CLSC 313 - Thinking Communication in Ancient and Medieval Literature

Institution:

Case Western Reserve University

Subject:

Description:

The ancients were much concerned with the nature and validity of signs: Important decisions depended on the flight of birds or the coloration of the liver of a sacrificial victim. The relationship of language to truth, i.e., a reality beyond the contingent, was a crucial issue, not least because of the rise of sophistic rhetoric: for an orator, language was a tool in a contest rather than a means to true understanding. The discipline of medicine, developed by such important figures as Galen and Hippocrates, depended on the interpretation of physical signs to diagnose and treat ailments of mind and body. The term for the theory of signs - semiotics - is derived from the Greek term "semeiotike", and for many Greek philosophers and their Roman and medieval successors the sign was a key issue. For Christians especially, new forms of vision and discerning truth presented particular problems: after all, the Christian God revealed his intentions through "portents" that had to be read and interpreted. And even if sacred scripture was in some way understood as encapsulating the whole word, there were countless passages requiring clarification or adaptation to contemporary situations. In other words, the concern was with the relationship between a universe of structured signs (the subject of semiotics) and structures of interpersonal communication (pragmatics). Offered as CLSC 313 and COGS 318. Prereq: WLIT 211 or WLIT 212.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.case.edu

Phone Number:

(216) 368-2000

Regional Accreditation:

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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