Description

The 2-year Master's programme in Semiotics provides interdisciplinary background and gives a theoretical base for application of semiotic ideas to a wide variety of disciplines and scientific study. The programme binds together the theory of semiotics and three core modules - cultural semiotics, biosemiotics and socio semiotics. The program also combines the major semiotic traditions of Ferdinand de Saussure and Charles S. Peirce with the leading contemporary and innovative thought.

This Master's degree program has been selected by the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research as one of the winners of the 2008 national competition of the most attractive international Master's programs in Estonia.

Curriculum structure:
General module 30 ECTS
Specialty module 54 ECTS
Elective courses 6 ECTS
Master's thesis 30 ECTS
Total 120 ECTS

General module:
- History of Semiotics: Basic Concepts and Classical Works
- Tartu-Moscow Semiotic School
- Readings of J. von Uexkull and J. Lotman
- Methodology of Semiotic Analysis
- Master's Seminar

Specialty module:

1. Culture module (18 ECTS):
- Cultural Semiotics and Theories of Culture
- Semiotics of Art
- Semiotics of Translation
- Semiotic Analysis of Performance and Multimediality

2. Nature module (18 ECTS):
- Biosemiotics
- Ecosemiotics: Cultural Interpretations of Nature
- Zoosemiotics: Um welt and Animal Communication
- Landscape Semiotics

3. Society module (18 ECTS):
- Sociosemiotics and Societal Theories
- Ideology and the Concept of Identity
- Models of Communication and Mass Media
- Semiotic Analysis of Subcultures

Elective courses: Can be chosen from courses currently available at the University of Tartu.

Master's thesis: individual research paper, written under the supervision of a professional semiotician.

Highlights

What is semiotics?

Semiotics is the general study of sign processes, or semiosis. Semiosis makes the world meaningful.

Today's world, where processes have a disbalance of global and local dimension, challenges us to understand the need of individuals and societies for defining their identity. Semiotics is centrally relevant to achieve this understanding.

Why study semiotics in Tartu?

The tradition of excellence in semiotic theory in Tartu was established by Juri Lotman in 1960s, the founder of semiotics of culture and the Tartu-Moscow Semiotic School, as well as the oldest journal of semiotics, Sign Systems Studies.

The University of Tartu is one the few institutions in the world teaching full Master's and PhD degree programs in semiotics since 1993.

As one of world's major centres of semiotics, the University of Tartu collaborates and is regularly visited by professors from all around the world: Myrdene Anderson, Paul Bouissac, John Deely, Dinda Gorlee, Jesper Hoffmeyer, Winfried Noth, Roland Posner, Frederik Stjernfelt, Eero Tarasti, and many others.

The finest collections of semiotic materials in Tartu include the memorial library of Thomas Sebeok, one of the world leaders in the 20th century semiotics, and the Centre of Jakob von Uexkull, a Baltic German whose works have been very important to the development of biosemiotics.

Minimum Education

Bachelors

Subject Areas

• Culture
• Humanities

Cost in US$:

4620 (3520 EUR) year

Program Fees Include:

Program cost covers tuition, some study materials, supervision and advising of thesis preparation.

This Program is open to

American, Asian, Australian, Canadian and European Participants.

Typical Living Arrangements

• Dormitory

Participants Travel

Independently

Typically Participants Work

Independently or in Groups

Application Process Involves

• Other
• Transcript
• Written Application

Typically The Application Process Time is

60-90 days

University of Tartu's Mission Statement

The University of Tartu is a national university uniting different branches of science. The mission of the University of Tartu is to act as the guardian and advocate of a highly educated Estonia through internationally acclaimed research and the provision of research based higher education. UT is in world's top 400 universities by THES-QS 2011 World University Rankings.

Year Founded

1632