4.4 Read 135 reviews
Overview
On-site in Tartu 28 July - 8 August 2025
The advancement of automated technologies, combined with societies’ needs to rapidly adapt, have brought about frantic discourses of anxiety about the state of the world and its possible future(s). The problematic impact of technology on society is widely discussed in Science and Technology Studies (STS). In the context of (generative) AI, the environmental impact of technologies is starting to become integral to certain public and academic debates.
Semiotics is uniquely positioned to provide historical and cultural contextualization for current technologies and their impact on society and environment. Semiotics also offers tools to critically assess the discourses articulating related epistemic and ontological challenges. Semiotics addresses the abstract, mental dimension of human and non-human life. At the same time, any semiotic activity is inevitably grounded in embodied materiality, leading to significant impact and consequences on the material, factual world. We will investigate how these sides come together, form the context for and impact various trends in the contemporary world.
The course provides insights into various theories and applications popular in cultural and ecosemiotics, STS and environmental humanities, relating them to current and pressing technological, political and environmental issues. In a practical line, the course trains the skills of academic concept and proposal formulation and introduces students to research methodologies, particularly multimodal discourse analysis through several intensive workshops. Additionally, we will take walks through the cultural and heritage landscapes of Tartu and Estonia.
Learning outcomes:
Upon successful completion of the course, the students are able to:
Contextualise their experience and learning with the natural and cultural environments of Estonia
Accreditation
Every seven years, all Estonian higher education institutions must undergo external evaluation – institutional accreditation. The latest assessment took place in 2022. The assessment council of the Estonian Quality Agency for Education decided to accredit the University of Tartu for the next seven years (2023-2029).
Programme Structure
Monday, July 28
- Course introduction and welcome
- The material and semiotic foundations of technological systems
- What is multimodal analysis and why does it matter in a datafield world?
Tuesday, July 29
- Ecosemiotics and the changing epistemologies of nature-culture relations
- Place-lore and the semiotic significance of places
- The semiotics of (environmental) conflicts
- Jakob von Uexküll and the concept of Umwelt
Wednesday, July 30
- Multimodal analysis (A): close analysis of small datasets
- Multimodal analysis (B): large-scale analysis
- Exploring the limitations of multimodal large language models (workshop)
Thursday, July 31
- Field trip to Taevaskoja, a tourist destination and a sacred natural site (TBC)
Friday, August 1
- Reflections on the field trip experience
- Indigenous and decolonial perspectives on technology and extractivism
- Scientific knowledge production and art
- Psychoanalytical perspective on knowledge
- Exercise: Creating a Research Space (C.A.R.S.)
Monday, August 4
- Juri Lotman and Tartu semiotics
- Culture and modelling systems
- Artificial Intelligence as mediated perception
- Multimodal analysis workshop (I): group work
Tuesday, August 5
- The digital semiosphere
- The semiotics of information influence
- Strategic narratives and political communication
- Narrative, cognitive, information warfare
- Mapping research questions and paths
Wednesday, August 6
- Low tech, degrowth and the critique of green transition
- The sociocultural impact of generative AI
- Cultural responses to deepfake technology
- Multimodal analysis workshop (II): group work
Thursday, August 7
- Colloquium day. Presentations
Friday, August 8
- Colloquium. Presentations (continued)
- Reflections on the course and feedback
Audience
MA/PhD/Advanced BA Independent researchers are welcome
Lecturers
Auli Viidalepp, Research Fellow in Semiotics at the University of Tartu
Key information
Duration
- Full-time
- 12 days
Start dates & application deadlines
- Starting
- Apply before
-
More details
Apply by 7 April 2025 to get the Early Bird discount of -10%!
Language
English
Credits
6 ECTS
Delivered
On Campus
Campus Location
- Tartu, Estonia
Disciplines
Sociology Philosophy Artificial IntelligenceWhat students do after studying
Join for free or log in to access our complete career info list.
Academic requirements
We are not aware of any specific GRE, GMAT or GPA grading score requirements for this programme.
English requirements
We are not aware of any English requirements for this programme.
Other requirements
General requirements
Entry requirements:
- Online application form (application period April 1 - April 30 2025)
- Motivation letter (up to 1 page) that demonstrates the applicant’s motivation to participate, his/her expectations about the programme, how participation in the summer programme relates to his/her studies and interests, and how the applicant plans to use the gained experience and knowledge in the future.
- Transcript of academic records
- Copy of passport
- Application fee of 25 EUR
Student insurance
Make sure to cover your health, travel, and stay while studying abroad. Even global coverages can miss important items, so make sure your student insurance ticks all the following:
- Additional medical costs (i.e. dental)
- Repatriation, if something happens to you or your family
- Liability
- Home contents and baggage
- Accidents
- Legal aid
We partnered with Aon to provide you with the best affordable student insurance, for a carefree experience away from home.
Get your student insurance nowStarting from €0.53/day, free cancellation any time.
Remember, countries and universities may have specific insurance requirements. To learn more about how student insurance work at University of Tartu and/or in Estonia, please visit Student Insurance Portal.
Tuition Fee
To always see correct tuition fees
-
International
700 EUR/fullTuition FeeBased on the tuition of 700 EUR for the full programme during 12 days. -
EU/EEA
700 EUR/fullTuition FeeBased on the tuition of 700 EUR for the full programme during 12 days.
Living costs for Tartu
300 - 600 EUR /month
Living costs
The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.
Funding
1. Estonian National Scholarships at StudyinEstonia.ee.
You can read more about the scholarships on the homepage of StudyinEstonia.ee.
2. ENLIGHT scholarship
More information and the application form are on the ENLIGHT scholarship page: https://ut.ee/en/content/enlight-scholarship
Improve page content