Prof Paul Cobley


Prof Paul Cobley
NameProf Paul Cobley
Job titleHourly Academic
Research institute
Primary appointmentSchool of Arts
Email addressP.Cobley@mdx.ac.uk
ORCIDhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-8222-159X
Contact categoryResearcher

Biography

Biography

Professor Cobley joined Middlesex University in 2013. Previously, he was Professor of Semiotics and Communications at London Metropolitan University.

He studied at the University of Sussex and, later, at City Polytechnic. He taught part-time at numerous institutions of Higher Education in London and was an Educator at the Freud Museum for five years before becoming a full-time academic in 1992.

Teaching

Dozens of modules, over the last 35 years, across the following subject areas:

Communications, Media, Cultural Studies, English, Literary Studies

Employment

Education and qualifications

Grants

Prizes and Awards

External activities

Research outputs

“I’ll show you differences”: Skills, creativity and meaning

Siebers, J. and Cobley, P. 2024. “I’ll show you differences”: Skills, creativity and meaning. Social Epistemology. 38 (1), pp. 28-37. https://doi.org/10.1080/02691728.2023.2283845

The case against narrative

Cobley, P. 2023. The case against narrative. Cybernetics & Human Knowing. 30 (1-2), pp. 83-99.

Semiotics and its masters: volume 2

Olteanu, A. and Cobley, P. (ed.) 2023. Semiotics and its masters: volume 2. Berlin De Gruyter Mouton.

Introduction

Cobley, P. 2023. Introduction. in: Pelkey, J. and Cobley, P. (ed.) Bloomsbury Semiotics Volume 4: Semiotic Movements London Bloomsbury Academic. pp. xix–14

Global semiotics

Cobley, P. 2023. Global semiotics. in: Pelkey, J. (ed.) Bloomsbury Semiotics Volume 1: History and Semiosis London Bloomsbury. pp. 17-38

Practice as research: a cybersemiotic overview of knowing

Cobley, P. 2021. Practice as research: a cybersemiotic overview of knowing. in: Vidales, C. and Brier, S. (ed.) Introduction to Cybersemiotics: A Transdisciplinary Perspective Cham Springer.

Close reading and distance: between invariance and a rhetoric of embodiment

Cobley, P. and Siebers, J. 2021. Close reading and distance: between invariance and a rhetoric of embodiment. Language Sciences. 84, pp. 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.langsci.2021.101359

A dialogue between distributed language and reading disciplines

Trasmundi, S. and Cobley, P. 2021. A dialogue between distributed language and reading disciplines. Language Sciences. 84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.langsci.2021.101355

Peirce’s diagrammatic reasoning and the cinema: image, diagram, and narrative in The Shape of Water

Lee, Y. and Cobley, P. 2020. Peirce’s diagrammatic reasoning and the cinema: image, diagram, and narrative in The Shape of Water. Semiotica. 2020 (236-37), pp. 29-46. https://doi.org/10.1515/sem-2019-0025

“Who goes there?” Reflections on signs and personhood in Christopher Hutton’s Integrationism and the Self

Cobley, P. 2020. “Who goes there?” Reflections on signs and personhood in Christopher Hutton’s Integrationism and the Self. Sign Systems Studies. 48 (1), pp. 159-173. https://doi.org/10.12697/sss.2020.48.1.09

Reimagining semiotics in communication

Cobley, P. 2020. Reimagining semiotics in communication. in: Filimowicz, M. and Tzankova, V. (ed.) Reimagining Communication: Meaning Routledge. pp. 1-26

Realism

Cobley, P. 2020. Realism. in: Allan, J., Gulddal, J., King, S. and Pepper, A. (ed.) The Routledge Companion to Crime Fiction London Routledge. pp. 202-210

Ethical food packaging and designed encounters with distant and exotic others

Machin, D. and Cobley, P. 2020. Ethical food packaging and designed encounters with distant and exotic others. Semiotica. 2020 (232), pp. 251-271. https://doi.org/10.1515/sem-2019-0035

Semiotics

Cobley, P. and Machin, D. 2020. Semiotics. in: Bull, S. (ed.) A Companion to Photography WileyBlackwell. pp. 133-154

Afterword: semiotics and languaging

Cobley, P. 2019. Afterword: semiotics and languaging. Chinese Semiotic Studies. 15 (4), pp. 697-709. https://doi.org/10.1515/css-2019-0035

Peirce in contemporary semiotics

Cobley, P. 2019. Peirce in contemporary semiotics. in: Jappy, T. (ed.) The Bloomsbury Companion to Contemporary Peircean Semiotics London Bloomsbury Academic. pp. 31-72

The communicative wheel: Symptom, signal, and model in multimodal communication

Durst-Andersen, P. and Cobley, P. 2018. The communicative wheel: Symptom, signal, and model in multimodal communication. Semiotica. 2018 (225), pp. 77-102. https://doi.org/10.1515/sem-2016-0228

Human understanding: The key triad

Cobley, P. 2018. Human understanding: The key triad. The American Journal of Semiotics. 34 (1-2), pp. 17-38. https://doi.org/10.5840/ajs201862038

Growth as constraint

Cobley, P. 2018. Growth as constraint. Recherches sémiotiques / Semiotic Inquiry. 38 (3), pp. 97-115. https://doi.org/10.7202/1076195ar

Observership, 'knowing' and semiosis

Cobley, P. 2018. Observership, 'knowing' and semiosis. Cybernetics & Human Knowing. 25 (1), pp. 23-47.

Is visual culture a by-product of the repression of nonverbal communication?

Cobley, P. 2017. Is visual culture a by-product of the repression of nonverbal communication? in: Zantides, E. (ed.) Semiotics and Visual Communication II: Culture of Seduction Cambridge Scholars Publishing. pp. 2-14

The outsourcing of memory

Cobley, P. 2017. The outsourcing of memory. in: Thellefsen, T. and Sørensen, B. (ed.) Umberto Eco in His Own Words Berlin De Gruyter Mouton.

Don Favareau - congenor

Cobley, P. 2017. Don Favareau - congenor. in: Kull, K. and Cobley, P. (ed.) Biosemiotics in the Community: Essays in Honour of Donald Favareau Tartu University of Tartu Press. pp. 123-129

Discussion: integrationism, anti-humanism and the suprasubjective

Cobley, P. 2017. Discussion: integrationism, anti-humanism and the suprasubjective. in: Pablé, A. (ed.) Critical Humanist Perspectives: The Integrational Turn in Philosophy of Language and Communication London Routledge. pp. 267-284

Signs

Cobley, P. 2016. Signs. in: Jensen, K., Rothenbuhler, E., Pooley, J. and Craig, R. (ed.) The International Encyclopedia of Communication Theory and Philosophy Chichester John Wiley & Sons.

Semiotics

Cobley, P. 2016. Semiotics. in: Jensen, K., Rothenbuhler, E., Pooley, J. and Craig, R. (ed.) The International Encyclopedia of Communication Theory and Philosophy Chichester John Wiley & Sons.

Cultural Implications of Biosemiotics

Cobley, P. 2016. Cultural Implications of Biosemiotics. Springer.

Sign, object, thing: an eternal golden braid

Cobley, P. and Stjernfelt, F. 2016. Sign, object, thing: an eternal golden braid. Chinese Semiotic Studies. 12 (3), pp. 329-334. https://doi.org/10.1515/css-2016-0031

Geopolitical reality: the thriller, global power, and the logic of revelation

Cobley, P. 2016. Geopolitical reality: the thriller, global power, and the logic of revelation. in: Pepper, A. and Schmid, D. (ed.) Globalization and the State in Contemporary Crime Fiction London Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 197-216

组织总体符号学之展望

Cobley, P. 2016. 组织总体符号学之展望. Journal of Huaiyin Normal University.

Vistas for organized global semiotics

Cobley, P. and Bankov, K. 2016. Vistas for organized global semiotics. Semiotica. 2016 (211), pp. 9-18. https://doi.org/10.1515/sem-2016-0093

Narrative

Cobley, P. 2016. Narrative. in: Moy, P. (ed.) Oxford Bibliographies in Communication Oxford University Press (OUP).

Animal crackers: Being a Beast by Charles Foster, Profile Books, £14.99 GoatMan: How I took a holiday from being human by Thomas Thwaites, Princeton Architectural Press, $24.95/£14.99 [Book review]

Cobley, P. 2016. Animal crackers: Being a Beast by Charles Foster, Profile Books, £14.99 GoatMan: How I took a holiday from being human by Thomas Thwaites, Princeton Architectural Press, $24.95/£14.99 [Book review]. New Scientist. 230 (3067), pp. 42-43. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0262-4079(16)30576-0

Deely, John Nathaniel (1942-)

Cobley, P. 2016. Deely, John Nathaniel (1942-). in: Shook, J. (ed.) The Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of Philosophers in America: From 1600 to the Present Bloomsbury Academic. pp. 244-247

Helpful feedback

Cobley, P. 2016. Helpful feedback. Cybernetics & Human Knowing. 23 (2), pp. 87-89.

Biosemiotics, politics and Th.A. Sebeok’s move from linguistics to semiotics

Cannizzaro, S. and Cobley, P. 2015. Biosemiotics, politics and Th.A. Sebeok’s move from linguistics to semiotics. in: Velmezova, E., Kull, K. and Cowley, S. (ed.) Biosemiotic Perspectives on Language and Linguistic Springer.

Scaffolding development and the human condition

Cobley, P. and Stjernfelt, F. 2015. Scaffolding development and the human condition. Biosemiotics. 8 (2), pp. 291-304. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12304-015-9238-z

The deaths of semiology and mythoclasm: Barthes and media studies

Cobley, P. 2015. The deaths of semiology and mythoclasm: Barthes and media studies. Signs and Media. https://doi.org/10.13760/b.cnki.sam.2015.01.001

Metaphysics of wickedness

Cobley, P. 2014. Metaphysics of wickedness. in: Thellefsen, T. and Bent, S. (ed.) Charles Sanders Peirce in His Own Words: 100 Years of Semiotics, Communication and Cognition Berlin De Gruyter.

Re-viewing Vantage Point

Cobley, P. 2014. Re-viewing Vantage Point. in: Buckland, W. (ed.) Hollywood Puzzle Films New York Routledge. pp. 217-232

Codes and coding: Sebeok’s zoosemiotics and the dismantling of the fixed-code fallacy

Cobley, P. 2014. Codes and coding: Sebeok’s zoosemiotics and the dismantling of the fixed-code fallacy. Semiotica. 2014 (198), pp. 32-45. https://doi.org/10.1515/sem-2013-0100

To be means to communicate

Cobley, P. 2014. To be means to communicate. The American Journal of Semiotics. 30 (3/4), pp. 229-246. https://doi.org/10.5840/ajs2014303/412

Enhancing survival by not enhancing survival: Sebeok’s semiotics and the ultimate paradox of modelling: 9th Sebeok Fellow Address

Cobley, P. 2014. Enhancing survival by not enhancing survival: Sebeok’s semiotics and the ultimate paradox of modelling: 9th Sebeok Fellow Address. The American Journal of Semiotics. 30 (3/4), pp. 191-204. https://doi.org/10.5840/ajs2014303/410

What the humanities are for - A semiotic perspective

Cobley, P. 2014. What the humanities are for - A semiotic perspective. The American Journal of Semiotics. 30 (3-4), pp. 205-228. https://doi.org/10.5840/ajs2014303/411

Narrative. 2nd ed.

Cobley, P. 2013. Narrative. 2nd ed. Routledge.

Theories and models of communication

Cobley, P. and Schulz, P. (ed.) 2013. Theories and models of communication. De Gruyter.

Cybersemiotics and human modelling

Cobley, P. 2010. Cybersemiotics and human modelling. Entropy. 12 (9), pp. 2045-2066. https://doi.org/10.3390/e12092045

The cultural implications of biosemiotics

Cobley, P. 2010. The cultural implications of biosemiotics. Biosemiotics. 3 (2), pp. 225-244. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12304-010-9089-6

Introduction: what is sociosemiotics?

Cobley, P. and Randviir, A. 2009. Introduction: what is sociosemiotics? Semiotica. 2009 (173), pp. 1-39. https://doi.org/10.1515/SEMI.2009.001

Semioethics, voluntarism and anti-humanism

Cobley, P. 2007. Semioethics, voluntarism and anti-humanism. New Formations: a journal of culture/theory/politics.

Farewell to brass tacks

Cobley, P. 2003. Farewell to brass tacks. Semiotica. 147 (1-4), pp. 473-484. https://doi.org/10.1515/semi.2003.104

Throwing out the baby: Populism and active audience theory

Cobley, P. 1994. Throwing out the baby: Populism and active audience theory. Media Culture and Society. 16 (4), pp. 677-687. https://doi.org/10.1177/016344379401600409
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