Class Semiotic

Semiotics is the field that studies signs and the processes of meaning-making, revealing how language shapes our perception of reality. The study of processes of signification is a crucial area in the scientific understanding of communication phenomena and enables us to recognise how every thought, gesture, emotion or behaviour, every word or image, and even the most complex cultural phenomena are forms of producing and receiving meaning. This discipline views the lifeworld as a complex and fascinating phenomenon of meaning-making. It is these meanings that cement our identity because, from a semiotic perspective, all human cultures are historical responses and strategies for the symbolic construction of a world that makes sense.

Not applicable

I. The Concept of the Sign and Signification (9 hours) The study of signs, the production of meaning and the linguistic turn. The European (semiology) and American (semiotics) traditions.   II. The European School - Saussure (14 hours) Language as a system. Binary sign: Signifier (form) and Signified (concept). Arbitrariness, immutability and linearity. Language (langue) and Speech (parole). The paradigmatic (selection) and syntagmatic (combination) axes. Denotation and connotation in Barthes.   III. American School - Peirce (14 hours) Pragmatism and logic. Primacy, Secondaryness and Tertiaryness. Triadic sign: Representamen, Object and Interpretant. Infinite semiosis. Classification: Icon (resemblance), Index (causality) and Symbol (convention).   IV. Semiotic Analysis Workshop (8 hours) Application of the binary and triadic models. Critical analysis of advertisements, design, cinema or social media. Discussion of practical essays.  

Project-Based Learning. A methodology that promotes the integration of knowledge, the development of skills and the resolution of real-world problems through the completion of projects related to the curriculum. It is based on collaboration, engagement and the active participation of students and teachers, enabling the monitoring and assessment of learning outcomes and acquired skills.

BARTHES, R. (1984). Elementos de Semiologia. Lisboa: Edições 70. BARTHES, R. (1984). Mitologias. Lisboa: Edições 70. ECO, U. (1989). "O hábito fala pelo monge" In: Psicologia do Vestir. 3ª ed. Lisboa: Assírio & Alvim, 1989, pp. 3-20. FIDALGO, A. (2004). Manual de Semiótica. Covilhã: BOCC, Universidade da Beira Interior. Último acesso a 17-07-2026 em: https://arquivo.bocc.ubi.pt/pag/fidalgo-antonio-manual-semiotica-2004.pdf HJELMSLEV, L. (1991). Ensaios Linguísticos. São Paulo: Editora Perspectiva. PEIRCE, C. (1990). Semiótica. 2ª ed. São Paulo, Brasil: Perspectiva. SAUSSURE, F. (1992 [1916]). Curso de Linguística Geral. Lisboa: Dom Quixote. SANTAELLA, L. (2005). Semiótica Aplicada. São Paulo: Pioneira Thomson Learning. VOLLI, U. (2003). Semiótica da Publicidade. A Criação do Texto Publicitário. Lisboa: Edições 70.