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PHL 317K Introduction to Philosophy of the Arts Fall 2014
Unique numbers: 42940, 42945, 42950, 42955, 42960, 42962, 42963, 42964,
TIME: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:00-2:50 p.m. and a third hour
LOCATION: TTH 2:00 CAL 100 (Check your schedule for third hour location)
INSTRUCTOR: Prof. Kathleen Higgins
OFFICE: WAG 203 (512) 471-5564
OFFICE HOURS: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:45-11:45 a.m.
E-MAIL:
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course will consider some of the answers given in the Western philosophical tradition to questions about the nature of art and beauty, as well as offering a brief overview of some perspectives from Japan. Particular attention will be given to the distinction between art and reality, and to the nature of the aesthetic experience from the standpoint of both the artist and the observer.
TEACHING ASSISTANTS:
Simone Gubler Office: WAG 427
Office Hours
E-mail address:
Brian Pollex Office: WAG 406
Office Hours: Mondays, 3:45-4:45 p.m. and Fridays, 2:15-3:15 p.m.
E-mail address:
Hannah Trees
Office: WAG 412
Office Hours
E-mail address:
TEXTBOOK: Kathleen Marie Higgins, ed., Aesthetics in Perspective
GRADING AND IMPORTANT DATES:
September 9 Short paper due 5%
September 18 Journal topic #1 due
September 25 Exam I 15%
September 30 Journal topic #2 due
October 2 Journal topic #3 due
October 7 Journal topic #4 due
October 16 Journal topic #5 due
October 23 Journal topic #6 due
October 30 Exam II 15%
November 4 Journal topic #7 due
November 6 Journal topic #8 due
November 11 Journal topic #9 due
November 13 Journal topic #10 due
November 18 Take-home Exam III due 15%
November 20 Journal topic #11 due
November 25 Journal topic #12 due
December 4 Final written project due 20%
Participation 10%
Journal Topics Total 20%
NOTE: Participation includes attendance both in lectures and in discussion sections, in- class writing, in-class quizzes, etc.
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POLICIES:
Unless there are extenuating circumstances, late assignments will automatically receive ten fewer percentage points than they would otherwise have received. (In the case of journal assignments, an assignment is counted on time if it is turned in during class.) Late assignments will not be accepted more than one week after the date due. Late assignments will not be accepted after the last day of class.
Makeup exams or extensions will be arranged only in situations of an emergency or serious illness. The instructor may ask for evidence.
Students with disabilities may request appropriate academic accommodations from the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, Services for Students with Disabilities, 471-6259
HUMANITIES (Core Component 040) - This course may be used to fulfill the humanities component of the university core curriculum and addresses the following four core objectives established by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board: communication skill s, critical thinking skills, personal responsibility, and social responsibility.
GRADING: Grades will be computed using the plus-minus system. The breakdown is as follows:
A 92-100 A- 90-91 B+ 87-89 B 82-86 B- 80-81 C+ 77-79 C 72-76 C- 70-71 D+ 67-69 D 62-66 D- 60-61 F 0-59
THIS COURSE WILL NOT HAVE A FINAL EXAM.
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Unique Number Section Time Room Teaching Assistant 42940 Monday, 8:00-9:00 CBA 4.342 Hannah Trees a.m. 42945 Monday, 9:00-10:00 CBA 4.342 Hannah Trees a.m. 42950 Friday, 10:00-11:00 UTC 1.136 Brian Pollex a.m. 42955 Monday, 11:00 PAR 206 Hannah Trees a.m.-12:00 noon 42960 Friday, 11:00 a.m.- PAR 305 Brian Pollex 12:00 noon 42962 Thursday, 12:00 WAG 308 Simone Gubler noon-1:00 p.m. 42963 Thursday, 10:00- MEZ 1.212 Simone Gubler 11:00 a.m. 42964 Thursday, 9:00- UTC 4.114 Simone Gubler 10:00 a.m. 42965 Friday, 1:00-2:00 MEZ 2.122 Brian Pollex p.m.
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SYLLABUS
August 28 Introduction: Why Art?
September 2 What’s the Appeal of Beauty?
Readings: Plato, “The Form of Beauty” and “Beauty’s Influence” (p. 11-23) Watch Hedwig and the Angry Inch’s “Origin of Love” video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HgJ6xFXKaM
September 4 How Do We Know Talent When We See It?
Readings: Plato, “Inspiration as Magnetism” (pp. 278-281); Anne Truitt (pp. 295-301)
September 9 Does Art Mislead Us?
Readings: Plato, “Art and Appearance” (pp. 114-121)
SHORT PAPER DUE
September11 Does the State Have an Interest in Promoting Art?
Readings: Karsten Harries, “The Ethical Significance of Modern Art” (pp. 195-204)
Peter Singer, “Good Charity, Bad Charity” http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/11/opinion/sunday/go od-charity-bad-charity.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
September 16 Why Do We Enjoy Tragic Art?
Reading: Aristotle, “The Form of a Tragedy” (pp. 24-30) and Aristotle, “Constructing a Tragedy” (pp. 282-283)
September 18 What Makes an Artwork Work? 6
Reading: Mark Crispin Miller, “Advertising – End of Story” (pp. 350-358); Alexander Nehamas, “Plato and the Mass Media” (pp. 184-189)
Journal topic #1, due in class:
Describe a case of an artwork you’ve experienced in which Aristotle’s insistence that the work shouldn’t leave loose ends was violated. Did you find this disturbing in any way? Explain.
September 23 Review
September 25 Exam 1
September 30 Is Beauty In the Eye of the Beholder?
Reading: David Hume, “Of the Standard of Taste” (pp. 31- 43)
Journal topic #2, due in class:
Is there a right answer to the question of whether or not a work of art is good? Why or why not?
October 2 What Does Art Do To Us? And What Do We Have to Do So That It Can?
Reading: Immanuel Kant, “The Four Moments” (pp. 44-53)
Journal topic #3, due in class:
If a painting reminds you of your mother, are you necessarily a bad judge of whether or not it’s beautiful? Explain.
October 7 Is Beauty a Matter of Form? Is It a Matter of What is Perfect? 7
Reading: DeWitt H. Parker, “Aesthetic Form” (pp. 321-325)
Journal topic #4, due in class:
Can tattoos be beautiful? And if so, are they equivalently beautiful as drawn and as etched on someone’s skin, or does the context make a difference? Defend your views.
October 9 How Does Kant’s Model Apply to Art?
Reading: Immanuel Kant, “The Nature of Genius” (pp. 284- 286)
October 14 Is Beauty the Ultimate Aim of Art? (The Sublime and the Dionysian)
Reading: Friedrich Nietzsche, “On Beauty and Ugliness” and “Apollo and Dionysus” (pp. 54-62)
October 16 Does Art Reveal the Temper of the Times?
Reading: G. W. F. Hegel, “The Ages of Art (pp. 446-450)
Journal topic #5, due in class:
What is an example of an artwork that reflects what’s important in our time? What features of the work enable it to do this?
October 21 Why Does Art Change Over Time?
Readings: John Berger, “Oil Painting” (pp. 464-466)
October 23 Do the Values of Art Apply to Everyday Life?
Readings: John Dewey, “Aesthetic Qualities” (pp. 611-616)
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Journal topic #6, due in class:
Describe an experience that you have had that would count as “an experience” in Dewey’s sense. Describe how it fits his model of having a distinctive emotional quality and being a process that builds to completion.
October 28 Review
October 30 Exam 2
November 4 Have We Reached the End of Art?
Arthur Danto, “Approaching the End of Art” (pp. 454-460)
Journal topic #7, due in class:
Why do we (or at least most of us) care whether an artwork is a forgery?
November 6 What Makes It Art?
Reading: Arthur Danto, “The Artworld” (pp. 68-74)
Watch Sixty Minutes segment on Wolfgang Beltracchi at
http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/the-con-artist-a- multimillion-dollar-art-scam/
Journal topic #8, due in class:
Does calling something art suffice to make it art? Why or why not?
November 11 Does Anything Go? Are We Being Taken In?
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Reading: Timothy Binkley, “Piece – Contra Aesthetics” (pp. 88-97); Tom Wolfe, “The Worship of Art: Notes on the New God” (pp. 246-250)
Journal topic #9, due in class:
Should a work of public art make sense to most people in the community if the public is to fund it? Explain your position.
November 13 How Often Does Art Reinforce Stereotypes?
Readings: Robert Gooding-Williams, “Look, A Negro!” (pp. 530-538) and Noël Carroll, “The Image of Women in Film” (pp. 567-574)
Journal topic #10, due in class:
What is an example of a film that reinforces stereotypes? Explain why you think that it is. What is an example of a film that challenges stereotypes (if you can think of one)? Explain why you think that it is.
November 18 What Kind of Bad Art is Kitsch?
Readings: Milan Kundera, “The Nature of Kitsch” (pp. 397- 398); Matei Calinescu, “Kitsch and Hedonism” (pp. 299- 403)
Take-Home Exam 3 due
November 20 Magic Moments – How Do They Happen? (Japanese Aesthetics)
Readings: Sei Shonagon, “The Pillow Book” (pp. 617-619) and Garret Sokoloff, “By Pausing before a Kicho” (pp. 620- 627)
(See next page for journal topic)
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Journal topic #11, due in class:
Describe an experience that you would consider okashi and explain why. Mention any ways that the experience surprised you.
November 25 Does Cultural Difference Prove that It’s All Relative? (Japanese Aesthetics, continued)
Readings: Donald Keene, “Japanese Aesthetics” (pp. 678- 687) and Yuriko Saito, “The Japanese Appreciation of Nature” (pp. 140-147)
Journal topic #12, due in class:
Describe an experience that you would consider mono no aware and explain why. Mention any ways that the experience surprised you.
THANKSGIVING
December 2 What Makes It Funny, or Do We Know?
Reading: Robert C. Solomon, “Are the Three Stooges Funny? -- Sointainly!” (pp. 604-610)
December 4 Where Does Art Fit in Our Lives?
Final Project Due
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PHL 317K Introduction to Philosophy of the Arts Higgins Fall 2014
Short Writing Assignment: A Beautiful Artwork
Due in Class, Thursday, September 9, 2014
For this assignment, you must go to the Blanton Museum of Art (use your UT ID cards to get free admission) and find an artwork that you consider beautiful. Then write one to two pages explaining what features of the work (or your experience of the work) justify your claim that this work is beautiful. Include a brief description of the artwork that is clear and complete enough that the rest of your comments make sense Consider the role that each of the following may play. Discuss only those points that are relevant to the work that you are considering.
1. Medium and making—What materials did the artist use in making this work of art? What specific techniques did the artist employ here? How was this artwork made? Was this medium or process of making new to the time period or to this artist, or was it a more traditional technique? Do you think that the medium and process of a making of a work can influence whether or not it is beautiful?
2. Artist—What facts about the artist are important for us to know in order to better understand this artwork? How old was the artist at the time of making this work? Is any knowledge about the artist important for determining how beautiful the work is?
3. Context—What events occurred in the world and/or the life of the artist when this work was made? Do any historical events that you know about have a bearing on the artwork? Think about the context surrounding the artist and the work in terms of historical events, technological developments, religious beliefs, scientific explorations, the work of other artists, etc. Are these considerations relevant to a work’s beauty?
4. Content—Does the artwork have a clear narrative (i.e. can we tell what is going on in the work, or part of the work)? If so, what is it? What is your interpretation of this work? What does the work mean? Is the meaning obvious, or is it obscure? Can these questions be relevant to how beautiful a work is?
You are not expected to do any research about the work beyond what information is provided as part of the exhibition. 12
PHL 317K Introduction to Philosophy of the Arts Higgins Fall 2014
Final Written Project: Why Is It Art?
Length: Approximately 5 pages
Due: Thursday, December 4, 2014
Choose a contemporary artwork that you consider art but recognize as a work that some people might not consider art. Your aim in this paper will be to explain why this work is a work of art and whether or not it succeeds as art, drawing on various views that we have considered. Include a brief description of the artwork that is clear and complete enough that the rest of your comments will make sense to someone who is unfamiliar with the work you have chosen to discuss. In the course of your discussion, you should present answers to each of the following questions.
1. Would this artwork count as art from the standpoint of the artistic tradition (as it existed in Kant and Hume’s era, when art was generally assumed to be representational)? What features of the work make it count as art according to that tradition, or what features prevent it from counting as art according to that tradition?
2. Explain the difference between a functional and a procedural definition of art. Can you offer a functional definition of art that would establish that this work is an instance of art? If so, what function does the artwork serve that qualifies it as an artwork? If not, is there a procedural definition that qualifies it as art? Explain.
3. What does it take for an artwork to succeed as art according to Hegel? Does this work succeed according to his criterion/criteria? Explain why.
4. What does it take for an artwork to succeed as art according to Dewey? Does this work succeed according to his criterion/criteria? Explain why.
5. Summarize Danto’s view of what makes something art. Why would the work you have chosen count as art according to Danto? Does Danto’s theory help you to understand the work? Explain why or why not?
6. Summarize Binkley’s view of what makes something art. Why would the work you have chosen count as art according to Binkley? Is there any way that the work could fail to be art on Binkley’s view? Explain.
7. Finally, explain why you think the work you have chosen is art. Which, if any of the positions of the thinkers considered above do you find persuasive? Why? If you do not find any of the positions considered above persuasive, what aspects of those positions do you find persuasive, and what has been left out.