Social semiotics, ideologies and identities in pop culture discourse

The course deals with the construction of identities in pop culture discourse in the light of socio-semiotic theories. In particular, departing from a constructionist perspective, identities are viewed as dynamic and fluid entities that are realized and reconstructed in discourse. In this context, speakers are considered to actively shape their social reality, taking into account the social constraints and communicative orientations each time they pose / are posed to them. As interaction is considered to be the 'canvas' against which multiple identities are displayed and clash among the participants, we will focus on the analysis of fictional interaction, drawing on examples from cinema and television (television series, TV commercials). The social identities under study will be social class, gender, age and ethnicity, while all the indexical processes / semiotic systems (language and visuals) which are involved in the construction of identities in the (multimodal) fictional discourse will be considered. As pop culture constructs multiple versions of social reality in the institutional framework in which it is shaped, special emphasis will be placed on the ideological role of the fictional representations under study to reproduce and to subvert the hegemonic identities of gender, class, age and ethnicity.

Use of Information and Communication Technologies in teaching the course: Projector Using ICT in communicating with students: Using email and elearning

Written assignments Oral presentation

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