Multimodal Metaphors - Single View

The number of participants is limited to 30. Registration takes place via PULS and students are selected randomly by PULS itself. Successfully registered students will get the password for the Moodle course via e-mail.

This seminar is based on Conceptual Metaphor Theory which was first put forward by Lakoff & Johnson in 1980, and has been further developed with a focus on sociolinguistic and variational issues. The theory suggests that metaphors are not necessarily used consciously, but that they instead influence our behaviour, our interaction with others and our perception of the world. I.e., conceptual metaphors have the capacity to control cognitive processes and this often remains unnoticed by the speakers and listeners themselves.

We will work with one of the latest assumptions, namely that conceptual metaphors are not only expressed verbally, but that they are observable in a range of other modes such as gestures, facial expressions, image composition or sound. Thus, conceptual metaphors are represented multimodally.

The course is practically oriented and divided in four thematic blocks:

• Block I (theory) spans the first three sessions. During this time, students will get input on Conceptual Metaphor Theory and various important aspects, such as

  • source and target domain,

  • mappings,

  • highlighting and hiding,

  • experiential basis,

  • image schemata,

  • conventional and innovative metaphors,

  • metaphor universality and variation,

  • culture and metaphor,

  • cultural conceptualisations and cultural models,

  • nonlinguistic realisation and multimodality.

  In all three sessions we will also look at example sentences and analyse short texts with regard to the abovementioned aspects in order to practise. Block I closes with an online quiz via Moodle.

• Block II (exchange) spans two sessions (week 4 and 5) in which students present the interim design of their self-organised session and get feedback by the others.

• Block III (application) consists of the actual thematic sessions and spans eight sessions (week 6 to 13). Each session has a particular focus, for instance on

  • multimodal metaphors in spoken language and gestures,

  • multimodal metaphors in political cartoons,

  • multimodal metaphors in films and TV series,

  • multimodal metaphors in advertising.

  Students lead these sessions on their own, i.e. they present the results of their analyses, conduct group work with the others and finally discuss the results of the analyses and the group work.

• Block IV (summary) concludes the seminar with a round-up discussion and the results of the students’ evaluation of the seminar.

will be provided in the Moodle

For 3 credits students have to

• pass the online quiz on the theory after week 3 (30%),
• plan, organise and conduct a thematic session in a group of 3 to 4 students which is largely based on an analysis that will have been conducted in the course of the semester (40%),
• hand in an individual written work report by September 20, 2015 (30%).

Note that it is not possible to write Modularbeiten in this seminar!

After the seminar the students

• will have thorough knowledge about Conceptual Metaphor Theory and its relevance for Cognitive Sociolinguistics,
• will be able to apply CMT and therefore able to analyse a particular set of data with regard to multimodal metaphors,
• will be able to design a whole session in which they
• present the results of their analysis,
• conduct a group-work activity so that the other students can also practise a multimodal metaphor analysis of the respective topic,
• lead a discussion about the results of the analysis and the group work.