Mykola Polovyi
The specifics of applied semiotics’ didactics in a teaching of political science
Abstract
The purpose of this statement is to describe some challenges of teaching semiotics’ elements to students of political science.
There are no disciplines dedicated to semiotics in majority of modern university curriculum on political science in Ukraine. At the same time, originally semiotics concepts without reference to semiotics are used within the framework of separate disciplines.
The mentioned adversely affects perception of semiotics by students, consequently the understanding is absent at all.
The most efficient penetration of semiotics into teaching of political science in digital era is considered to be its application to the disciplines on research methods. Specifically, at learning of content-analysis methods and cognitive mapping.
How useful is it for students to find out that at application of these methods they speak ‘semiotics prose’ as famous literary character? It must be admitted that realizing by students that methods are based on semiotics constructions almost do not influence the efficiency of such methods learning.
Along with this, software products for meaning analysis of texts with indefinitely articulated or completely enclosed analysis algorithms VAAL or TextAnalyst pose a serious risk in terms of formation of students’ cognitive skills. People’s of digital era habit to rely on computer program impedes tasking with its algorithm and, specifically, understanding of its semiotic background.
Ch. Morris suggested applying semiotic as meta-language for qualitative study of social sciences – as their ‘mathematics’. Despite questionable efficiency of such approach it must be admitted that introduction of semiotics as methodological basis for qualitative humanitarian (or politics) researches is hardly possible without mass retraining of teaching staff. The most promising way of such additional training seems to be the efforts of advertising-communicative type, which part may be considered current workshop.
Bionote
Mykola Polovyi is a professor at the department of political science and public administration at the Vasyl’ Stus Donetsk National University, Vinnitsa, Ukraine. The teaching activity is focused on courses of the formalized methods of historical and political research and modeling. Research interests revolve around simulations of social and political processes on the base of synergetic approach. Author of monographs “Political processes: theory and practice of simulation” (2011, in Ukrainian) and “Prognostication of paradigm shift of historical cognition: searching for a method” (2010, in Russian). Among articles “Synergetic modification of J. Davies’ model for simulation of ‘sudden’ formation of protest activity” in the Athenaeum, (2015) and “Simulation Modeling of Political Instability and Maydan of 2013/2014 in Ukraine” in the European Journal of Transformation Studies (2014).
Abstract
The purpose of this statement is to describe some challenges of teaching semiotics’ elements to students of political science.
There are no disciplines dedicated to semiotics in majority of modern university curriculum on political science in Ukraine. At the same time, originally semiotics concepts without reference to semiotics are used within the framework of separate disciplines.
The mentioned adversely affects perception of semiotics by students, consequently the understanding is absent at all.
The most efficient penetration of semiotics into teaching of political science in digital era is considered to be its application to the disciplines on research methods. Specifically, at learning of content-analysis methods and cognitive mapping.
How useful is it for students to find out that at application of these methods they speak ‘semiotics prose’ as famous literary character? It must be admitted that realizing by students that methods are based on semiotics constructions almost do not influence the efficiency of such methods learning.
Along with this, software products for meaning analysis of texts with indefinitely articulated or completely enclosed analysis algorithms VAAL or TextAnalyst pose a serious risk in terms of formation of students’ cognitive skills. People’s of digital era habit to rely on computer program impedes tasking with its algorithm and, specifically, understanding of its semiotic background.
Ch. Morris suggested applying semiotic as meta-language for qualitative study of social sciences – as their ‘mathematics’. Despite questionable efficiency of such approach it must be admitted that introduction of semiotics as methodological basis for qualitative humanitarian (or politics) researches is hardly possible without mass retraining of teaching staff. The most promising way of such additional training seems to be the efforts of advertising-communicative type, which part may be considered current workshop.
Bionote
Mykola Polovyi is a professor at the department of political science and public administration at the Vasyl’ Stus Donetsk National University, Vinnitsa, Ukraine. The teaching activity is focused on courses of the formalized methods of historical and political research and modeling. Research interests revolve around simulations of social and political processes on the base of synergetic approach. Author of monographs “Political processes: theory and practice of simulation” (2011, in Ukrainian) and “Prognostication of paradigm shift of historical cognition: searching for a method” (2010, in Russian). Among articles “Synergetic modification of J. Davies’ model for simulation of ‘sudden’ formation of protest activity” in the Athenaeum, (2015) and “Simulation Modeling of Political Instability and Maydan of 2013/2014 in Ukraine” in the European Journal of Transformation Studies (2014).