Day 3 Objectives SWBATD comprehension of semiotic analysis and how it is used in analysis popular culture. SWBATD analysis by analyzing an image using the semiotic method during a classroom discussion. Activities Time Management Workshop Guidelines Analysis of Visual Text: Discussion Homework: The images packet and four questions in COMPLETE Sentences.

Time Management Study Schedule Fill in your class and work schedules. Look at the open time: – Schedule two-three hours for homework every night. (Three hours if you are taking pre-calc and chem this block) – Schedule in sleep, eating, and travel time. – Now schedule in social and personal time. Time Management Tips Study Skills Go through the inventory and mark the study skills you have: – 4=always – 3=sometimes – 2=seldom or rarely – 1=never What do you need to improve?

Workshop Guidelines Any time you are working with a group or partner, there is an objective to be met. These guidelines should be followed every time in order to meet your objectives. Attitude = “Here is a piece of writing I may or may not like, but that is unimportant. What is important is how this writing may be improved so that it more effectively fulfills its intentions.”

Workshop, cont. Writer: – Get distance from your writing – Go in expecting some criticism – Anticipate the criticism; be aware of what you think is weak in the essay – Have a list of questions you would like to ask the class. – Ignore your feelings and take notes.

Workshop, cont. Reader – – Write notes while reading or listening to the essay – Tell the writer: 1.What seems wrong 2.Why it went wrong 3.How it might be revised – Keep attention on the essay, give specifics, & offer honest suggestions for improving the writing

Wrong!! Oh, yeah I liked your essay. It was great. I don’t know, I just don’t like this kind of writing. I personally found this essay offensive. I found a spelling error on page 3, but otherwise it’s perfect. I don’t know what to say. I just couldn’t get into it.

Instead, focus on… What parts draw you in? What makes those parts powerful? Is the purpose clear? Could it be stronger or more clearly stated? Has the writer developed every point with vivid detail, clear examples, accurate information, specific explanation? Is the essay well-organized? Do you have a clear sense of the writer’s voice and personality? Does the writer seem to have a clear sense of the intended audience? Does the beginning grab your interest and the ending leave a strong, appropriate impression on you?

Quick 3 minute break

Popular Signs Reading Popular “low” vs. “high” culture Popular entertainment today essential part of our lives High and Low cultures are blending We’ll use your knowledge of popular culture to help you become a better writer of any subject Anything can be a text: – Hair, signs, TV, &c. Questions?

Semiotic Method Semiotics is a method of analysis – Everything has a meaning behind it – including why your neighbor is wearing a particular shirt Charles Sanders Peirce ( ) Ferdinand de Saussure ( ) Roland Barthes ( ) Political values often guide our social behavior Ask and take nothing for granted: – Why does this look the way it does? – Why are they saying this? What are they really saying? – Why am I doing this? What am I really doing?

Interpreting Popular Signs Signs often conceal some interest or other: political, commercial, &c. Semiotics not just about signs & symbols; equally about ideology and power Example: VW Beetle – Nazi response – In America, 1950s, meaning changed – The return in 1998, another set of meanings

Classroom Connection Analysis = – Historical survey & context – Comparative association & analytical distinctions – Drawing of interpretive conclusions: denotative  connotative significance Thesis based on the analysis Paper presents thesis and defend it with evidence your semiotic thinking produced.

Classroom Connection Cont. Your own opinions need to be set aside in order to pursue an interpretive argument with evidence. Learning to write critical arguments “How can I know that a semiotic interpretation is right?” – No one can absolutely prove the truth of an argument in human sciences; instead you persuade an audience through use of evidence

Of Myths and Men How can we interpret some of our basic values semiotically? Systems of beliefs = ‘cultural mythologies’ or ‘value systems’ – Example: roles of men and women Cultural mythology: lens that governs the way we view our world Humans construct their own social realities Every contest over a cultural code is a contest for power Semiotics does not tell you what to think or believe; rather, that you will believe some system and no cultural system is more valid or superior to any other

Getting Started As time goes forward, change happens. There is always something new to consider and interpret. Critical thinking & writing = – Asking questions – Arriving at answers Always begin w/ a question, a hypothesis, something to explore

Getting Started, cont. Keep in mind the 3 principles of semiotics: – Meaning of a sign can be found not in itself but in its relationships with other signs within a system (everything is connected) – Things have both denotative and connotative meanings; semiotics is trying to find the connotative (don’t stop at the surface) – What we call social “reality” is a human construct, a product of cultural mythology or value system (question authority)

Closing Thoughts Questions? Time to practice with one of the images in your homework? Tonight, – Go through the images and answer the four questions