The module gives students focused insights into theoretical and methodological approaches concerning the research of multimodal action and performances. It provides insights to understand performativity as active producing of socio-cultural realities and how performances as well as performatives, resist, embrace, and define historical and contemporary politics.

Another focus of the module concerns multimodal nature of performances. During the course students learn specific ways to analyse multimodal materials and examine the use of multimodal resources such as speech, tone, gaze, body attitude or movement as a part of cultural action. The purpose is to study how multimodal performativity co-dependently affects the nature of the content and what is the overall significance of multimodality in human action.

One lecture is 2x 45 minutes long. After a 30 minute pause the group meeting will take 45 minutes.

Mon 12-14 open lectures with guest lecturers, 14-15 group discussion.

Required Books (on reserve at the library):

Kress, G. (2009) Multimodality: a Social Semiotic Approach to Contemporary Communication London: Routledge.

Ventola, E., Charles, C. and Kaltenbacher, M. (2004) Perspectives on Multimodality. Amsterdam & Philadelphia, PA: John Benjamin’s Publishing Company.

Cope, B. and M. Kalantzis (eds.) (2000) Multiliteracies: Literacy Learning and the Design of Social Futures. London: Routledge.

Fischer-Lichte, Erika (2008) Transformative Power of Performance. A New Aesthetics. Routledge: New York.

McNeill D. (1992) Hand and Mind: What Gestures Reveal about Thought. University Of Chicago Press.

Zhao, S& Emilia D (2014). Critical Multimodal Studies of Popular Discourse. New York: Routledge.

There is also other required course readings that will be placed as PDFs or links at the course e-learning platform Moodle. Additional recommended readings will be listed in a bibliography at the end of this syllabus.

Maximum 50 students is accepted to the seminar in the following order:

1. degree students of the MDP in Cultural Studies

2. other degree students of UTA

3. exchange students