Introduction to Urban Semiotics - Einzelansicht

In this block seminar, students will be introduced to urban semiotics which investigates urban spaces and their representations (Gottdiener & Lagopoulos, 1986). Students will have an opportunity to approach space/place as text and discuss the ways human communication is accomplished in urban environments. In doing so, students will consider how different semiotic resources, urban artefacts, and social interactions produce and control different urban settings. Specifically, we will be thinking about the city as “a language written by the built environment and read by its inhabitants” (Barthes, 1967). Through hands-on fieldwork, extensive reading activities, and intense discussions, students will gain competence regarding the semiotic approach to the city.