PHIL 212 : Philosophy of the Arts
Arts
2021 Summer School (1210) (15 POINTS)
Course Prescription
Course Overview
This course considers questions such as: Is art purely cultural or partly biological? Is art old or an invention of eighteenth-century Europe? What definitions are plausible and if none are, how does the concept cohere? How does the philosophy of art differ from aesthetics as traditionally conceived? In what manner do artworks exist? Are they created or discovered? What constraints are there on the interpretation of art? Do artistic evaluations always contain a personal element? How does an abstract art form express emotion? Why are we moved by the fate of characters we know to be fictional? Why are we drawn to tragedies when we know the experience of them is unpleasant? How do paintings represent what they picture? How do art paintings differ from drawn advertisements and photographs? Can we learn from art truths about the actual world? Are ethical faults in art also artistic demerits?
Capabilities Developed in this Course
| Capability 1: | Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice |
| Capability 2: | Critical Thinking |
| Capability 4: | Communication and Engagement |
| Capability 6: | Social and Environmental Responsibilities |
Learning Outcomes
- Appreciate representative theories of philosophers in the area of philosophy of art (Capability 1.1)
- Analyse and evaluate philosophers' arguments (Capability 2.1)
- Critically engage with the primary and secondary literature in the philosophy of art (Capability 2.2)
- Express in your own words your understanding of others' ideas (Capability 4.1)
- Formulate and explain your own ideas clearly (Capability 4.2)
- Appreciate multiple, including cross-cultural, perspectives (Capability 6.2)
Assessments
| Assessment Type | Percentage | Classification |
|---|---|---|
| Short writing assignment | 8% | Individual Coursework |
| Essay | 32% | Individual Coursework |
| Final Exam | 60% | Individual Coursework |
| 3 types | 100% |
With plussage, the overall mark will be whichever is the HIGHER of (a) the final 3-hour examination mark and (b) 60% of your final examination mark plus 40% of your coursework mark. The coursework mark consists of one 500-word writing assignment and one 2,000 word essay. To qualify for plussage, both must be completed to a satisfactory standard. Both assignments must be submitted via CANVAS. (This checks for plagiarism.)
Without plussage, the final result is the final examination mark out of 100, less 10 marks.
Workload Expectations
For this course, you can expect 4 hours of lectures, a 1 hour tutorial, 12 hours of reading and thinking about the content and 2 hours of work on assignments and/or test preparation per week.
Delivery Mode
Campus Experience
Attendance is expected at scheduled activities including discussion hours.
Lectures will be available as recordings. Other learning activities including discussion hours will [not be available as recordings.
The course will include live online events including group discussions.
Attendance on campus is required for the exam.
The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.
Learning Resources
Stephen DAVIES. The Philosophy of Art. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, 2016. Second edition. ISBN: 978-1-119-09165-3. (Available as an ebook via the library.)
RECOMMENDED:
Theodore Gracyk, The Philosophy of Art: An Introduction, (Cambridge: Polity, 2012);
Robert Stecker, Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art: An Introduction, (Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2010, second edition).
Student Feedback
At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.
Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.
Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.
Digital Resources
Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).
Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.
Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.
LECTURE ARCHIVE
The Aesthetics Research Group at the University of Kent has a public archive of recorded lectures in aesthetics:
https://www.kent.ac.uk/arts/research/centres/aestheticsresearchgroup/materialsarchive.htmlThe archive includes audio and video recordings of research talks given by Noël Carroll, Howard Caygill, Gregory Currie, David Davies, Susan Dwyer, Jonathan Friday, Andrew Kania, Jerrold Levinson, Patrick Maynard, Aaron Meskin, Alex Neill, Kathleen Stock, Cain Todd, Rob van Gerwen, Scott Walden, Kendall Walton, Tom Wartenberg.
Jerrold Levinson’s entire lecture series on “Key Concepts in Aesthetics” is also available in audioformat.
Academic Integrity
The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against online source material using computerised detection mechanisms.
Inclusive Learning
All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.
Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz
Well-being always comes first
We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - for more information,
look at this Canvas page https://canvas.auckland.ac.nz/courses/33894,
which has links to various support services in the University and the wider community.
Special Circumstances
If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.
If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.
This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.
Learning Continuity
In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.
Student Charter and Responsibilities
The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.
Disclaimer
Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.
In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.