What does it mean to live in a “material world”? What might we learn from studying the signs that surround us? In an increasingly consumer-oriented, globalized and digital age, how do objects and signs express the longstanding beliefs and values of different societies? The Minor in Material Culture and Semiotics is a unique, future-oriented program of study that combines the study of objects such as clothing, household goods, machinery, and built forms with semiotics – the science of signs, sense-making, and cultural interpretation. Courses examine the meanings people invest in their things, across cultures and time periods, and consider processes of production, consumption, invention, exchange, use, re-use, divestment, disposal, collection, and exhibition. Material Culture and Semiotics thus offers an interdisciplinary space in which to understand contemporary and emerging society through engagement with historical and theoretical perspectives on human behaviour and meaning-making. Students have the opportunity to participate in an internship course with a placement in museums, archives, cultural institutions, or creative design and advertising-oriented businesses. The Minor is designed to complement programs in such disciplines as Anthropology, Art History, History, Book and Media Studies, and History of Science and Technology and to prepare students for careers in such fields as marketing and advertising, museums and cultural institutions, communications, journalism, and education.
Program Contacts
Professor Joanna Papayiannis
Program Coordinator
joanna.papayiannis@utoronto.ca
Wanda Thorne
Upper-Year Programs Liaison Officer
vic.academics@utoronto.ca
Program Requirements
Enrolment: This is an open enrolment program. A student who has completed 4.0 credits may enrol in the program.
To acquire a Minor in Material Culture and Semiotics, students will complete a total of 4.0 credits.
Please note:
- A maximum of 1.0 credit at the 100 level will be counted towards the Minor.
- A minimum of 1.0 credit must be at the 300+ level.
- A maximum of 1.0 credit may be chosen from approved courses offered by other departments (see list of Cognate Courses below).
Mandatory Courses
Program Elective Courses
You must complete 0.5 credit from:
- MCS226H1 - Materiality of Magic
- MCS320H1 - Semiotics of Visual Art
- MCS322H1 - Topics in Semiotics
- MCS323H1 - Theories of the Sign
- MCS325H1 - Media Semiotics
- MCS326H1 - The Material Culture of Food
- MCS327H1 - Digital Material Culture
- MCS328H1 - Materializing Cultural Identities
- MCS330H1 - Topics in Material Culture
- MCS331H1 - Materiality of Information
- MCS336H1 - Material Culture of Wine
- MCS373H1 - Materialities of Music
Cognate & Other Courses
For the remainder of your required credits, you may take 1.0 credit from the following options:
Material Culture Internship and Program Elective Courses:
- MCS329H1/ MCS329Y1 - Internship in Material Culture
- courses listed in "Program Elective Courses" not already taken
Vic One / Vic One Hundred / Victoria College Courses (if applicable):
- VIC107H1 - Evolution, Genetics, and Behaviour
- VIC163H1 - Cultural Forms and Their Meanings: People and Ideas
- VIC184H1 - Individuals and the Public Sphere: History, Historiography and Making Cultural Memory
- VIC198H1 - Posters and Propaganda
- VIC199H1 - The Secret Life of Objects: Analyzing the Culture of Things
Cognate Courses:
- ANT412H1, ANT457H1
- ARH309H1
- BMS387H1
- CLA389H1
- EAS219H1, EAS297H1, EAS354H1, EAS406Y1, EAS412H1, FAH205H1
- FAH319H1, FAH338H1, FAH353H1, FAH370H1, FAH436H1, FAH463H1
FAH483H1, FAH484H1 - HIS302H1, HIS358H1, HIS484H1
- HPS202H1, HPS401H1, HPS430H1
- NMC264H1, NMC394H1, NMC464H1
- RLG236H1, RLG307H1
Please note:
In the event of discrepancies in program requirements between this website and the Faculty of Arts and Science Calendar, the Calendar shall take precedence.
EDI Resources
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion Resources for Material Culture and Semiotics