The Academy Course in ‘Symbology 1’ offers an explanatory overview of the most relevant symbols within human societies from prehistory to the contemporary age, ranging from pre-Socratic philosophy to contemporary philosophy, also dealing with the psychological interpretation of symbols through the studies of the major exponents of the psychological schools of thought, to arrive at the modern sociological meaning of symbols from mass-media communication to the symbolism of tattoos.
At the end of the Academy Course in ‘Symbology 1’, students will have internalised the basic principles of symbolic interpretation and will be able to carry out basic analyses of the most widespread symbols on their own, comparing them from both a historical and an anthropological and sociological perspective.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS, VERIFICATION EXAMINATIONS AND FINAL TEST
Candidates with a High School Diploma or higher qualification may enrol.
Lessons will be delivered in the form of video lessons that can be used by the student at any time.
The final examination consists of a 30-question multiple-choice test.
DURATION AND STRUCTURE OF THE ACADEMY COURSE
Duration: Video lessons - Six and a half hours of recordings
Frequency: The frequency of the videolessons is at the student's choice
Lecturer: Prof. Gioia Amicarelli
Enrolment: Always open throughout the year
Start of the Courses: Friday 1 August 2025
End of the Courses: Wednesday 31 December 2025
Modalities: Entirely Online
Price: EUR 350.00
LESSON LIST
Lesson 1 - Introduction to Symbols
Lesson 2 - Symbols in prehistory. Spiral.
Lesson 3 - Ancient Egyptian Symbols. Key of Ankh; The god Seth.
Lesson 4 - Ancient Egyptian Symbols. Eye of Horus; Eye of Ra.
Lesson 5 - Ancient Egyptian Symbols. Ureus; Djied; Five-pointed star.
Lesson 6 - Ancient Religious Symbols. Eight-pointed star; Swastika.
Lesson 7 - Ancient Religious Symbols. Om.
Lesson 8 - Maya Symbols. Calendar. Evolution of calendars in different cultures.
Lesson 9 - Cosmogonic Symbols. Aztec symbols: The Aztec cross; Sun stone.
Lesson 10 - Aztec Symbols. Ollin. Inca symbols. Trilogy of sacred animals. Condor; Puma; Snake. Chakana.
Lesson 11 - Greek Symbols. Staff of Asclepius; Caduceus.
Lesson 12 - Roman Symbols. Sol Invictus; Fascio Littorio.
Lesson 13 - Middle Ages. Pentacle and Pentagram. Renaissance. Vitruvian Man.
Lesson 14 - Renaissance. Angel. Contemporary Age. Symbols in religion.
Lesson 15 - Symbols in Philosophy. Pre-Socratic philosophy. Thales; Heraclitus.
Lesson 16 - Pre-Socratic Philosophy. Pythagoras. Rectangle Triangle; Square; Tetraktys; Phi; Pentalpha; Letters of the alphabet. Socratic Philosophy. Socrates. Daimon.
Lesson 17 - Socratic Philosophy. Plato. Hellenic Philosophy. Aristotle. Epicurus.
Lesson 18 - Medieval Philosophy. St Augustine. Renaissance Philosophy. Marsilio Ficino. Thomas More. Giordano Bruno.
Lesson 19 - Modern Philosophy. Baruch Spinoza. Gottfried Leibniz. Immanuel Kant. G.W. Friedrich Hegel.
Lesson 20 - Modern Philosophy. Friedrich Nietzsche. Ouroboros. Gaston Bachelard. The linguists of semiotics. Ferdinand de Saussure. Ernst Cassirer. Contemporary Philosophy. Ludwig Wittgenstein. Henry Corbin. Jean-Paul Sartre.
Lesson 21 - Contemporary Philosophy. Umberto Eco. Jürgen Habermas. Noam Chomsky. Umberto Galimberti. Synthesis of Symbols in Philosophy.
Lesson 22 - Symbols in Psychology. Psychology. Sigmund Freud. Snake in various cultures. Carl Gustav Jung. Erich Fromm. James Hillman. Rollo May.
Lesson 23 - Psychology. Paul Diel. Gerhard Adler. Symbols in Psychology and Psychoanalysis. Classification of Symbols in Psychology and Psychoanalysis.
Lesson 24 - Sociology. Social symbols. Modern Age. Symbols in Modern Society. Symbols in Communication.
Lesson 25 - Symbols in Communication. Tattoos as symbols of Communication. Types of symbols and meanings in tattoos. Conclusions.
Final test
