Philosophy 280: Aesthetics, Schedule of Assignments, Hettinger, Fall 2009
1. Aug 25: Introduction
Origins of Art
2. Aug 27: Stephen Davies, The Philosophy of Art (hereafter “Davies”), Ch. 1: Evolution and Culture, pp. 1-25
What is Art?
3. Sept 1: Elizabeth Telfer, “Food as art,” Arguing About Art (hereafter “Arguing”) pp. 11-29
4. Sept 3: Davies, Ch. 2: Defining Art, pp. 26-51
a. “Goldfish in Blender Causes Curiosity, Contempt” on class web page
b. “‘Artist’Leaves Dog To Die on Exhibition Display” on class webpage
Public art, Censorship, and Erotic Art
5. Sept 8: Two readings: (1) Various contributors, “Transcript of a hearing to decide the future of Tilted Arc,” Arguing, pp. 399-405 and (2) Gregg Horowitz, “Public art /public spaces: the spectacle of the Tilted Arc controversy,” Arguing, pp. 416-426
a. Humor: Dave Barry, “Does Public Art Make Sense?” on class webpage
6. Sept 10: Michael Kelly, “Public art controversy: The Serra and Lin cases,” Arguing, pp. 427-439
a. Video: Maya Lin a strong clear vision
7. Sept 15: Jerrold Levinson, “Erotic Art and Pornographic Pictures,” Arguing, pp. 381-391
a. William Bennett and C. DeLores Tucker, “Smut-Free Stores” on class webpage
What is Aesthetic Appreciation?
8. Sept 17: Davies, Ch. 3: Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art, pp. 52-80
9. Sept 22: Same as above
Rock versus Classical Music
10. Sept 24: Roger Scruton, “The decline of musical culture,” Arguing, pp. 121-136
11. Sept 29: Two Readings: (1) Bruce Baugh, “Prolegomena to Any Aesthetics of Rock Music” on class webpage and (2) Stephen Davies, “Rock versus Classical Music” on class webpage
The Ontology of Artworks
12. Oct 1: Davies, Ch. 4: Varieties of Art, pp. 81-108
Meaning, Intention, and Interpretation
13. Oct 6: Davies, Ch 5: Interpretation, pp. 109-134
14. **Oct 8: Midterm exam**
Fall Break
Emotion and Art
15. Oct 15: Alex Neill, “Fiction and the emotions,” Arguing, pp. 272-288
16. Oct 20: Davies, Ch 6: Expression and Emotional Responses, pp. 135-166.
17. Oct 22: Berys Gaut, “The Paradox of Horror,” Arguing, pp. 317-329
**Paper proposal due: Friday, Oct 23: 1pm, 14 Glebe Mailbox**
What Is Wrong with Being Sentimental?
18. Oct 27: Anthony Saville, “Sentimentality,” Arguing, pp. 337-341
Representation and Art
19. Oct 29: Davies, Ch. 7: Pictorial Representation and the Visual Arts, pp. 167-195.
Environmental Art
20. Nov 3: Allen Carlson, “Is Environmental Art An Aesthetic Affront to Nature?” on class webpage
21. Nov 5: Emily Brady, “Aesthetic Regard for Nature in Environmental and Land Art,” on class webpage
a. Video: Andy Goldsworthy, “Rivers and Tides”
Value and Art
22. Nov 10: Kendall Walton, “Morals in fiction and fictional morality,” on class webpage
23. Nov 12: Davies, Ch 8: The Value of Art, pp. 199-231
a. Video: Riefenstahl’s Triumph of the Will
**Paper due: Friday, Nov 13, 1pm, 14 Glebe Mailbox**
24. Nov 17: Same as above
Environmental Aesthetics
25. Nov 19: Allen Carlson, “Environmental Aesthetics” on class webpage
26. Nov 24: Noel Carroll, “On being moved by nature: between religion and natural history,” Arguing, pp. 167-186
Thanksgiving
27. Dec 1: Rolston, “Is All Beauty in Nature?” on class webpage
28. Dec 3: Yuriko Saito, “The Aesthetics of Unscenic Nature” on class webpage
**Final exam: Thurs, Dec 10, 12-3**