicare le idee della semiotica interpretativa al cinema, alla musica e all'arte, con particolare riferimento al problema del soggetto.

Assessment methods

Oral questions about the texts and the books listed above

Teaching tools

Digital and audio-visual supports

Office hours

See the website of Claudio Paolucci