Juri Lotman: A Basic Introduction and Contemporary Applications
On-site in Tartu 31 July - 10 August 2023
In the year 2022, Juri Lotman would have turned 100 years old, and on this occasion, many conferences, exhibitions, publications, courses, and so forth, were dedicated to him. Lotman was known as a leader (if not the leader) of the Tartu-Moscow Semiotic School (TMSS), one of the co-founders of the semiotics of culture, and, as an individual thinker, the creator and developer of the semiosphere concept. Part of this course is dedicated to differentiating these three aspects of Lotman’s life story.
The relevance of this course lies in the celebration of Lotman’s centenary and the subsequent demonstration of how his ideas have continued to remain vital, even after his passing. The aim of this course in general is to give a basic introduction to Lotman, and then describe how Lotmanian ideas have found contemporary application.
| Focus area: | Semiotics | Coordinating unit at UT |
Institute of Philosophy and Semiotics |
| Study Field: | Arts and Humanities | Course Leader |
Erik Kõvamees, University of Tartu
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| Format | Summer Course | Location | Tartu, Estonia |
| Course dates: | 31 July - 10 August | Apply by: |
30 April 2023 |
| ECTS: | 4 | Fee: | 700 € |
| Study group | all students on the level of BA and MA, PhD | Language | English |
Application is closed.
Approximate schedule of the course
August 1st:
- Juri Lotman: biographical notes and introduction to the semiosphere. (Erik Kõvamees)
- Some basic concepts: language, text, culture. (Erik Kõvamees)
- Basics of the semiosphere: boundary, periphery, core, dialogue, enantiomorphism. (Erik Kõvamees)
August 2nd:
- Translation. (Elin Sütiste)
- Intellect, culture, symbol. (Herman Tamminen)
- Intellect, culture, symbol II. (Herman Tamminen)
August 3rd:
- Lotman and complexity sciences. (Merit Rickberg)
- Cultural memory. (Merit Rickberg)
- Autocommunication. (Sasha Milyakina)
August 4th:
- Myth-name-culture. (Tuuli Pern)
- Transmediality. (Sasha Milyakina)
- Sociocommunicative functions in synthetic media. (Auli Viidalepp)
August 7th:
- Lotman applied: the semiotics of conflict. (Katarina Damčević)
- Lotman applied: prison semiotics. (Erik Kõvamees)
- Lotman: biographical note, concept, contemporary application. (TBA)
August 8th:
- Applications of Lotman in ecosemiotics. (Timo Maran)
- Lotman: biography, concept, contemporary application. (TBA)
- Lotman: biography concept, contemporary application. (TBA)
August 9th:
- Applications of Lotman in ecosemiotics. (Timo Maran)
- Lotman: biography, concept, contemporary application. (TBA)
- Lotman: biography, concept, contemporary application. (TBA)
Entry requirements
- Online application form
- Motivation letter (up to 1.5 pages)
- Transcript of academic records
- Copy of the passport
PS: Only complete applications including all annexes submitted by the deadline will be considered for selection.
Applications are evaluated based on
Motivation letter (up to 1.5 pages) 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.
The participants of the course will:
- become fluent in Lotmanian terminology and understand his concepts.
- have a centralized notion in the semiosphere which will ground other central Lotmanian notions, such as text, language, and culture.
- understand Lotman’s personal history and the history of his ideas.
- be able to carry out their own “semiospheric” analyses on phenomena past/present/future (on topics as diverse as society, culture, history, the environment, and so on).
- be able to connect Lotmanian semiotics with other research fields.
- be able to see that Lotmanian principles are in operation around them at all times, and thus conceptualize the world differently.
The students will engage in seminars, group-works, and individual assignments under the guidance of our best professors.
Two weeks prior to the start of the programme an information file will be sent to all participants. This file contains the daily schedule and relevant contact information of the programme managers.
Students are responsible for their travel, accommodation and travel insurance (visa arrangements if needed) from their home country to Tartu and back to their home country. It is recommended to visit the Tartu Welcome Centre website and arrival and housing section to find accommodation opportunities.
