Philosophy of Art
HON 308 002 CRN 25287
PHI 432 001 CRN 25067
MWF 11:15-12:05
Spring 2005
Instructor:
Dr. Laura Newhart
Office:
257 Case Annex
Phone:
622-2574
Email:
laura.newhart@eku.edu
Hours:
MWF 12:20-1:10 and TH
12:30-1:45 and by appointment
Required
Text:
Higgins, Kathleen. Aesthetics in Perspective. Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth Publishing, 1996.
Course
Description:
In this course we will
consider a number of
questions which are of fundamental importance to aestheticians and
philosophers
of art such as “What is art?” “Are there objective standards for
determining
artistic value or is beauty in the eye of the beholder?” “What is the
nature of
creativity?” “What is/should be the relationship between art and
morality?”
“What role does/should art play in society?” Throughout the course of
the
semester we will examine these questions from the specific perspectives
of a
number of major theories of art including mimetic theory, expression
theory,
formalism, and the institutional theory of art. We will conclude the
course by
considering what the answers to these questions might look like in the
future.
We
will have the opportunity to apply what we learn through our
exploration of
these theoretical issues in a semester-long project where as a class we
will
choose a non-profit arts organization to which to donate $200. This
project
will involve locating appropriate candidates for the funding and
deciding by
consensus which one will make the best use of the donation in light of
our
theoretical findings.
Course
Objectives:
--to impart to the
student a working
knowledge of the major theories of art in Western
philosophy
--to allow the student
to hone his or her
critical thinking skills by applying these theories to the questions of
the
relationship of art to morality and the role of
art in society
--to enable the
student to make use of these
theoretical tools in his or her
encounters
with specific artworks
--to reveal to the
student in a hands-on,
practical, setting the ramifications of these theories on the function and status of
art in society
Course
Format:
Class time will be
divided between lecture,
discussion, supplemental audio-visual materials, and collaborative
projects.
Course
Requirements and Grading:
Your grade for the
course will be determined
by:
(1) 8 Experiencing Art
Reports
40%
(2) 2 Short Papers (5-7
pages each)
30%
(3)
Group Presentation
10%
(4)
Funding the Arts Project
20%
(1) Experiencing
Art Reports: Every other Friday will be devoted to applying the
theoretical
concepts of the past two weeks to specific works of art. You will
identify a
particular artwork and explain how it is an example of (or a challenge
to) the
theories we have studied in that time period. Or, as an alternative you
can
report on a current news item that is relevant to the weeks’
theoretical
content. Your artworks can come from any source, i.e., your own, a
friend’s, a
museum, a gallery, popular culture, etc. Your report should be 1-2
pages
double-spaced typed and should include a copy of the artwork. You will
be
expected to present at least one of
these reports to the class. If you do not, 5 points will be deducted
off of
your total points for this assignment. Due dates for the Experiencing
Art
Reports can be found on the syllabus, and a sign up sheet will be
passed around
to schedule the in-class presentations. Each Experiencing Art Report is
worth 5
points for a total of 40% of your final grade.
(2) 2 Short
Papers: In each of the short papers you will answer a question
distributed
in class in a 5-7 page (1250 words) double spaced, typed essay. The
questions
are designed to challenge you to analyze, critique, and develop the
relevant
theories covered in class. The questions will be distributed a week
before the
papers are due. The first short paper will cover the material from the
Beginnings section and the four theories of art. It is due Friday
March 25, 2005 in class. The second short paper will cover
the material from the Art and Ethics, Art and our Institutions, and
Challenges
to the Tradition sections. It is due during the exam period which is Monday May 2, 2005 from 10:30
to 12:30. Each short paper is worth 15 points for a total of 30% of
your
final grade.
(3) Group
Presentation: Toward the end of the semester we will consider a
number of
challenges to the theoretical perspective of traditional Western
philosophy of
art. These challenges take a variety of forms and come from a number of
sources
which can be found in Parts III and IV of Higgins’ text and include
racism and
sexism in the arts, popular culture, and non-Western views of art. The
class
will divide into six groups of three to
four people, and each group will be responsible for choosing an article
in this
section and presenting it to the class. Each presentation should
include a
summary of the article, a discussion of interesting points in the
article, and
examples of artworks which illustrate the points. Prior to the
presentations,
each group will be asked to submit a proposal for their presentation
including
the title of the article you’d like to present, how the article
presents a
challenge to traditional views, and the reasons your group has for
wanting to
present it. The group presentation is worth 10% of your final grade.
(4) Funding
the Arts Project: Thanks to the generosity of the Honors Program,
we have
been given $200 to contribute to a non-profit art organization in our
area. In
order to do this we must complete a number of tasks including
identifying
regional non-profit art organizations; interviewing, visiting, and
inviting
in-class presentations by these non-profit organizations, issuing and
evaluating Requests for Proposals, and engaging in a deliberative group
decision-making process to select successful applicants and award the
$200. We
will be breaking into small work groups to accomplish these tasks, and
each of
you will be expected to be actively involved in this project. You will
also
hand in two sets of Reflective Journal Essay Questions concerning your
involvement in this project. One will be due before undertaking the
project.
The other will be due after the project is completed. Your
participation in the
Funding the Arts Project is worth 20% of your final grade.
Important
Notes:
1. If you
are registered with the Office of Services
for Individuals with Disabilities, please make an appointment with the
course
instructor to discuss any academic accommodations you need. If you need
academic accommodations and are not registered with the Office of
Services for
Individuals with Disabilities, please contact the Office directly
either in
person or on the first floor of Turley House or by telephone at
(859)622-1500
V/TTY. Upon individual request, this syllabus can be made available in
alternative forms.
2.
Cheating and/or plagiarism will not be tolerated
and will be dealt with in accordance with the EKU Student Handbook.
3. The
instructor reserves the right to modify this
syllabus if it will better meet the goals of and objectives of the
course.
Syllabus
Beginnings
M 1/10
Introduction to course
W 1/12
“What is Art?” pp. 63-67; “The Role
of Theory in Aesthetics” pp. 75-81
F 1/14
Hume, “Of the Standard of Taste” pp.
31-43
M 1/17
No
Class!! Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!!
W 1/19
Kant, “The Four Moments” pp. 44-53
F 1/21
Bullough, “Psychical Distance” pp. 164-167;
Dickie, “The Myth of the Aesthetic Attitude” pp.
172-179
M 1/24
Plato, “Inspiration as Magnetism”
pp. 278-281; Aristotle, “Constructing a Tragedy” pp. 282-283;
Kant, “The
Nature of Genius” pp. 284-286
W 1/26
Rilke, pp. 293-294; Truitt, pp.
295-301; Middleton, pp. 302-310
F 1/28
Experiencing
Art Report #1 Due
Art, Truth, and Reality
(Mimetic Theory)
M 1/31 Plato,
“Art and Appearance” pp.
114-121
W 2/2
Wilde, “The Decay of Lying” pp.
122-124
F 2/4
Lyons, “Paleolithic Aesthetics” pp.
125-131
M 2/7
Saito, “The Japanese Appreciation of
Nature” pp. 140-147
W 2/9
Cage, “Experimental Music” pp.
148-151
F 2/11 Experiencing
Art Report #2 Due
Should We Focus On Form
(Formalism)
M 2/14
“Should We Focus on Form?” pp.
318-320; Parker, “Aesthetic Form” pp.321-325
W 2/16
Fry, “The Limits of Formal Analysis”
pp. 326-328
F 2/18
Hanslick, “On the Musically
Beautiful” pp. 329-330;
Levin, “Balanchine’s
Formalism” pp.
331-336
M 2/21
No
Class!! Presidents’ Day!
W 2/23
Eco, “Repetition and the Series” pp.
347-349; Miller, “Advertising-End of Story”
pp. 350-357
F 2/25
Experiencing
Art Report #3 Due
Art as Expressing or Arousing
Emotion (Expression Theory)
M 2/28
“Art as Expressing or Arousing
Emotion” pp. 359-361; Tolstoy, “What is Art?”
pp. 362-364
W 3/2
Bell, “Emotion in Response to
Significant Form” pp. 365-367;
Langer, “The Symbol of Feeling”
pp. 369-370
F 3/4
Collingwood, “Expressing Emotion”
pp. 371-376;
Hospers, “The Concept of Artistic Expression” pp. 377-385
M 3/7
through
F
3/11
Spring Break!!! No Class!!!
M 3/14
Novitz, “Fiction, Imagination, and
Emotion” pp. 386-390;
Davies, “Why Listen to Sad
Music...?” pp. 391-396
W 3/16
Kundera, “The Nature of Kitsch” pp.
397-398;
Calinescu, “Kitsch and
Hedonism” pp.
399-403
F 3/18
Experiencing
Art Report #4 Due
Distribution
of First Short Paper Questions
The Institutional Theory of Art
M 3/21
Danto, “The Artworld” pp. 68-74;
Dickie, “Art as a Social
Institution” pp. 82-87
W 3/23
Binkley, “Piece: Contra Aesthetics”
pp. 88-97
F 3/25
Experiencing
Art Report #5 Due
First
Short Paper Due
Art and Ethics
M 3/28
“Art and Ethics” pp. 181-183;
Nehamas, “Plato and the Mass Media”; Bloom,
“Music” pp. 190-194
W 3/30
Harries, “The Ethical Significance
of Modern Art” pp. 195-204
Fuentes, “Words Apart” pp.
205-207
F 4/1
Gass, “Goodness Knows Nothing of
Beauty” pp. 208-212
M 4/4
Mundy, “The New Critics” pp.213-221;
Kuspit, “Art and the Moral
Imperative” pp. 222-225
W 4/6
Gourevitch, “Behold Now Behemoth”
pp. 226-232
F 4/8
Experiencing
Art Report #6 Due
Art and Our Institutions (Art
and Society)
M 4/11
“Art and Our Institutions” pp.
235-236; Mattick, “Arts and the State” pp. 237-241;
Vance,
“Misunderstanding Obscenity” 242-245
W 4/13
Wolfe, “The Worship of Art” pp.
246-250
F 4/15
Young, “Destroying Works of Art” pp.
251-258
M 4/18
Stalker and Glymour, “The Malignant
Object” pp. 259-264
W 4/20
Danto, “The Vietnam Veterans
Memorial” pp. 265-269
F 4/22
Experiencing
Art Report #7 Due
Distribution
of Second Short Paper Questions
Challenges to the Tradition
and Beyond the West
M 4/25
Group Presentations
W 4/27
Group Presentations
F 4/29
Group Presentations
Experiencing
Art Report #8 Due
M 5/2
Exam
Period! Second Short Paper Due