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The European Mind: Doctoral Studies in Semiotics for a Knowledge and Value Based Society (SEMKNOW)
Programme: Lifelong Learning Programme
Sub-programme: Erasmus
Action: Erasmus Multilateral Projects
Sub-action: Erasmus Curriculum Development Programme
Time frame: 1.10.2009 – 31.10.2012 (36 months)
Partners: University of Lapland, University of Tartu, New Bulgarian University, University of Torino

The Department of Semiotics at the University of Tartu is one of the most important centres of semiotics in Europe, with deep roots for cultural semiotics and biosemiotics. Names and work of Jakob von Uexküll and Yuri Lotman, founder of world-renowned Tartu-Moscow school of semiotics, form the cornerstone of the Department of Semiotics at the University of Tartu.
In 2006, the library of the Department of Semiotics received as a donation the memorial library of Thomas A. Sebeok, including his personal collection of biosemiotic literature.

 
The project purpose is to create a commonly accepted doctoral programme on “The European Mind: doctoral studies in Semiotics for a knowledge and value based society”. With this doctoral programme the aim is to train semioticians that can make the diversity of European cultures understandable. Semiotics is the study of signs and communication and is thus linked to the most essential functioning of the modern, globalised society.

The concrete outcome is a ready to use doctoral programme where students will be required to take courses in at least two universities. The doctoral programme is constructed around three study modules and one research programme:

1) Introduction courses for inflowing students from other fields
2) General semiotic courses compulsory for all students
3) Specialisation courses in arts, communication, culture and social sciences.
4) Research programme integrated into the market.

The innovative part is that the inflow of non-semiotic students into this doctoral programme is foreseen and embraced. This way we want to create specialists with two core competences. The other innovative part is to integrate doctoral research into the market, as we want to bring the academic and business world closer together: Semiotics can play an important role in today’s globalised economy. On the other hand, semiotics is a highly academic field of studies and students often do not realise their market value outside the University walls. Vice versa the market does not realise the value of semiotic studies to improve their communication and such more.

In the long run the project is aiming at an open European area for semiotic education. The expansion of the network in this partnership is thus one of the important activities to be carried out. We hope to find more interested universities to join this doctoral programme, also after project completion.
 
www.ulapland.fi/europeanmind

Tiit Remm
Assistant
Department of smiotics, Institute of Philosophy and Semiotics
University of Tartu
E-mail: tiit.remm@ut.ee

"This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein."