The topic of the present diploma work is the representation of the civil conflict in Lebanese cinema. The work is divided into two parts. The first one provides an overview of the historical and discursive contexts of the last two civil wars in Lebanon (1958 and 1975-1991) and describes how these events are reflected in the work of Lebanese filmmakers. The second part of the diploma work focuses on the war period cinematography, generally less known due to the long public unavailability of a large part of the film production of that time. Four feature fictions made between 1975 and 1985 are selected for a more detailed analysis, more precisely by those filmmakers that are considered to be the pioneers of a new auteur cinema in Lebanon: Mārūn Baġdādī, Burhān ˁAlawīya and Jocelyne Ṣaˁb. The chosen method is the semiotic analysis focusing on characterisation features of the film characters and on conflicting oppositions present in the films. Key words: civil war, civil conflict, Lebanese cinema, fiction film, semiotic analysis, connotation.

The topic of this diploma thesis is semiotic analysis of terms "refugee" and "migrant" in the context of the current migration crisis. The thesis deals with analyzing these terms as semiotic signs. It deals with the way in which selected media treat these terms. Three Czech media were chosen for the research, with 15 selected articles containing research terms from each of them. The sample includes serious news (Aktualne.cz), tabloid news (Blesk.cz) as well as a blog (Blog iDnes.cz) as a journalistic platform, to which anyone can contribute. The research deals with the influence of the media on the formation of concepts and is framed by the theory of social construction of reality presented by T. Luckmann and P. L. Berger. The thesis deals with analysis on the syntactic, semantic and pragmatic levels. In the theoretical part, the theory of social construction of reality is outlined first. Then the thesis briefly introduces the circumstances of the migration crisis and the basic differences in the meaning of the analyzed signifiers and finally introduces the analytical concepts, which are Morris classification of semiotics, Saussure's distinction between syntagmatic and paradigmatic relationships, as well as interrelationships in which individual words can appear in the text. The practical part then...

This thesis is focused on the topic of media use in a system of a communist totality. It provides an analysis of presentation of selected characters directly or indirectly involved in activities of the anti-communist, so called third resistance, in the Czechoslovak press media of that era. By using the interpretation of results of semiotic analysis of selected news and publicistic articles the author of the thesis attempts to answer the research questions and confirm or disconfirm the hypothesis that communist press media used the above mentioned cases particularly for the promotion of the official ideology. Political and medial contexts as well as brief life-stories of the chosen third resistance representatives are outlined in the theoretical part of the thesis, while the analysis with the interpretation of its results are discussed in the practical part. The conclusion of the analysis confirms that the communist press media associated those representatives with predominantly negative connotations and that the meanings of all the selected articles were strongly affected by propagandistic elements.

This essay has studied how successful women are portrayed in the reality show Swedish power women. The purpose was to examine if stereotypes and gender norms are reproduced or challenged. Theoretical perspectives such as gender, gender norms, stereotypes and the male gaze were used to investigate the portrayal of successful women. To analyze the empirical material, consisting of three episodes from the first season, a semiotic analysis was used. Using the analytical tools of semiotics, such as denotation, connotation, stereotypes, and camera angles, the research purpose was analyzed and answered. The result showed that the successful women usually were depicted from a camera angle at eye level. The women had an active role in the series which contributes to the fact that the male gaze rarely occurs. The women’s characteristics were described as hardworking, driven, and enterprising but also as insecure and challenged by performance anxiety. Their lifestyle was described as a stressful everyday life where they balance work, love life, and family. The women were often portrayed in superficial environments which contributes to a focus on appearance fixation. Finally, the relations between women and men were portrayed as an equal relationship where no one has a higher status than the other. The main findings showed that stereotypes and gender norms are both reproduced and challenged. The essay suggests that in the long run, this kind of portrayal can contribute to a more neutral way of portraying women and blur the lines between masculine and feminine qualities.

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This thesis is a study of Tibetan Buddhism as practiced by adult converts in Utah. Semiotic ideology is a thread throughout the paper that functions as an explanatory mechanism for describing the ontological variations between beginning and seasoned practitioners. I show examples of clashing semiotic ideologies that demonstrate differing assumptions in understanding of how the world operates. In Chapter 2, I explore the concept of interiority and the taken for granted assumptions of religiosity in the West. The tensions introduced in Chapter 2 are addressed in Chapter 3, which explores how practitioners resolve concerns about authenticity through reliance on their religious lineage. While most practitioners openly recognize that there is a lack of sameness between practicing Tibetan Buddhism in the US and Tibet, seasoned practitioners are more able to recognize how deeply rooted differences, which I have identified as semiotic ideologies of the West and Christianity, specifically those concerning the self and personhood, are perseverant even after conversion.

The aim of this study is to distinguish how the fashion brand Nelly.com chooses to portray themselves through their Instagram posts and how the snapshot aesthetic is displayed in these. The aim is further to reveal what they are advertising and what characterizes the group identity Nelly.com is inviting their recipients to. By using a semiotic content analysis, which is an interpretive qualitative method, ten posts in which both the pictures and accompanying captions were analyzed from Nelly.com’s Instagram account. Each post was analyzed separately by using the following tools; denotation, connotation, icon, index and metonymy. In addition, the posts were further analyzed using Erving Goffman’s theory of self presentation, Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of capital and Gunther Kress and Robert Hodge's take on social semiotics. Previous studies regarding brand pages and brand communities, user generated pictures with snapshot aesthetics, group identity and the digitized fashion markets were also taken into account. These tools, theories and previous studies allowed us to distinguish themes, patterns, similarities and differences in the posts. The results showed that how the snapshot aesthetic is displayed varied in Nelly.com’s pictures. It also showed that it is difficult to tell what it is that defines it. Further, the results showed that Nelly.com through their self presentation on Instagram, which is perceived as more credible by using snapshot aesthetics, still promotes old beauty standards and ideals. The study also showed that Nelly.com not only market their own products, but are also portraying and promoting a certain lifestyle. All these advertised signs combined, are the definition of the group identity Nelly.com invites people to be a part of.

The ways in which advertisements can affect social and brand-related aspects is an area of interest for both companies and society at large. The aim of this study is to examine and identify differences in the production and interpretation of advertisements on Instagram, targeted towards men versus women. There are two research questions: (1) How can the production of Gillette and Gillette Venus’ advertisements on Instagram targeted towards men and women differ? (2) How can the interpretation of Gillette and Gillette Venus’ advertisements on Instagram targeted towards men and women differ, based on the gender of the interpreter?  The study includes a gender perspective and Goffman’s theory on gender and advertisements has been applied. To answer the second research question, Hall’s encoding/decoding theory has been applied.  The study consists of two research methods, a semiotic photo analysis and semi-structured interviews. The photo analysis was used for RQ1 and consisted of six photos, three from Gillette’s Instagram account and three photos from Gillette Venus’s account. The semi-structured interviews helped answer RQ2. A total of ten interviews were carried out, with an even distribution of male and female interviewees. A comparative analysis was used for both research methods to enable comparison between the two genders.  The results showed that there are three main differences in the production of Gillette and Gillette Venus’ advertisements on Instagram. As for RQ2, it was concluded that the gender of the interpreter affected how the advertisements’ overall message was interpreted.

It is often discussed that television is bad for children. Research has shown that it is not the actual media but rather the content that is affecting children. It is therefore problematic what children are exposed to when watching television. The purpose of this study is to gain understanding of the content in Bolibompa. It will also be discussed through a perspective with public service and the state in mind to study the themes and eruditions Bolibompa illustrates. By using a multimodal critical discourse analysis, I will answer the questions at issue “What themes are exposed in Bolibompa?” and “What eruditions are shown and how is the discursive upbringing of children followed?”. By using Saussure's semiotic theories together with theories about denotation and connotation the analysis of the visual elements is strengthened. Together with Fairclough’s theory of power and children’s sociology the TV show shall be analyzed to display the themes and eruditions. Previous studies connected to children and TV-watching and also the power relation between producer and children will be taken into account. The analysis is performed by using different analysis tools such as lexical choices, denotation, connotation and Argyle’s (1972) decoding scheme. Every episode was analyzed separately but the results are presented thematically. The result shows three major themes: discourses, authority and knowledge. Within these there are further themes to explain the content such as discourse of power. The results also show different eruditions such as learning to listen, problem solving and including everybody. The conclusions of the study show that it is important that everyone feels included. This was shown by changing rules or that everybody won a price. Another conclusion was that not all segments were as pedagogical as they could have been. Several segments were not explained, and it is therefore of importance to have a parent present for the children’s sensemaking. The study also exposed the importance of good content in a TV-show for children.

Background: Inclusion and diversity have been a frequently discussed subject within marketing for many years. In particular, marketing communication has to a large extent been criticized to not reflect the reality of society. Commercials present images that reflect and shape cultural norms as well as the individual’s attitudes regarding their own identity and their treatment of other people in society. Despite the great interest in diversity and inclusion in marketing communication, there is a lack of studies that connect deficiency of diversity in visual communication, consumers' self-concept, and socially conscious marketing in a Swedish context. Purpose: The purpose of the study was to get a deeper understanding of how sports brands include diversity in their visual communication through socially conscious marketing. Furthermore, the study aimed to contribute with deeper insights regarding marketing communication of visual character from the consumer perspective and how it influences the individual and its self-concept in the matter of diversity and inclusion. Method: This qualitative research applied an interpretive and inductive approach to achieve the purpose. The empirical data was collected through semiotic analysis as well as semistructured consumer interviews within generation Z. Moreover, two sports commercials were analyzed to gather information to answer the research questions. Conclusion: It was stated that sports brands work with the inclusion of diversity in various ways, by including one diverse element such as different people or by including it with a holistic approach including several diverse elements such as different people, objects, environments, and feelings. This means that one commercial does not have a unilateral effect 3on the consumer´s self-concept but that one image can induce multiple feelings. Therefore, the same commercial can make the consumer feel, insufficient, insecure, included, energized, and inspired all at the same time. The result of this study also shows that the consumers feel more included when their values and thoughts are reflected in a commercial than when their physical attributes are reflected.