Semiotics and Media Studies

About the lecture

In this module, we look at how semiotics is connected to media studies. In particular, we will focus on: (i) defining semiotics as the study of signs and symbols, aiding the understanding of how meaning is created and conveyed in media texts; (ii) how the theory of semiotics was developed independently by Ferdinand Desussour and Charles Sanders; (iii) how media industries inundates us with messages daily, such as in advertising, which is a designed communication using signs and symbols to persuade; (iv) how semiotics can be applied in media studies to analyse signs and symbols in media texts like films, ads, podcasts, and websites, revealing underlying messages; and (v) how semiotics is also used to explore media representation of groups, cultural meanings of signs, and how audiences interpret and consume media texts, offering insights into meaning creation, conveyance, and interpretation.

About the lecturer

Carl Jones is senior lecturer in media and communication at the University of Westminster. He specialises in advertising and semiotics in media studies. With this in mind, he has published widely including ‘Racism and classism in Mexican advertising’ (2019) and ‘Decoding myth-making through Semiotics in-order to Decolonize advertising (2023). He was also guest editor for Westminster Papers in Communication and Culture: Advertising for the Human Good (2020).