Semiotics, Pop Culture, Animals and the Environment

This course will examine how the relationships and meanings associating humans, animals, and the environment are mediated, constructed, and perceived within pop culture. Animals, environments, and ecosystems – and their relationship to humans – will be examined within the context of spectacles, transmediality, participation culture, atmosphere, rationalization, and various perspectives in semiotics, including zoo and ecosemiotics.

Students can expect to gain a general overview and working knowledge of different semiotic and culture study views on animals, environments, and pop culture. Moreover, students will be able to identify key concepts and terms, and theoretical processes.

Students will be required to demonstrate their knowledge through a presentation at the end of the course, in which they must examine an object of study by making use of a combination of theories discussed in the course. They may gain an extra credit by submitting, in addition to the presentation, a 300-500 word page explaining a key concept discussed in the course.

Course leader

Andrew Mark Creighton, PhD Candidate, University of Tartu

Target group

MA/PhD and advanced BA

Course aim

Students will be required to demonstrate their knowledge through a presentation at the end of the course, in which they must examine an object of study by making use of a combination of theories discussed in the course.

Students completing the course will:

-Gain knowledge of relevant theoretical views on other-than-human – human relations and pop culture.
-Understand the transdisciplinary nature of studying these relations.
-Apply these perspectives to an object of study
-Gain relevant knowledge and information to, independently, further their studies in the topic.