The course outlines the basics of semiotics and provides an overview of the modern development of semiotic ideas. The course material includes an analysis of various areas of semiotics, including non-verbal semiotics, semiotics of culture and art, semiotics of advertising and fashion, as well as animal communication systems and problems of the origin of language. In-depth author's developments in terms of communicative analysis, as well as the functional typology of signs are presented. Particular attention is paid to the practical analysis of signs of different nature, sign systems and sign situations at seminars. Semiotics is understood as the fundamental methodological base of humanitarian research. For undergraduates, graduate students, university professors, humanitarian specialists.