Philosophy 280: Aesthetics, Schedule of Assignments, Hettinger, Fall 2015

1.          Aug 26: Introduction

Origins of Art

2.          Aug 31: Stephen Davies, The Philosophy of Art (hereafter “Davies”), Ch. 1: Evolution and Culture, pp. 1-25

What is Art?

3.          Sep 2: Elizabeth Telfer, “Food as Art,” Arguing About Art (hereafter “Arguing”), pp. 11-29

4.          Sep 7: Davies, Ch. 2: Defining Art, pp. 26-51

5.          Sep 9: “Is it Art or Just a Toilet Seat?” on class webpage

Public Art and Censorship

6.          Sep 14: Two readings:

             a.          Various contributors, “Transcript of a Hearing to Decide the Future of Tilted Arc,” Arguing, pp. 399-405

             b.          Gregg Horowitz, “Public Art /Public Spaces: Spectacle of the Tilted Arc Controversy,” Arguing, 416-426

                          See also Dave Barry, “Does Public Art Make Sense?” (humor) on class webpage

7.          Sep 16: Michael Kelly, “Public Art controversy: The Serra and Lin cases,” Arguing, pp. 427-439

             a.          Possible video in class: Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision

8.          Sep 21: Peter Levine, “Lessons from the Brooklyn Museum Controversy” on class webpage

             a.          Also, “Quebec Special Effects Artist Not guilty of Corrupting Morals” on class webpage

What is Aesthetic Appreciation?

9.          Sep 23: Davies, Ch. 3: Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art, pp. 52-80

10.        Sep 28: Same as above                                                                                                          

Rock versus Classical Music

11.        Sep 30: Roger Scruton, “The Decline of Musical Culture,” Arguing, pp. 121-136

12.        Oct 5: Bruce Baugh, “Prolegomena to Any Aesthetics of Rock Music” on class webpage

13.        Oct 7: Stephen Davies, “Rock versus Classical Music” on class webpage

14.        **Oct 12: Midterm Exam**

The Ontology of Artworks

15.        Oct 14: Davies, Ch. 4: Varieties of Art, pp. 81-108

Oct 19 (& 20): Fall Break

16.        Oct 21: Same as above 

**Paper proposal due: Friday, Oct 23^th by email to hettingern@cofc.edu 

Meaning, Intention, and Interpretation

17.        Oct 26: Davies, Ch 5: Interpretation, pp. 109-134

Emotion and Art

18.        Oct 28: Alex Neill, “Fiction and the Emotions,” Arguing, pp. 272-288

19.        Nov 2: Berys Gaut, “The Paradox of Horror,” Arguing, pp. 317-329

20.        Nov 4: Davies, Ch 6: Expression and Emotional Responses, pp. 135-166

21.        Nov 9: Same as above

Representation and Art

22.        Nov 11: Davies, Ch. 7: Pictorial Representation and the Visual Arts, pp. 167-195

Environmental Art 

23.        Nov 16: Glen Parsons, “Art in Nature” on class webpage

             a.          Video: Andy Goldsworthy, “Rivers and Tides”

Value and Art

24.        Nov 18: Kendall Walton, “Morals in Fiction and Fictional Morality” on class webpage

**Paper due: Friday, Nov 20^th, 1 pm, 14 Glebe (inside) mailbox (paper copy)**

25.        Nov 23: Davies, Ch 8: The Value of Art, pp. 199-231                                                                       

             a.          Video: Riefenstahl’s Triumph of the Will

Nov 25-29, Thanksgiving Break 

26.        Nov 30: Same as above, plus three readings:

             a.          Goldfish Blending Art? on class web page

             b.          “Is Starving a Dog Art? Depends, Art Professor Says” on class webpage

             c.          “Artist Leaves Dog To Die on Exhibition Display” (Snopes discussion)

Aesthetics of Nature

27.        Dec 2: Allen Carlson, “Aesthetic Appreciation of the Natural Environment,” Arguing, pp. 157-171

28.        Dec 7: Noel Carroll, “On Being Moved by Nature: Between Religion and Natural History,” Arguing, pp. 172-191

**Final exam: Monday, Dec 14^th, 4-7pm, in classroom**