COURSE INTRODUCTION AND APPLICATION INFORMATION

Course Name
Design Semiotics
Code
Semester
Theory
(hour/week)
Application/Lab
(hour/week)
Local Credits
ECTS
VCD 340
Spring
3
0
3
3
Prerequisites
None
Course Language
English
Course Type
Required
Course Level
First Cycle
Mode of Delivery -
Teaching Methods and Techniques of the Course
Course Coordinator -
Course Lecturer(s)
Assistant(s) -
Course Objectives Understanding different schools/theories of communication to be able to construct intentional, to-the-point messages as designers. Creating a clear understanding of the semiotic reading, through the introduction of its basic terminology, concepts, methods of analysis and examples of its application. Exploring its role as a meaning-making activity and learning to read / create / manipulate messages through its use in art, graphic & industrial design, photography, journalism, advertising and cinema.
Learning Outcomes The students who succeeded in this course;
  • will be able to apply semiotic analytical techniques to various subjects and in various situations.
  • will be able to assess the strengths and weaknesses of semiotics as a tool to explain human communication.
  • will be able to apply the knowledge of semiotics to new design development.
  • will be able to observe the way in which codes function in works of art and design.
  • will be able to articulate his/her critique of works of art and design by using semiotic terminology.
  • will be able to observe visual culture through the lens of semiotics while relating these to design issues.
Course Description This course is designed to show how the basic ideas of semiotic study can be used to understand aspects of communication and design. Common concepts and ideas in semiotics as they have been applied to the analysis and criticism of “the visual” will be discussed in a design context – as tools to meet analytical, critical and reflective design evaluations. With particular emphasis on visual culture, several important concepts will be examined and put into critical use in analyzing as well as designing new works. These concepts include the sign, paradigm, syntagm, redundancy, entropy, code, denotation, connotation, myth, metaphor, metonymy, ideology, representation, pastiche, parody, encoding / decoding, conspicuous consumption and taste.
Related Sustainable Development Goals

 



Course Category

 Core Courses
Major Area Courses
X
Supportive Courses
Media and Managment Skills Courses
Transferable Skill Courses

 

WEEKLY SUBJECTS AND RELATED PREPARATION STUDIES

Week Subjects Required Materials
1 Introduction None
2 Review of the Semester  
3 Theories of Communication Fiske – “Communication Theory” • Cobley & Janzs – “Introducing Semiotics”
4 Meaning-Making Chandler – “Models of the Sign” • Fiske – “Communication, Meaning & Signs”
5 Review of the Semester  
6 Review of the Semester  
7 Signs & Signification Fiske – “Signification” & “Semiotic Methods”
8 Codes Fiske – “Codes”
9 Ideology & Meaning [Project brief to be announced] Miss Representation Documentary • Fiske – “Ideology & Meanings” • Williamson – “A Currency of Signs” www.zeyneparda.com/vcd340
10 Nonverbal Communication, Jakobson & Zaltman [Take-home exam | Midterm] Fiske – “Jakobson’s Model of Functions” www.zeyneparda.com/vcd340
11 Reading Images & Ads [Presentations] Falk – “The Benetton Toscani Effect: Testing the Limits of Conventional Advertising”
12 Film Semiotics Metz “Film Language” www.zeyneparda.com/vcd340
13 Review and Discussion of Concepts & Presentations [Submit all projects & presentations]
14 Review and Discussion of Concepts & Presentations [Take-home exam | Final]
15 Submit take-home final exam - 12.06.2020
16 Semester review
Course Notes/Textbooks

Chandler, D. (2007): Semiotics: The Basics. New York: Routledge. ISBN: 0-203-01493-6.

Fiske, J. (1990): Introduction to Communication Studies. New York: Routledge. 0-203-13431-1.
 

Weekly lecture notes are provided by the instructor.
Suggested Readings/Materials

Barthes, R. (1977): Image, Music, Text. London: Fontana Press. ISBN: 0-00-686135-0.

Berger, J. (1972): Ways of Seeing. London: Penguin Books. ISBN: 978-0-141-91798-6.

Burgin, V. (ed) (1982): Thinking Photography. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN: 0-333-27195-5.

Cobley, P. (ed.) (2001): The Routledge Companion to Semiotics and Linguistics. London&New York: Routledge. ISBN: 0-203-99608-9.

Krippendorff, K (2005): The Semantic Turn: A New Foundation for Design. Boca Raton: Taylor & Francis Group. ISBN: 0-415-32220-0.

Metz, C. (1974): Film Language: A Semiotics of the Cinema. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN: 0-226-52130-3.

Meyerowitz, J. (2016): Seeing Things: A Kid’s Guide to Looking at Photographs. New York: Aperture. ISBN: 1597113158.

 

EVALUATION SYSTEM

Semester Activities Number Weigthing
Participation
Laboratory / Application
Field Work
Quizzes / Studio Critiques
Portfolio
Homework / Assignments
3
10
Presentation / Jury
Project
1
30
Seminar / Workshop
Oral Exam
Midterm
1
20
Final Exam
1
40
Total

Weighting of Semester Activities on the Final Grade
60
Weighting of End-of-Semester Activities on the Final Grade
40
Total

ECTS / WORKLOAD TABLE

Semester Activities Number Duration (Hours) Workload
Course Hours
(Including exam week: 16 x total hours)
16
3
48
Laboratory / Application Hours
(Including exam week: 16 x total hours)
16
Study Hours Out of Class
6
3
18
Field Work
Quizzes / Studio Critiques
Portfolio
Homework / Assignments
3
3
Presentation / Jury
Project
1
8
Seminar / Workshop
Oral Exam
Midterms
1
12
Final Exams
1
15
    Total
110

 

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES AND PROGRAM QUALIFICATIONS RELATIONSHIP

#
 Program Competencies/Outcomes
* Contribution Level
1
2
3
4
5
1

To be able to apply the fundamental principles of design in creating visual narratives and messages, using physical and digital media,

 X
2

To attain complex problem-solving skills, using various design methods,

 X
3

To have a clear understanding of creative/art direction,

 X
4

To be able to use the advanced theoretical and applied knowledge attained in the areas of Visual Communication Design,

 X
5

To act with social and ethical awareness and to take responsibility, both individually and collectively, for developing aesthetic and effective design solutions,

 X
6

To be able to investigate, interpret and evaluate the developments on Visual Communication Design in the world and in Turkey,

 X
7

To have an advanced level of knowledge and experience in producing/editing still and moving images,
8

To attain proficiency in using related software, media, and communication technologies,
9

To gain reflexive and critical thinking abilities,

 X
10

To undertake self-directed and continuous education in the discipline, to develop a lifelong learning attitude,

 X
11

To be able to collect data in the areas of Visual Communication Design and communicate with colleagues in a foreign language ("European Language Portfolio Global Scale", Level B1),

 X
12

To be able to speak a second foreign at a medium level of fluency efficiently,
13

To be able to relate the knowledge accumulated throughout the human history to their field of expertise.

 X

*1 Lowest, 2 Low, 3 Average, 4 High, 5 Highest