B1641 - Semiotics and Culture of Digital Transformation (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, students will have achieved elements of theoretical reflection and basic technical skills on the issues of production, adaptation and dissemination of cultural content, with particular reference to: digital platforms (digital libraries, streaming platforms for cinema and music, online repositories), Minting of Non Fungible Tokens for digital artwork, ethics and aesthetics of artificial intelligence.No particular computer skills are required to attend the course.

Course contents

Over the past 20 years, we have witnessed the digital transformation of cultural industry products. Initially, it was believed that this transformation primarily affected the physical media of these products (books, films, and music, which we now handle as files within a computer). However, it is now evident that the consumption, meaning production, and interpretation of these products undergo a fundamental transformation in a digital context of editing and publishing. During the course, we will apply various semiotic theories to the analysis of existing digital platforms (intersemiotic translation aspects, user roles, intertextuality, accessibility) and to the prototyping of experimental content creation and content curation methods. Some sessions will focus on the relationship between digital cultural content (ebooks, audio files, videos, and digital art) and Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). In addition to a technical component on prototyping for digital cultural product design, the course will include an exploration of Generative Artificial Intelligence and several seminar sessions featuring professionals from the cultural industries of cinema and literature.

Readings/Bibliography

• • Benjamin, W. (1974). L'opera d'arte nell'epoca della sua riproducibilità tecnica. Torino: Einaudi.

  • Eco, U. (1984) Semiotica e filosofia del linguaggio. Torino: Einaudi. (da p.40 a p.54)

  • Floridi, L. (2017) La quarta rivoluzione. Milano: Raffaello Cortina Editore. (da p.1 a p.26)

  • Floridi, L. (2022) Etica dell’intelligenza artificiale. Milano: Raffaello Cortina Editore. (da p.21 a p.63)

  • Manovich, L. (2020) L'estetica dell'intelligenza artificiale. Roma: Luca Sossella.

  • Martinelli,P. Per una semiotica dell’apprendimento La produzione segnica e l’inferenza abduttiva nell’accesso alla literacy, in "Versus, Quaderni di studi semiotici" 1/2022, pp. 115-142, doi: 10.14649/104504

  • Paolucci, C. (2020) Persona. Milano: Bompiani

  • Paolucci, Claudio; Martinelli, Paolo; Bacaro, Martina, Can we really free ourselves from stereotypes? A semiotic point of view on clichés and disability studies, «SEMIOTICA», 2023, 253, pp. 1 - 34 [articolo]

   

Teaching methods

Course will be taught through a mixture of formal lectures and workshop in which the use of digital devices is expected.

Assessment methods

The exam will consist in the oral discussion of a (MAX) 4,000-word essay on a topic agreed with the teacher.

Students with disabilities and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders are entitled to special adjustments according to their condition, subject to assessment by the University Service for Students with Disabilities and SLD. Please do not contact teachers or Department staff, but make an appointment with the Service. The Service will then determine what adjustments are specifically appropriate, and get in touch with the teacher. For more information, please visit the page:
https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students

Teaching tools

Classes will be taught with the help of the multimedia tools available in all the teaching rooms of the Department. Occasionally a B.Y.O.D (Bring your own device) mode will be adopted.

Office hours

See the website of Paolo Martinelli