Semiotics and discourse analysis resources

1.Martin and Ringham's dictionary of semiotics. Very clearly and simply written. Very useful tool for discourse analysis:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0304706361/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=103612307&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0826484565&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=0Y4H2C44X1CFPFC89DDJ

2. Semiotics for beginners by Daniel Chandler Glossary of Key Terms 

This online book is useful as a tool for textual analysis, especially around 'denotation', 'connotation', and 'discourse'
http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/S4B/sem-gloss.html#D

An example of 'disorderly' behaviour

Here is actually a good example of how 'disorderly behaviour' is an unstable concept- and constructed differently across cultures in time and space...

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20110210/twl-malawians-voice-anger-against-fartin-41f21e0.html

Detecting logical fallacies

Understanding how to detect logical fallacies in others' reasoning helps with developing critical thinking and analytical skills, reasoning, and constructing your own arguments in essays. It is a good idea to see where and how fallacious reasoning occurs, what types there are, with some illustrative examples. Two useful sites for providing examples of fallacies in reasoning are: 

1. Fallacy Files. org site. Do check out the siteowner's rationale for studying fallacies, and why they are useful for developing critical analysis skills...
http://www.fallacyfiles.org/introtof.html

2. One of the best web pages I have seen is this wikipedia page. Caveat about the unreliability of wikipedia as a resource, especially for academic purposes, for various reasons, applies. However, I do believe this functions as a useful tool on an informal level. Do check out the ad hominem fallacies, appeals to authority, circular reasoning, affirming the consequence, non sequiturs, false dilemmas, correlation equals causation, and psychologist's fallacy in particular http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fallacies 

A critique of 'happiness'

THE MIDLANDS PSYCHOLOGY GROUP questions whether Lord Layard’s
focus is all wrong. Perhaps unhappiness is one of our most precious assets?
http://www-staff.lboro.ac.uk/~hujc4/questioning%20happiness.pdf

Here the issue of income inequality is discussed, and a critical analysis of some of Richard Layard's claims about 'happiness' also undertaken.

The sociology of 'Dangerous Dogs' constructions: some resources

Some of you may know one of my research (and political) interests lies with the problems with Breed Specific Legislation and the ideological constructions of 'dangerous dogs' and why these cause problems. Some useful resources on this subject are below:

1.A very useful book in terms of statistics presentations and sociology of 'risk'. If you can live with my own ideological bias towards lovely mutts and scepticism of certain aspects of 'Dangerous Dogs' legislation (!) you may find this a useful book.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dogs-Bite-Balloons-Slippers-Dangerous/dp/1888047186/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1279474593&sr=1-3

2. The Pit Bull Placebo: The Media, Myths and Politics ofCanine Aggression by Karen Delise. 

This book on pdf constitutes a useful sociological project involving media analysis and the subject of 'risk' (with regard to dogs). Again - if you can live with my biased interest in this book (anti- Breed specific legislation), I think this is a useful book for critical analysis of media and moral panics.http://nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/pit-bull-placebo-text1.pdf

3. A paper from the British Criminology Conference, 2008 ( the British Society of Criminology) 'On Treating the Symptoms and not the Cause 

Reflections on the Dangerous Dogs Act' Maria Kaspersson, University of Greenwich. Addressing the issue of 'Dangerous Dogs', this paper looks at the issue of risk management from a crimonological/sociological perspective, includes useful quantitative data and an analysis of the 'moral panic' that gave rise to BSL in the UK in 1991. I'm including it here because of it's usefulness in understanding the social construction of risk.

http://www.britsoccrim.org/volume8/13Kaspersson08.pdf

4. There are some other academic articles of interest on this subject. Email me and I can point you in the direction to access them.

money as a signifier of a social system

A bit of satire illustrating that money is a signifier of a social system ; )

http://www.theonion.com/articles/us-economy-grinds-to-halt-as-nation-realizes-money,2912/

ACADEMIC-HEAD-ON says welcome!

Welcome to the academic-head-on blog!


This is a blog for all my students (and colleagues), containing (hopefully) useful links, handouts and other learning resources. This is NOT a forum for getting in contact with me to discuss individual student queries!!!


These resources are also available on Yahoo, at:


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/academic-head-on/


I also have a facebook group of the same name. But facebook are threatening to 'archive' it as it does not get much traffic. That it might be a resource site (so traffic will be low) appears to have passed them by. Hence my decision to use a blog format.


I hope you find this blog of use.