Course: Biosemiotics

» List of faculties » FIF » KOL
Course title Biosemiotics
Course code KOL/VBI
Organizational form of instruction Lecture + Seminar
Level of course Bachelor
Year of study not specified
Semester Winter and summer
Number of ECTS credits 5
Language of instruction Czech
Status of course unspecified
Form of instruction Face-to-face
Work placements This is not an internship
Recommended optional programme components None
Lecturer(s)
  • Faltýnek Dan, doc. Mgr. Ph.D.
  • Kosta Peter, prof. DR HAB
Course content
(1) History of relations between linguistics and biology ? metaphors and methods (on the example of historical-comparative linguistics and theories of the Prague School) (2) Umwelt ? foreshadowing of biosemiotics (3) Origins of the language metaphor of life and Roman Jakobson (4) Metaphors and methods, language character of DNA in contemporary perspectives (5) Markoš: the secret of water surface and the secret of DNA (6) Barbieri: organic codes (7) Trifonov: overlapping DNA codes (8) Ji: language plans of cells (9) Pattee: autoreproductions, physical and semiotic (10) Hoffmeyer: The Copenhagen School minus Hjelmslev (11)-(12) Linguistic analysis of living shape ? lexicostatistics of DNA

Learning activities and teaching methods
Lecture, Monologic Lecture(Interpretation, Training), Dialogic Lecture (Discussion, Dialog, Brainstorming), Work with Text (with Book, Textbook)
Learning outcomes
The course provides a basic introduction to history and present state of biosemiotics. Topics of individual classes cover selected schools of biosemiotics, theories or approaches, and selected prominent personalities of biosemiotics. Students will first be acquainted with essentials of molecular biology that form the necessary background for explanation of semiotic status of DNA a proteosynthesis. Accent will then be placed on contemporary description of proteosynthesis. The course will primarily strive to test regularity of semiotic understanding of proteosynthesis, DNA, processes in living shapes, etc., define prerequisites of grammatical description of proteosynthesis. The aim of the course is to analyse individual texts by individual authors and criticise them from the standpoint of semiotics and linguistics. Based on determination of expression and content sets in concepts of analysed texts and application of commutation test, a sustainable semiotic interpretation of DNA and proteosynthesis will be formulated gradually. The course will eventually determine the arbitrary borderline between expression and content sets of DNA and proteosynthesis semiosis formulate concept of double articulation manifested in the structure of the expression set and discuss the issue of finding meta-language suitable for description of the content set. Attention is also given to linguistic and lexico-statistical methods in analysing text and DNA/proteosynthesis, characteristics of language/text/DNA/proteosynthesis, etc. in relation to theory of information and communication ? language and the living shape as systems optimized from transmission of information.
Basic orientation in biosemiotics, its current problems and types of solutions available
Prerequisites
Knowledge of the English language

Assessment methods and criteria
Oral exam, Student performance, Dialog, Systematic Observation of Student

(1) Regular preparation / required reading (2) Successful completion of tests and an oral examination
Recommended literature
  • Alberts, B., Bray, D., Johnson, A., Lewis, J., Raff, M., Roberts, K., Walter, P., Kotyk, A., Bouzek, B., & Hozák, P. (2006). Základy buněčné biologie: úvod do molekulární biologie buňky. Ústí nad Labem: Espero.
  • Barthes, R., Čermák, J., & Dubský, J. (1967). Nulový stupeň rukopisu ;: Základy sémiologie. Praha: Československý spisovatel.
  • Černý, J. - Holeš, J. (2004). Sémiotika. Praha: Portál.
  • de Saussure, F. (1996). Kurs obecné lingvistiky.. Praha: Academie.
  • Deely, J. (1990). Basics of Semiotics. Bloomington.
  • Doubravová, Jarmila. (2002). Sémiotika v teorii a praxi. Praha.
  • Eco, U. O zrcadlech a jiné eseje. Znak, reprezentace, iluze, obraz. Praha 2002.
  • Eco, U. Teorie sémiotiky. Praha: Argo 2009..
  • Flegr, J. (2005). Evoluční biologie. Praha: Academia.
  • Flegr, J. (206). Zamrzlá evoluce. Praha.
  • Hjelmslev, L. (1972). O základech teorie jazyka. Praha.
  • Lévi-Strauss, C. (2006). Strukturální antropologie. Praha: Argo.
  • Markoš, A. (1997). Povstávání živého tvaru. Vesmír, Praha.
  • Monod, J. Náhoda a nutnost. In Markoš, A. (ed.): Náhoda a nutnost. Jacques Monod v zrcadle dnešní doby. Červený Kostelec: Pavel Mervart, 2008..
  • MORRIS, C.W. Základy teorie znaků. In: PALEK, B. ed. Sémiotika. Praha: Univerzita .
  • Osolsobě, I. (2002). Ostenze, hra, jazyk. Brno.
  • PEIRCE, C.S. Grammatica speculativa. In: PALEK, B. ed. Sémiotika. Praha: Univerzita .
  • Voight, V. (1989). Úvod do semiotiky. Bratislava.


Study plans that include the course
Faculty Study plan (Version) Category of Branch/Specialization Recommended year of study Recommended semester