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Key facts
| Type | Weekly Classes |
|---|---|
| Location | Reading |
| Address | Room 113 Building 22 London Road Campus Reading. |
| Dates | Tue 2 Oct to Tue 4 Dec 2012 Day: Tuesday Time of meeting: 7.00-9.00pm Number of meetings: 10 |
| Subject area(s) | Philosophy |
| CATS points | 10 |
| Fees | From £145.00 |
| Application status | Course ended |
| Course code | R12P489PHW |
| Course contact | If you have any questions about this course, please email ppweekly@conted.ox.ac.uk. |
Overview
We will consider philosophical answers to questions such as: What is beauty? Can we define art? What is its value? How can we judge the quality of a work of art? Does good art need to be moral? Can we explain artistic creativity?Description
Art plays a huge role in our lives. Most of us listen to music, go to art galleries, read novels or poems, watch plays …. In this course we will reflect on our encounters with art and ask questions such as: Under what conditions do we call an object a 'work of art'? Why do we value art? What sort of enjoyment can we get from it? What can we learn from it? How should we evaluate the quality of works of art? Can our evaluations of art be objectively valid? What is the relationship between art and morality? Art is often appreciated for its beauty, and theories of beauty stand at the beginning of modern philosophy of art. Hence we will also discuss different theories of beauty.Programme details
Week 1: Introduction to the course. What is art?Week 2: Recent definitions of art.
Week 3: What do we do when we judge an object to be beautiful? Hume's answer.
Week 4: Kant on judgements of beauty. What is an aesthetic experience?
Week 5: What can we learn from art?
Week 6: What is the value of art? How can we judge whether a work of art is good?
Week 7: Is the meaning of a work determined by the artist's intentions?
Week 8: Does good art have to be moral?
Week 9: Can creativity be explained?
Week 10: How can a piece of music be sad?
Background Reading:
Gaut, B and McIver Lopes, D (eds.) The Routledge Companion to Aesthetics, 2nd edition (Routledge, 2005)
Cahn, S M and Meskin, A (eds.) Aesthetics: A Comprehensive Anthology (Wiley-Blackwell 2007)
Staff
Dr Andrea Lechler
Role: Speaker
Andrea Lechler holds a degree in Computational Linguistics, an MSc in Artificial Intelligence, and a PhD in Philosophy. She writes on ethics,...more
Course aims
Course Aims:To introduce students to philosophical ideas on art and beauty.
Course Objectives:
1. To present philosophical theories of beauty
2. To examine the nature of art and of our encounters with it
3. To discuss different criteria for determining the meaning and value of a work of art
Assessment methods
Assessment is based upon either one essay of about 1,000 words or four shorter assignments totalling about 1,000 words. The shorter assignments involve answering questions on the homework reading. Advice on philosophical writing will be given in the first class. Alternative methods of assessment can be arranged with the tutor.Teaching methods
The classes will involve presentations by the tutor, group work and general discussion. Students will be given as homework short excerpts from philosophical books or papers, which will be discussed in the following class. They have the opportunity to test their understanding of the course contents by answering questions on the reading or writing an essay.Teaching outcomes
By the end of the course students will be expected to:1. understand the views and arguments discussed in the course.
2. have the ability to critically engage with these positions and communicate their views to others.
3. be able to use the content of the course to reflect on their own encounters with art and beauty.
Apply for this course
Sorry, this course is not currently accepting applications. If you have any questions about this course, please use the course enquiry form.