Information Package / Course Catalogue
Semiotic Analysis
Course Code: İLT406
Course Type: Non Departmental Elective
Couse Group: First Cycle (Bachelor's Degree)
Education Language: Turkish
Work Placement: N/A
Theory: 3
Prt.: 0
Credit: 3
Lab: 0
ECTS: 5
Objectives of the Course

To enable students to analyze semiotic theories and concepts with an interdisciplinary approach; to develop critical thinking, media literacy, and design problem-solving skills by decoding visual, auditory, and textual codes. This objective is directly related to the program's outcomes of strengthening the theoretical foundation in art, design, and technology and interpreting abstract/concrete concepts.

Course Content

Deconstruction and theoretical analysis of ideological and cultural codes in the context of basic concepts of semiotics (Saussure, Peirce, Barthes), visual semiotics, cinema, space, mass communication, brand, digital culture, game studies, and intertextuality.

Name of Lecturer(s)
Learning Outcomes
1.Defines the basic concepts of semiotics (signifier, signified, icon, index, symbol, myth, etc.) and its historical development.
2.Analyzes hidden and explicit ideological/cultural codes in visual communication design and new media products from a critical perspective by deconstructing them.
3.Questions and evaluates semiotic operations in mass culture and brand identities within the context of media literacy and visual literacy.
4.Produces conceptual and theoretical-based original ideas against design problems based on theoretical texts and case studies (subvertising, game studies, etc.).
5.Reports and presents a visual/campaign analyzed in accordance with research methods (article, presentation format, etc.) and terminology.
Recommended or Required Reading
1.Ferdinand de Saussure - Course in General Linguistics
2.Charles Sanders Peirce - Semiotic Writings
3.Roland Barthes - Mythologies
4.oland Barthes - Rhetoric of the Image, Art and Music
5.Stuart Hall - Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices
Weekly Detailed Course Contents
Week 1 - Theoretical
Introduction to Semiotics and Decoding: How is meaning produced? Sign, communication, and culture relationship
Week 2 - Theoretical
Structuralism and Saussure: Signifier, Signified, and Arbitrariness
Week 3 - Theoretical
Charles S. Peirce and Types of Signs: Icon, Index, and Symbol
Week 4 - Theoretical
Roland Barthes: Denotation, Connotation, and Myth. Consumption myths
Week 5 - Theoretical
Syntagmatic and Paradigmatic Axes: Organization of meaning
Week 6 - Theoretical
Visual Semiotics: Reading the Photograph and Image (Punctum/Studium)
Week 7 - Theoretical
Cinema and Moving Image: Camera angles, lighting, cinematographic codes, and reverse editing practice
Week 8 - Theoretical
Midterm Exam + Spatial Semiotics: Reading architectural hierarchy and spatial codes
Week 9 - Theoretical
Mass Communication and Ideology: Consumption myths, hegemony
Week 10 - Theoretical
Brand Semiotics: Corporate identity and the rhetoric of logos
Week 11 - Theoretical
Digital Culture and New Media: Social media interface (UI) and interaction signs. Charles S. Peirce and Types of Signs: Icon, Index, and Symbol. Roland Barthes: Denotation, Connotation, and Myth. Consumption myths. Syntagmatic and Paradigmatic Axes: Organization of meaning. Visual Semiotics: Reading the Photograph and Image (Punctum/Studium). Cinema and Moving Image: Camera angles, lighting, cinematographic codes, and reverse editing practice. Midterm Exam + Spatial Semiotics: Reading architectural hierarchy and spatial codes. Mass Communication and Ideology: Consumption myths, hegemony. Brand Semiotics: Corporate identity and the rhetoric of logos. Digital Culture and New Media: Social media interface (UI) and interaction signs.
Week 12 - Theoretical
Game Studies (Ludology): Interactive narratives, mechanics, and double coding.
Week 13 - Theoretical
Intertextuality: Pastiche, parody, citation. Adaptation of visual parody to digital crises.
Week 14 - Theoretical
Post-Structuralism and the Open Work: The slipperiness of the sign. General synthesis of decoded cases.
Assessment Methods and Criteria
Type of AssessmentCountPercent
Attending Lectures5%5
Assignment1%15
Midterm Examination1%20
Final Examination1%60
Workload Calculation
ActivitiesCountPreparationTimeTotal Work Load (hours)
Lecture - Theory142370
Assignment113013
Midterm Examination120121
Final Examination120121
TOTAL WORKLOAD (hours)125
Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes
PÇ-1
PÇ-2
PÇ-3
PÇ-4
PÇ-5
PÇ-6
PÇ-7
PÇ-8
PÇ-9
PÇ-10
PÇ-11
PÇ-12
PÇ-13
PÇ-14
PÇ-15
PÇ-16
OÇ-1
5
4
OÇ-2
5
5
3
OÇ-3
5
5
OÇ-4
4
4
OÇ-5
4
4
3
Adnan Menderes University - Information Package / Course Catalogue
2026