“A work of art is above all an adventure

of the mind.”

—Eugène Ionesco, Notes and Counter-Notes, pt. 2.

Aesthetics is the branch of philosophy that studies art, specifically, matters of beauty and judgments of taste.  Etymologically, “aesthetics” comes from the Greek verb aisthesthai, “to perceive,” hence, aesthetics is a sensuously aware, intellectual study of how we are affected by what we perceive and by which we form evaluations (our likes and dislikes) by the sensible receipt of pleasure or pain.  Its concerns are radically intimate, hotly debated, and pervasive throughout everyday experience.  If we can come to answer the question of whether beauty is in the eye of the beholder or whether universal principles guide our judgments, then we will have a remarkable insight into fundamental philosophical debates about being, human nature, and truth as well as practical debates about everything from what should be hung in a museum or rewarded with a recording contract and the appropriateness of censorship, to explanations of attraction and whether that movie you saw last night was any good.  In addition to this debate about relativism, we will explore the challenge of defining art, how judgments of taste are made, the nature and power of beauty and sublimity, and the socio-political dimension of art in ancient to contemporary aesthetic theory.  Alongside the intellectual reflection, we will practice aesthetic judgment in diverse mediums from painting to music, design to film, sculpture to performative arts, and enact our own artistic creation.

Course Text:

Art and its Significance: An Anthology of Aesthetic Theory, third edition, ed. Stephen David Ross (New York: State University of New York Press, 1994). ISBN: 978-0791418529.  List Price: $31.95.

“Art is the human disposition of sensible or intelligible matter for an esthetic end.”

—James Joyce, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, ch. 5.

Image: Fernand Léger, The Disks, 1913

I.  COURSE READINGS:

Art and its Significance: An Anthology of Aesthetic Theory, third edition, ed. Stephen David Ross (New York: State University of New York Press, 1994).  ISBN: 978-0791418529.  List Price: $31.95.

All readings will be collected in this anthology or provided via pdf or links to electronic copies.

“We all know that Art is not truth.  Art is a lie that makes us realize truth, at least the truth that is given us to understand.  The artist must know the manner whereby to convince others of the truthfulness of his lies.”

—Pablo Picasso, quoted in Ashton, Picasso on Art, 21; originally quoted in a discussion on cubism with an American art critic Marius de Zayas in 1923, published in The Arts’ essay “Picasso Speaks.”

II.  COURSE GOAL and OBJECTIVES:

This class introduces one of the main thematic divisions of philosophy: Aesthetics—the study of judgments of taste, beauty, and art.  Its goal, then, is to be a critical introduction, one that explores the breadth of aesthetic questions while also pursuing a rigorous analysis of an array of canonical aesthetics texts.  As an introduction, it will broaden intellectual perspectives in philosophy, the humanities, and beyond, fostering greater theoretical and social literacy.  It will pursue studies that are relevant to a wide number of other fields and numerous ‘everyday’ activities and questions.  Like all philosophy courses, it will also actively encourage depth of reflection and rigorous argumentation.  These abilities are both skills and art forms that will better an individual regardless of his or her academic concentration and future career path.  This goal will be pursued in the following ways:

Engagement in close textual analyses of the reading assignments in order to foster critical thinking skills, which ultimately develop one’s own thinking and writing abilities and styles;

Attention directed to the readings and online discussions, the latter of which will provide the historical situation, theoretical background, and clarification of issues to frame and guide your own thinking;

Participation in online discussions that embrace academic freedom in order to practice formulating and expressing your questions, ideas, and interpretations of the issues at hand; and

Creative reflection on the form and content of the course material by crafting written responses and engaging field studies and/or creative projects.

“Art is so wonderfully irrational, exuberantly pointless, but necessary all the same.  Pointless and yet necessary, that’s hard for a puritan to understand.”

—Günter Grass, Interview in New Statesman & Society, London, 22 June 1990.

Image: Gustave Courbet, The Artist’s Studio, 1855

III.  COURSE POLICIES and REQUIREMENTS:

What Do I Need to Do for this Class?

1. In essence:
   

2. (1) Carefully read the assigned readings (listed below);
   

3. (2) Consult our outside class site at:
   

4. http://www.aquestionofexistence.com/Aquestionofexistence/Aesthetics/Aesthetics.html
   

(This site contains reading/lecture notes for each assignment with extensive background information on the thinkers or ideas, textual analysis, additional examples or explanations, and multimedia resources or links to other resources, as appropriate—please note that I expect everyone to consult this regularly, but it will include far more information and resources than each will be responsible for knowing (i.e., you can skim some sections, carefully read others, use them as needed; they are meant to help you understand the material, and there is nothing there you are expected to memorize); there will be a few resources there (clearly denoted) that are required (e.g., when we read Kant, I will want everyone to look at the pictures included in the notes, etc.).  On the site, you will also find the syllabi and discussion and blog post prompts.); 

1. (3) Once or twice a week (due dates below), write and post a “Discussion Post” (described below);
   

2. (4) Complete four “Blog Posts” (described below);
   

3. (5) Complete one final paper/project (described below).
   

Participation:

Since an online course lacks physical attendance in a classroom, it demands that evidence of dedication to the class be reflected in your written work.  The completeness and timeliness of submissions and quality of content will be crucial to good course participation.  Additionally, each student is fully responsible for verifying and correcting, if necessary, his/her registration status.

ASSIGNMENTS & THEIR EVALUATION CRITERIA:

Please note that the Philosophy and Humanities sections will have different Discussion and Blog prompts; verify your section and answer the appropriate questions.

Discussion Board Posts: 

Conducted on our Blackboard site once or twice a week (as noted on the Reading and Assignment schedule, below), these discussions will be generated from posted questions and substitute for the dynamic discussions required in a philosophy classroom.  Aim for a paragraph to a page of writing, but there is no rigid length requirement—just make sure that your contribution thoughtfully engages the questions and directly addresses the readings.  You are more than welcome to submit more than one discussion post, e.g., perhaps you want to ask a peer a clarifying question or follow-up with the discussion well after your first contribution.  Discussion posts will be evaluated by content alone (although readability and general clarity is important!) as to how well they demonstrate your careful reading, thoughtful reflection, well-formulated opinions and analyses, and strong questions—these things may be best demonstrated by clear reference to the readings, incorporation of ideas from the lecture notes or provided online resources, respectful engagement with your peers’ ideas, and overall significant contribution to the discussion. 

Blog Posts: 

Four one-to-two page reflections that carefully and thoughtfully address the prompts as noted in the Reading and Assignment schedule, below.  These should be viewed as short academic essays, therefore they should be carefully constructed engagements of the questions that clearly explain and support your thought, reference the readings, correctly cite all quotes, and be proofread before submission.  They will be evaluated by their quality of content (i.e., clear development of the topic, accurate and adequate support of the position, and direct and correct reference to the texts) and quality of writing (i.e., you must have grammatically correct work).  Late assignments will only be accepted for one week after the due date and have up to ten points deducted from the grade.  Rewrites of your posts will only be considered for those scoring under an 80 and can only add up to ten points to the original score. 

Final Project:

The final project can be a standard academic paper or a hybrid paper/creative project; papers will be 6-8 pages and projects must be of equivalent work.  I expect students to begin the final projects early in the course; they will be due on the last day of class, August 5th.  Prompts will be provided, but I encourage each to develop one’s own personally meaningful topic or project; academic research into some aspect of aesthetics will be needed, but I encourage a harmony between academic and creative work (e.g., maybe you want to create a work of art and accompany it with a thorough critical appraisal; maybe you want to write a phenomenological report of your visit to an art exhibition; maybe you want to design an exhibition and provide its philosophical reflection in an imagined exhibit catalogue; maybe you want to write a philosophic screenplay, etc.).

GRADE DISTRIBUTION:

Discussion Board Posts: 40% of your final grade.  Blog Posts: 40%.  Final Project: 20%.  Each extra credit work successfully completed will be worth up to five points added to your lowest scoring assignment.

GRADE SCALE:

All assignments will receive an alphabetic and/or numeric grade based upon their demonstrated quality of thought and effort.  The scale will be: A (100-94); A- (93-90); B+ (89-87); B (86-83); B- (82-80); C+ (79-77); C (76-73); C- (72-70); D+ (69-67); D (66-60); F (59-0).  Any grade disputes will be settled by personal meeting where we will review together the totality of your class work. 

EXTRA CREDIT ASSIGNMENTS:

1)  Read one of the following selections available in the anthology or online and write a three page typed analysis that clearly summarizes the material, delineates its main argument(s), and closely evaluates its meaning (for its author or the argument at large, and for you, personally). 

Aristotle’s Poetics, pp.66-74.

Clive Bell’s “Art,” pp.186-90.

R.G. Collingwood’s Principles of Art, pp.192-201.

Friedrich Nietzsche’s The Birth of Tragedy, pp.162-67.

Sigmund Freud’s “The Relation of the Poet to Day-Dreaming,” pp.500-6.

Jean-François Lyotard’s “Preliminary Notes on the Pragmatic of Works: Daniel Buren,” October 10 (1979): 59-67, available as a pdf file in “Resources” on Blackboard.

 Renee Conroy’s “Dancework Reconstruction: Kinesthetic Preservation or Danceworld Kitsch?”  Available at: http://www.aesthetics-online.org/articles/index.php?articles_id=35.

Babette Babich, “The Aesthetics of the Between: On Space and Beauty,” in Jeff Koons: The Sculptor, eds. Brinkmann, Ulrich, and Pissarro, 58-69, available as a pdf file in “Resources” on Blackboard.

2)  Select and watch one of the films listed below and write a three page typed analysis including a plot summary highlighting philosophically relevant details and your thorough evaluation of it as both an aesthetic and theoretical presentation.  For those with sensitivity to adult content, I encourage you to consult summations or reviews before viewing any of these films; feel free to ask me, as well, for advice and/or recommendations.

Jean-Jacques Annaud’s “The Name of the Rose” (Italian, 1986).

Igmar Bergman’s “The Seventh Seal” (Swedish, 1957).

Akira Kurosawa’s “Throne of Blood” (Japanese, 1957).

Carl Theodor Dreyer’s “The Passion of Joan of Arc” (French, 1928).

Robert Bresson’s “Diary of a Country Priest” (French, 1951).

Igmar Bergman’s “Winter Light” (Swedish, 1962), “Through a Glass Darkly” (1961), “Persona” (1966).

Akira Kurosawa’s “Rashomon” (Japanese, 1950).

David Lynch’s “Lost Highway” (American, 1997), “Mulholland Dr.” (2001), “Inland Empire” (2006).

David Cronenberg’s “eXistenZ” (Canadian, 1993).

Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” (2011).

Khyentse Norbu’s “Travellers and Magicians” (Bhutanese, 2003).

Hiroshi Teshigahara’s “Face of Another” (Japanese, 1952) “Woman in the Dunes” (1964).

Alejandro Jodorowsky’s “The Holy Mountain” (Mexican, 1973).

Krzysztof Kieslowski’s “The Decalogue,” any of the ten films (Polish, 1989).

Jan Svankmajer’s “Little Otik” (Czech Republic, stop-gap animation, 1988).

Wim Wender’s “Wings of Desire” (German, 1987).

Godfrey Reggio’s “Powaqqatsi” (American, artistic documentary, 1988).

Jean-Luc Godard’s “A Woman is a Woman” (French, 1961).

Federico Fellini’s “8 ½” (Italian, 1963).

Andrei Tarkovsky’s “Andrei Rublev” (Russian, 1969), “Solaris” (1972).

Jean Cocteau’s “Beauty and the Beast” (French, 1946).

Michelangelo Antonioni’s “L’avventura” (Italian, 1960).

Terry Gilliam’s “Brazil” (British, 1985).

Stan Brakhage’s “By Brakhage: An Anthology,” either volume (American, experimental shorts from 1954-2001)

If more extra credit assignments are desired, please see me (i.e., there is no maximum cap on the number of extra credit assignments you may complete).

ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTS and NOTES:

Some readings (noted above and below) will be provided through our course Blackboard site.  Check Blackboard regularly for announcements.

Course “lectures” and additional materials (some required, some optional) will be provided on our external class website available at: www.aquestionofexistence.com under the “Aesthetics” tab.

Etcetera:

I highly encourage you to email me (melanie.walton@belmont.edu) or set up an appointment to meet with me about any questions, concerns, etc. about the class and its material. 

I will ask us all to uphold the ideals of academic freedom to make our digital classroom a space of comfortable and free discourse, which means feeling free to openly entertain and exchange even uncomfortable ideas and maintaining an environment where others enjoy the same freedom by respecting the rights of all to the same. 

“Art is not merely an imitation of the reality of nature, but in truth a metaphysical supplement to the reality of nature, placed alongside thereof for its conquest.”

—Friedrich Nietzsche, The Birth of Tragedy, ch. 24.

Image: Rodin, ‘Falling Man,’ on

‘Gates of Hell.’

IV)  UNIVERSITY POLICIES:

Honor Code:

The Belmont community values personal integrity and academic honesty as the foundation of university life and the cornerstone of a premiere educational experience.  Our community believes trust among its members is essential for both scholarship and effective interactions and operations of the university.  As members of the Belmont community, students, faculty, staff, and administrators are all responsible for ensuring that their experiences will be free of behaviors which compromise this value.  In order to uphold academic integrity, the university has adopted an Honor System.  Students and faculty will work together to establish the optimal conditions for honorable academic work.  Following is the Student Honor Pledge that guides academic behavior:

“I will not give or receive aid during examinations; I will not give or receive false or impermissible aid in course work, in the preparation of reports, or in any other type of work that is to be used by the instructor as the basis of my grade; I will not engage in any form of academic fraud.  Furthermore, I will uphold my responsibility to see to it that others abide by the spirit and letter of this Honor Pledge.”

Thus, I have a zero-tolerance policy for academic dishonesty and especially for any form of plagiarism.  Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to the summary, paraphrase, or direct quotation of either published or unpublished work of another without full and clear citation.  Consequences for academic dishonesty will result in a zero score on the assignment and possible further repercussions in accordance with school policy.  If you have questions about plagiarism or academic honesty in general, please consult the school handbook, one’s academic advisor, or me. 

Accommodation of Disabilities:

In compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, Belmont University will provide reasonable accommodation of all medically documented disabilities.  If you have a disability and would like the university to provide reasonable accommodations of the disability during this course, please notify the Office of the Dean of Students located in Beaman Student Life Center (615-460-6407) as soon as possible.

Course Evaluations:

The university urges and expects all students to participate in all course evaluations, providing honest feedback to the instructor and institution about the specific aspects and elements of the course.  Outside of the official evaluations, I highly encourage you to provide me with feedback throughout the semester about the course and to collectively or privately engage in such dialogue so as to take an active engagement with the “how” of your education, as well as with the “what” that we cover.  

“Art is not a study of positive reality, it is the seeking

for ideal truth.”

—George Sand, The Haunted Pool, ch. 1.

Image: Sam Francis, L 171 SF190, 1974

V)  READING and ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE:   July 7th – August 5th

* In addition to the posted assignments, below, read the “lectures” and consult the additional resources, visual/multimedia aids, etc., at our external course site (www.aquestionofexistence.com).

* All readings in Ross’ Art and its Significance: An Anthology of Aesthetic Theory, unless noted.

* You are welcome to do the readings and posted assignments early, but the latter will be counted as late and have pointed deducted if posted after 11:59 p.m. central time on the dates they are listed.

Week 1:  July 7-11 – What is art?  Reason versus feeling?  Is art good or bad for us?

Monday:  Discussion Post One Due:  Look over the syllabus and access the external course site; on Blackboard, post an introduction and also ask any questions you have about the course on the proper Discussion Board Forum.

[Instructions: in our course on Blackboard, select the tab “Course Tools,” then “Discussion Board,” then click our course, then select the “Introductions” forum, and post your introduction and questions].

Tuesday:  Blog Post One Due: Write a one-to-two page blog post from your personal perspective on any one of the following prompts:

(A) “Relativism” is an argumentative position that says that there is no absolute truth, that everything is subjective or relative to other things; it is best summed up in the idea that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”  Construct two arguments, one for and one against relativism as to whether there can be an universal definition of taste/art. 

(B) Richly, fully, and personally define beauty and monstrosity (the horrific or very ugly), and explain what you might think and feel when confronted by either or both.

(C) View Marcel Duchamp’s “Bicycle Wheel” [http://www.moma.org/collection/object.php?object_id=81631], and then argue whether it is art.

[Instructions: in our course on Blackboard, select the tab “Course Tools,” then “Blogs,” then click on “Blog One: Tuesday July 8,” and post your essay by clicking the “Create Blog Entry” button and typing or pasting it therein. 

Wednesday-Thursday: Read Leo Tolstoy’s “What is Art?,” pp.178-81, and then the selections from Plato’s Republic, pp.9-44.  (Wed., July 9 is last day to drop the course with refund)

Friday:  Discussion Post Two Due:  Thoughtfully and thoroughly engage the discussion questions posted in the “Philosophy: Tolstoy and Plato” Discussion Forum.

Week 2: July 14-18 – Judgments of Taste: Beauty and Sublimity

Monday: Read Kant’s Critique of Judgment, Introduction and First Book: Analytic of the Beautiful, pp.95-113.

Tuesday:  Discussion Post Three Due:  Thoughtfully and thoroughly engage the discussion questions posted in the “Philosophy: Kant’s Analytic of the Beautiful” Discussion Forum.  (Tues., July 15 is last day to withdraw with a “W”)

Wednesday:  Read Kant’s Critique of Judgment, Second Book: Analytic of the Sublime, pp.113-42.

Thursday:  Discussion Post Four Due:  Thoughtfully and thoroughly engage the discussion questions posted in the “Philosophy: Kant’s Analytic of the Sublime” Discussion Forum.

Friday:  Blog Post Two Due: Write a one-to-two page blog post on one of the following two prompts:

(A) First, delineate and describe all of the steps you go through to aesthetically judge something according to Kant’s theory.  Second, go to the following four sites to see and carefully consider Jasper Johns’ “0 Through 9” [http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/johns-0-through-9-t00454]; Leonardo da Vinci’s “Portrait of a Young Man (‘The Musician’)” [http://0.tqn.com/d/arthistory/1/0/N/7/1/07-Leonardo-da-Vinci-Portrait-of-Young-Man-Musician-ca-1486-87.jpg]; Roy Lichtenstein’s “Whaam!” [http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/lichtenstein-whaam-t00897]; and Salvador Dalí’s “Lobster Telephone” [http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/dali-lobster-telephone-t03257].  Finally, complete your post by explaining the Kantian judgments of these works (are they art?—that is, are they beautiful, as opposed to being pleasant or good?) and arguing whether and how/why you agree or disagree with the judgments. 

(B) First, differentiate and explain key features of the judgments of the beautiful and of the sublime.  Second, go to the following five sites to see and carefully consider Elizabeth Keeler’s “Quilt, Crazy Pattern” [http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/10013849?rpp=60&pg=1&ao=on&ft=*&what=Silk&pos=7]; St. Paul’s Cathedral, London [http://travelinhappiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/St_Pauls_Cathedral_London02.jpg];

Vincent van Gogh’s “The Olive Trees” [http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?criteria=O%3ADE%3AI%3A5%7CG%3AHI%3AE%3A1&page_number=34&template_id=1&sort_order=1];

Édouard Vuillard’s “Dinnertime” [http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?criteria=O%3ADE%3AI%3A5%7CG%3AHI%3AE%3A1&page_number=35&template_id=1&sort_order=1]; Barnett Newman’s Vir Heroicus Sublimis” [http://minimalissimo.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Barnett-Newman-13.jpg].  Finally, complete your post by explaining the Kantian judgments of these works as beautiful or as sublime and arguing whether and how/why you agree or disagree with the judgments.

Week 3: July 21-25 – The Philosophy of Photography, Film, Music, and ‘Design’

Monday: Read Walter Benjamin’s “The Work of Art in the Age of its Technical Reproducibility,” pp.526-38.  Read the selections and view the “Photography and Film” page on our outside site.  (Last day to withdraw with a “WP” or “WF”)

Tuesday: Discussion Post Five Due: Thoughtfully and thoroughly engage the discussion questions posted in the “Philosophy: Benjamin” Discussion Forum.

Wednesday: Read Theodor W. Adorno’s “On the Fetish-Character in Music and the Regression of Listening,” pp.539-47.  Read the selections and listen to the clips on our “Music” page on our outside site.

Thursday:  Discussion Post Six Due: Thoughtfully and thoroughly engage the discussion questions posted in the “Philosophy: Adorno” Discussion Forum.

Friday:  Blog Post Three Due: For this blog post, you will find and select one or more examples in any one of the following mediums, view/listen to the selection, and complete a one-to-two page analysis that can be your choice of an aesthetic evaluation (beautiful? Sublime? Etc., how and why?), an explanation of its/their cultural and/or temporal importance, an analysis of their cult and commercial values, etc.:

(A) Photography: Select one or more works in photography to which you are drawn (please include links to them in your post or email jpeg file(s)); in your blog, carefully analyze it/them.

(B) Film: Select and view any film of your choice (please include title, director, and date in your post); in your blog, briefly summarize the film and then analyze it.

(C) Music: Select and listen to one or more musical pieces (please include a link to it/them online or email a sound file); in your blog, carefully analyze it/them.

(D) Design: Select and view/use/consider any object(s) of design—anything created by an agent (designer) to fulfill specific goals or serve a specific function, an applied art, be it industrial design (Eames’ chairs, Schreckengost’s bikes or truck, Noguchi’s tables or lights, the Studebaker Starlight, etc.), graphic design (from illuminated manuscripts to Arts and Crafts movement’s tiles to Art Nouveau’s advertising for biscuits, absinthe, chocolates, etc., Soviet Constructivism to the development of typefaces or consumer packaging), fashion design, etc.; in your blog, carefully analyze it/them.

Week 4: July 28-Aug. 1 –  Art’s Socio-Political Dimension and Manifestos

Monday: Read Herbert Marcuse’s “The Aesthetic Dimension,” pp.548-57.

Tuesday:  Read F. T. Marinetti’s “Futurist Painting: Technical Manifesto,” pp.656-60; Umberto Boccioni’s “Technical Manifesto of Futurist Sculpture,” pp.661-66; and Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg’s “Dogma 95 Manifesto” [available at: http://pov.imv.au.dk/Issue_10/section_1/artc1A.html].

Wednesday: Read Kasimir Malevich’s “Suprematism,” pp.667-72; Wassily Kandinsky’s “Concrete Art,” pp.673-76; and Ken Garland’s “First Things First” design manifesto [at: http://www.kengarland.co.uk/KG%20published%20writing/first%20things%20first/index.html], and Discussion Post Seven Due: Thoughtfully and thoroughly engage the discussion questions posted in the “Philosophy: Political Dimension” Discussion Forum.

Thursday: Read Piet Mondrian’s “Plastic Art and Pure Plastic Art,” pp.677-90 and Sol LeWitt’s “Sentences on Conceptual Art,” pp.691-2.

Friday:  Blog Post Four Due: Write a one-to-two page blog post on the following: Using all of this week’s readings as guides, write your own manifesto—you can adopt any style of art to speak from/on behalf of or invent your own movement.

Week 5: Aug. 4-5 – Wrapping Up

Monday: Discussion Post Eight Due: Thoughtfully and thoroughly engage the discussion questions posted in the “Philosophy: Final Reflections” Discussion Forum. 

Tuesday:  Final Projects Due: Please submit them by email (melanie.walton@belmont.edu) unless otherwise arranged.