Communication Science vs. Semiotics
Marcel Danesi says that "communication theorists generally focus more on the study of message-making as a process, whereas semioticians center their attention more on what a message means and on how it creates meaning" (Messages and Meanings: An Introduction to Semiotics, 1994). He implies that both communication science and semiotics are systematic studies of signs. Interestingly, Danesi comments that semiotics studies signification first and communication second.
Danesi's definitions and distinctions about communication science and semiotics captured my interest because of the way he draws the line between to areas of study that are very closely related. In this paper I will try to elaborate on those differences. I have to admit that until now I am not completely convinced about the way to distinguish among semiotics and communication science. However, I believe that it is worth the effort. Reflection about these topics will help me and possibly the reader to understand them better.
We are in broad information age. The handling of information is definitely the main commercial activity of our days. We are all consumers of information at different levels. Most of us also have to either manage, process, market, deliver or sell information as a way of living. Information is wrapped in all kinds of packages, or better said it is delivered through all kinds of media. All kinds of messages are delivered to all kinds of audiences.
Information is the core element of communication science and probably of semiotics as well. I consider information to be the raw material for message construction and the creation of meaning. Signs are a collection of bits and pieces of information. Information is what we decipher from signs. Notice that decoding has to be performed because some sort of coding is always a part of the "creation" of a sign. Even iconic signs which are "a direct representation of a referent" as defined by Danesi, have to be encoded in order to make them deliverable through any given medium.
Let us take for example a flower as a referent. An iconic representation of a flower could be a hand drawing, a painting or a color picture. From the least iconic (the drawing) to the most iconic (the color picture) representation coding of information (i.e. shape, texture, color) is necessary to create a sign. A perfume that smells "like" a flower is also an iconic representation of the real object.
RWJUH is an academic medical center, a Level 1 Trauma Center, and provides short-term acute care along with an array of other medical services,
The two theories I have decided to merge are Agnew’s General Strain Theory and Hirschi’s Social Bond Theory. I picked General Strain Theory because it does a good job at discussing some of the things that can trigger the release of a person’s negative emotions which in turn may lead to deviant behavior. I also decided to write about Social Bond Theory because it describes some of the factors that keep people from committing crime. Both of the theories have strengths and weaknesses individually, but when merged they help fill in each other’s gaps. (Agnew, 2011; Hirschi, 2011) +1 (888) 295-7904
In the 1950’s, Cohen (1955) acquired Merton’s theory of crime further by concentrating on gang delinquency within the working class demographic. Cohen used the dominant knowledge of the anomie theory but narrowed its emphasis on this precise subculture and particularized it in order to clarify the features of gang delinquency. Comparable to Merton and Cohen, Cloward and Ohlin (1960) tried to clarify why certain individuals or groups are more likely to involve in criminal activities. They contended that people are strained when they fail to attain financial achievement through legitimate means. Cloward and Ohlin remained in...
Griffin, E., Ledbetter, A., & Sparks, G. (2015). A first look at communication theory. New York:
Jane Eyre has a rough start to her foundation, to begin she is orphaned at a young age. This sets up many problems for the young girl and her fragile identity. The people around worsen the situation as Jane grows. They challenge her patience, integrity, and intelligence. As a female Jane must deal with the caste system of her time as a threat, and as an orphaned child she must deal with the cast system as an obstacle. The family of Reeds that she lives with reminds her everyday of her low position. “She suffers precisely because she knows the value of caste; She may be poor, but she does not want to belong to the poor” (Bell 2). This makes Jane want to thrive more because she realizes the odds against her. Originally, Jane comes from a middle-class family but when her father dies she is left to the pity of the Reeds. The Reeds mistreat Jane and she grows to long the outside world. Jane clearly shows her position when she says, “ It is as natural as that I should love those who show me affection, as submit to punishment when I feel it is deserved”.
Strain theory has been founded to be one of the most influential and accepted criminological theories of the 20th century. Merton’s strain theory has been utilized to explain the classes of crime. Classes of crime include gender, age, race, and population differences. In credit of Merton strain theory, researchers were able to discover the relationship between classes in crime. For example, middle-class populations are likely to commit white-collar crimes. Lower-class communities are likely to commit minor crimes.
Jay was to open with a set of his renditions of some major hits from the past fifty years, which had me thinking it was going to be a long night. I am very seldom a fan of covers, let alone covers of originals I have listened to hundreds of times. I began frantically searching for my server because I intended to make a preemptive strike on the pain I was about to endure.
From research through SAHMSA and increased knowledge through my choice in graduate-level courses, I learned how to best integrate a trauma-informed approach into my clinical practice. This example from my concentration practice shows how I sought to choose interventions from an evidence-based practice perspective, seeking to meet my clients and support their dignity and worthwhile also using approaches and interventions which have been shown effective through research. Although a trauma-informed perspective would have been beneficial in my foundation internship, it became imperative in my concentration internship and I increased my competency and supported the dignity and worth of my clients by choosing to learn about and integrate a trauma-informed approach in my clinical practice.
Griffin, Emory A.. A first look at communication theory. 8th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. Print.
Communication serves various purposes, takes different forms, communication has six characteristics, and trains us how to communicate interpersonally. Communication meets people’s physical, relational, spiritual needs and fills identity needs of human needs. Communication naturally follows a certain process and there are three models or theories that describe this process. Human communication is taken to an action where the user encodes message and conveys it through a communication channel for the receiver to encode, an interaction which explains that our message are shaped by the feedback we receive from others and the context in which we are interacting, or a transaction where both people in a conversation are simultaneously senders and receivers.
“Definitions of ‘youth’ in Western societies usually refer to the life stage between childhood and adulthood, the transitional period between being dependant and becoming independent” (Kehily, 2007). The age of this transition can be best defined by the House of Commons as starting at 16 and ending at 24 years old (2013). This transition from youth to adulthood has altered considerably in recent years; the traditional norms and values that youth once followed are no longer respected or easily attained. Current youth have very different life styles and expectations, consequently; adolescents are taking longer to complete the transition into adulthood. Twenty-five years ago the traditional norms we...
D.E. McFarland defines communication as, “Communication may be broadly defined as the process of meaningful interaction among human beings. More specially, it is the process by which meanings are perceived and understandings are reached among human beings.”
...school. Time is not an issue for students living on campus because they reside at the college, which makes it a lot easier to get to class. Whereas, students, who commute struggle to get up in order to catch a bus or two to get to class on time. Students living on campus can spend extra money on other things such as movies since they don’t have to pay for food or transportation. In contrast, students who commute need to save money on the side in order to have access to public transportation to get to class and pay for food at the school. Students living on campus are familiar with places around the college and they know more students. However, students commuting don’t have time for this since they are more worried about getting home on time. Living on campus should be considered by most college student since it appears to be a lot less stressful than living at home.
Women, in all classes, were still living in a world which was misogynistic and male-dominated. Their purpose in life was to produce male heirs and maintain the home by hiring and overseeing servants. It was also taboo for one to marry significantly below one’s social class. This is one reason that Jane is not a conventional heroine for the society of her time. Although, as a governess, she is not considered to be as low as a housemaid, she is still part of the hired help in the house. This is why it is unconventional for her and Mr Rochester to be in a relationship. Yet this is not as peculiar as how Jane Eyre ends their relationship due to her sense of betrayal. It would have been considered extremely foolish for a working-woman’s sense of betrayal to end and turn down a man of great wealth.
Visual communication can be seen from a semiotic approach. The semiotic approach to visual communication stresses the idea that images are a collection of signs that are linked together in some way by the viewer. The study of semiotics divides itself into three areas: pragmatics, semantics and syntactic. Pragmatics is the study of the origin, common uses and communicative effects of signs. Semantics is an area of semiotics in which the researchers attempt to determine the significance of signs within and throughout various cultures.