INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN
Bachelor	TR-NQF-HE: Level 6	QF-EHEA: First Cycle	EQF-LLL: Level 6

Course Introduction and Application Information

Course Code	Course Name	Semester	Theoretical	Practical	Credit	ECTS
DES2917	Marks, Signs and Communication	Spring Fall	2	0	2	4

This catalog is for information purposes. Course status is determined by the relevant department at the beginning of semester.

Basic information

Language of instruction:	English
Type of course:	Departmental Elective
Course Level:	Bachelor’s Degree (First Cycle)
Mode of Delivery:	Face to face
Course Coordinator :	Dr. Öğr. Üyesi RENK DİMLİ ORAKLIBEL
Course Lecturer(s):	Dr. Öğr. Üyesi RENK DİMLİ ORAKLIBEL
Recommended Optional Program Components:	.
Course Objectives:	This course intends to make students question their implicit assumptions on design activity. Students are equipped with a perspective on meaning in design practice, i.e. an understanding indispensable for designers, both as designers of new products or critics of existing ones.

Learning Outcomes

The students who have succeeded in this course;
1. Express an understanding of theories and models of communication and semiotics
2. Demonstrate ability to write, adapt, and critically evaluate reading materials
3. Develop analytical thinking
4. Demonstrate ability to encode and decode visual sign systems
5. Explore the semantic qualities of industrial design
6. Apply semantic qualities of industrial design to design process
7. Gain skills to conduct projects based on design and culture

Course Content

In this course you will investigate the various ways in which products are given meaning and value, the way they are received and appreciated (or depreciated), with an emphasis on social, historical and cultural meanings and contexts. You will learn basic concepts and brief history of semiotics, advertising analysis, literature of product semantics, product analysis, and participate in workshops on product analysis and critical thinking.

Weekly Detailed Course Contents

Week	Subject	Related Preparation
1)	Introduction to course and discussion on meaning	N/A
2)	Basic Concepts of Semiology I: Saussure and Peirce	Fiske, John (1982) ‘Chapter 3: Communication, Meaning and Signs’, in Introduction to Communication Studies, London: Methuen, pp. 39-63.
3)	Basic Concepts of Semiology II: Codes	Fiske, John (1982) ‘Chapter 4: Codes’, in Introduction to Communication Studies, London: Methuen, pp. 65-83.
4)	Basic Concepts of Semiology III: Barthesian Semiotics	Fiske, John (1982) ‘Chapter 5: Signification’ in Introduction to Communication Studies, London: Methuen, pp.: 85-99.
5)	Basic Concepts of Semiology IV: Ideology	Fiske, John (1982) ‘Chapter 9: Ideology and Meanings’ in Introduction to Communication Studies, London: Methuen, pp.: 165-188. Submission of assignment 1
6)	Barthesian Semiotics of the Object	Barthes, Roland (1994) ‘Semantics of the Object’, in The Semiotic Challenge, University of California Press, pp.: 179-190. Barthes, Roland (1972) ‘The New Citroen’, in Mythologies, Hill and Wang.
7)	Student presentations: Semiotic analysis of an advertisement	Preparation for presentation
8)	Product Semantics I - How is Semiotics used in design?	Submission of assignment 2
9)	Product Semantics II – “Design as Communication”	Krippendorff, Klaus; Butter, Reinhart (1984) Product Semantics: Exploring the Symbolic Qualities of Form. Scholarly Commons, pp.: 4-9.
10)	Product Semantics III – “Design is Always a Message”	Krippendorff, Klaus; Butter, Reinhart (2007) Semantics: Meanings and Contexts of Artifacts. In Product Experience, eds. Hendrik N.J. Schifferstein and Paul Hekkert, New York: Elsevier, pp.: 1-25. Submission of assignment 3
11)	Product Semantics IV – Contemporary Discussions on Semantics	N/A
12)	Product Semantics Workshop – Applying Semantics to Design Process	Submission of assignment 4
13)	Product Semantics Workshop – Applying Semantics to Design Process	Preparation for workshop
14)	Product Semantics Workshop – Applying Semantics to Design Process	Preparation for workshop

Sources

Course Notes / Textbooks:

1. Fiske, John (1982) Introduction to Communication Studies. London: Methuen.
2. Barthes, Roland (1994) The Semiotic Challenge. University of California Press.
3. Barthes, Roland (2012) Mythologies. New York: Hill and Wang.
4. Krippendorff, Klaus; Butter, Reinhart (1984) Product Semantics: Exploring the Symbolic Qualities of Form. Scholarly Commons.
8. Krippendorff, Klaus; Butter, Reinhart (2007) Semantics: Meanings and Contexts of Artifacts. In Product Experience, eds. Hendrik N.J. Schifferstein and Paul Hekkert, New York: Elsevier, pp.: 1-25.

References:

1. Krippendorf, K. (2006). The Semantic Turn: A New Foundation for Design. Boca Raton: Taylor & Francis Group.
2. Silverman, Kaja (1983) ‘From Sign to Subject’, in The Subject of Semiotics, New York: Oxford University Press, pp.: 3-25.

Evaluation System

Semester Requirements	Number of Activities	Level of Contribution
Attendance	14	% 5
Homework Assignments	3	% 55
Final	1	% 40
Total		% 100
PERCENTAGE OF SEMESTER WORK		% 60
PERCENTAGE OF FINAL WORK		% 40
Total		% 100

ECTS / Workload Table

Activities	Number of Activities	Duration (Hours)	Workload
Course Hours	13	2	26
Study Hours Out of Class	14	4	56
Presentations / Seminar	1	2	2
Homework Assignments	4	2	8
Final	1	2	2
Total Workload			94

Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes

No Effect	1 Lowest	2 Low	3 Average	4 High	5 Highest

	Program Outcomes	Level of Contribution
1)	Setting up various spaces in national and international contexts, carrying out designs, planning and applications that could satisfy various user groups and respond various requirements in the field of Interior Architecture,
2)	Analyzing the information gathered from the framework of actual physical, social and economical constraints and user requirements, and synthesizing these with diverse knowledge and considerations in order to create innovative spatial solutions,
3)	Generating creative, innovative, aesthetic and unique spatial solutions by using tangible and abstract concepts,
4)	Using at least one of the illustration and presentation technologies competently, that the field of interior architecture requires,
5)	Reporting, presenting and transferring the design, practice and research studies to the specialists or laymen by using visual, textual or oral communication methods, efficiently and accurately,
6)	Embracing and prioritizing man-environment relationships, user health, safety and security, and universal design principles in the field of interior architecture,
7)	Design understanding and decision making that respects social and cultural rights of the society, cultural heritage and nature,
8)	Being aware of national and international values, following developments and being equipped about ethical and aesthetical subjects in the fields of interior architecture, design and art,
9)	Having absolute conscious about legal regulations, standards and principles; and realizing professional ethics, duties and responsibilities in the field of Interior Architecture,