Give the paper title and your name etc. b. Use a thematic title and a descriptive subtitle. i. Example: "Semiotics in Mainstream American Communication Studies: A Review of Principal U.S.A. Journals in the Context of Communicology." ii. Example: The Enchantment of Fantasy: A Semiotic Analysis of "Alice in the Wonderland" c. Try to keep the paper's title to about 15 or fewer words. 2. Abstract (on a separate page). a. Give a complete summary of the paper in at most 130 words. 3. (Introduction)

a. Insert the Paper Title (at the top of the page; the word "Introduction" does appear in the introduction) b. Get attention c. Introduce the sign/text of your analysis. i. Describe the sign/text in its social/political/historical context. Tell the story of your encounter: Who produced it, and apparently, for whom, and for what purposes? What did you notice at first glance? Why did it grab your attention? What did it make you think of when you looked at it? d. What is the purpose of your analysis? (Follow the examples in Handout #07 (Research ProcessTips from Booth et al.) i. (Typically, it is to better understand how the sign/text communicates with or influences people and to contribute to semiotic theory.) e. Preview how the rest of this paper proceeds. 4. Significance of/Rationale for the Study a. Review and critique a few pieces (3-9) of literature. Are there any semiotic analyses of the sign/text in the literature? If not, can you find some studies on famous similar ads? What do those studies suggest?) b. Present your critique of the literature you just reviewed. What is right or wrong with the literature? c. Based on your review, explain what we know about this sign or signs like the one you analyze. d. Thematically or theoretically, justify your pick of the sign and the focus of analysis: i. Why did you pick up this sign/text instead of millions of others? ii. Why do you think your study of this sign is significant for other people to read? iii. What values do you want to underline or highlight through this analysis? iv. What theoretical contributions can you make through this analysis? How does your research stand out? Why should it intrigue the readers? 5. Semiotic Theory and Method a. Theoretically define semiotic analysis. That is, explain the concepts, citing your sources of information. b. Which semiotic theories or concepts do you use in your analysis and why? (You should apply several of the following semiotic concepts outlined under the next, the "Analysis" section). c. In a paragraph or so, briefly define the concepts you use. 6. Semiotic Analysis/Criticism

(Instead of naming this section "Analysis" or "Criticism," you can give it a creative name. Start this section with a tiny overview of what follows. Use sub-subheads to sub-divide this section as you respond to the following prompts.) a. Signs i. What are the crucial signifiers, and what do they seem to signify? ii. What kinds of signs are they? Iconic, symbolic, indexical? iii. What kinds of statements or knowledge claims do they make? Any reality claims that are provocative, fantastic, ethical, or political? iv. What is the meaning system/environment within which these signs make sense? b. Signification i. What are the apparent denotations and connotations of the sign or signs with the text? ii. Are the connotations ideological or mythic (ref. Barthes' concept of myth)? If so, what myths does it seek to circulate, create, or perpetuate? iii. Whose realities does the sign/text represent, and whose does it exclude? c. Codes i. Which cultural codes or meaning systems does the sign/text appeal to? ii. What do these codes reveal about the structures of politics, power, race, class, or gender in the meaning system (society)? d. Intertextuality i. Does the sign/text allude to, remind us of, or cut across any other signs, theories, or stories circulating in the public sphere? Does it evoke any historical moments in the minds of the readers? ii. How does it compare with treatments of similar themes within and beyond its system of signs (ads)? iii. How does the intertextuality of the sign/text facilitate its semiosis? e. Commutation Test i. How would the meanings differ if we switched the positions of certain signifying elements in the sign/text? ii. For example, what would happen if the sign (e.g., an ad) used a model of the opposite sex, a different race or age, or another political figure? What if the background were also diverse? f. Possible Readings of the Ad i. What is the preferred reading presented in the ad? ii. What could be its possible negotiated and oppositional readings? iii. How might a change of context influence interpretation? 7. Conclusion i. Restate what you accomplished in this study.

ii. Restate how the key signifying elements of the sign/text operate. iii. How is the sign related to more significant social, cultural, or political issues? iv. What insights have you developed in this semiotic analysis? v. What do you think are the shortcomings of your analysis? vi. How else could you have developed a better analysis of the sign/text?