PHIL 332 : Philosophy of the Arts

Arts

2020 Semester One (1203) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Considers a range of issues debated by contemporary philosophers concerning the origins, function, definition, ontology, presentation, interpretation, appreciation, expressiveness, representational character, and value of art. Related and applied topics, such as the status of colourised movies, the status of artistic fakes, and the paradox of our enjoying tragedies are also discussed.

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 in 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?

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: 30 points at Stage II in Philosophy or Transnational Cultures and Creative Practice Restriction: PHIL 212

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
Graduate Profile: Bachelor of Arts

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Appreciate representative theories of philosophers in the area of philosophy of art. (Capability 1.1)
  2. Analyse and evaluate philosophers' arguments. (Capability 2.1)
  3. Engage critically with the primary and secondary literature in the philosophy of art. (Capability 2.2)
  4. Express in your own words your understanding of others' ideas. (Capability 4.1)
  5. Formulate and explain your own ideas clearly. (Capability 4.2)
  6. Appreciate multiple, including cross-cultural, perspectives. (Capability 6.2)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Assignments 10% Individual Coursework
Essay 40% Individual Coursework
Final Exam 50% Individual Examination
The first assignment is a 500-word writing task summarising a specified set reading, due early in the course.
The essay is of 3,000 words. Different topics and due dates will be offered. Essays that are up to one week late without extension will be penalised 10%. Essays up to two weeks late without extension will be penalised 20%.
The final exam is of 3 hours and involves essay-style answers.
There is no plussage.

Next offered

2021

Learning Resources

TEXTBOOK:
Stephen Davies. The Philosophy of Art. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, 2016. Second edition. ISBN: 978-1-119-09165-3.
This is available as an e-book via the library.

RECOMMENDED (especially for students who have not previously taken any courses in Philosophy):
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).

LIBRARY RESOURCES:
There are a number of useful reference sources on aesthetics and the philosophy of art:
GL = General Library; FA = Fine Arts Library

Oxford Handbook of Aesthetics. J. Levinson (ed.), Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003. GL 111.85 L66o

Encyclopedia of Aesthetics, Michael Kelly (ed).  Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014.  2nd edition, 7 Vols. E-book accessed via Library

Routledge Companion to Aesthetics.  Berys Gaut & Dominic McIver Lopez (eds). London: Routledge, 2001. GL 111.85 G27
(Second edition, 2004. Third edition 2013.)

A Companion to Aesthetics. Stephen Davies, Kathleen Marie Higgins, Robert Hopkins, Robert Stecker, & David E. Cooper (eds). Malden: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. Second edition. GL 111.85 C73 2009

Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art: The Analytic Tradition, P. Lamarque & S. H. Olsen (eds.), Oxford: Blackwell, 2003. FA 701.17 A254p

Contemporary Debates in Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art. M. Kieran (ed.), Oxford: Blackwell, 2005. GL 111.85 K47c & SLC

Blackwell Guide to Aesthetics. P. Kivy (ed.), Oxford: Blackwell, 2003. GL 111.85 K62b

Blackwell Companion to Aesthetics, David Cooper (ed). Oxford: Blackwell, 1992. GL Reference 111.85 C73

The Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Donald M. Borchert (ed.), (London: Macmillan & Free Press, 2006. 10 Vols). GL Reference  103 E26 2006

Aesthetics: Critical Concepts in Philosophy, James O. Young (ed.) (London: Routledge, 4 Vols, 2005). GL 111.85 Y68

The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy at http://plato.stanford.edu/

Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Edward Craig (Editor-in-Chief).  London: Routledge, 1998.  10 Vols. GL Reference 100 C88 Also available as e-resource
http://www.library.auckland.ac.nz/databases/learn_database/public.asp?record=routledge

British Journal of Aesthetics - GL 111.85 B86; FA SERIALS
Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism - FA  SERIALS
Philosophy and Literature - GL 809 P56

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect 2 hours of lectures, a 1 hour tutorial, 6 hours of reading and thinking about the content and 1 hours of work on assignments and/or test preparation.

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.

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.html 
The 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 audio format.

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 at 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.

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.

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.

Published on 03/12/2019 02:15 p.m.