College of Arts and Sciences
Bloomington

Director
Distinguished Professor Richard Bauman

Ph.D. Minor in Semiotic Studies

Semiotic studies offers a doctoral minor requiring 15 credit hours of course work chosen from among related interdisciplinary areas. Two tracks are available: general semiotics and the social semiotics of language.

Course Requirements
General semiotics: five courses, to include three in semiotic studies proper, one in philosophy (P520 or an equivalent course approved by the academic advisor), and one from a related area, such as anthropology, fine arts, history, linguistics, music, philosophy, psychology, speech and hearing, or theatre. Selection of these courses will be made in consultation with the academic advisor.

Social semiotics of language: five courses, to include two in semiotics proper and three in the social semiotics of language to be selected from related areas such as anthropology, communication and culture, folklore, linguistics, or sociology. Selection of these courses will be made in consultation with the academic advisor.

Students must also seek approval for their semiotic studies minor from their respective major departments. Committee approval for the minor will be given upon satisfactory completion of all course work.

Academic Advising
Distinguished Professor Richard Bauman, Smith Research 140, (812) 855-6193

Grades
A minimum of a B (3.0) is required in each course.

Examination
None.

Courses

S601 Introduction to Semiotic Studies (3 cr.) An introduction to verbal and nonverbal communication in humans and to the signaling behavior of the speechless creatures. Among topics to be discussed are historical developments in medicine, philosophy, and linguistics; semiotic processes in everyday life and their development in the individual, dissolution in old age, and modification under abnormal conditions. Connections with social anthropology, sociology, and the various auditory and visual arts will be emphasized.
S603 The Semiotics of C. S. Peirce (3 cr.) Semiotics of the philosopher C. S. Peirce.
S604 Classics of Modern Semiotics (3 cr.) Introduction to the thinking of the dozen most important modern contributors to semiotics, ranging from Peirce and Saussure to several contemporary figures.
S650 Topics in Semiotics (3 cr.) P: S601 or consent of instructor. Exploration of a small subset of the topics enumerated in S601; subset will vary from year to year.
S660 Readings and Research in Semiotics (1-3 cr.)* Guided reading leading to research for M.S. thesis or Ph.D. dissertation.

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