Philosophy 280: Aesthetics, Schedule of Assignments, Hettinger, Fall 2010
1. Aug 24: Introduction
Origins of Art
2. Aug 26: Stephen Davies, The Philosophy of Art (hereafter “Davies”), Ch. 1: Evolution and Culture, pp. 1-25
What is Art?
3. Aug 31: Elizabeth Telfer, “Food as Art,” Arguing About Art (hereafter “Arguing”), pp. 11-29
4. Sept 2: Davies, Ch. 2: Defining Art, pp. 26-51
5. Sept 7: “Is it Art or Just a Toilet Seat?” on class webpage
Public Art and Censorship
6. Sept 9: Three readings:
i. Humor: Dave Barry, “Does Public Art Make Sense?” on class webpage
ii. Various contributors, “Transcript of a Hearing to Decide the Future of Tilted Arc,” Arguing, pp. 399-405
iii. Gregg Horowitz, “Public Art /Public Spaces: Spectacle of the Tilted Arc Controversy,” Arguing, 416-426
7. Sept 14: Michael Kelly, “Public Art controversy: The Serra and Lin cases,” Arguing, pp. 427-439
a. Video: Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision
What is Aesthetic Appreciation?
8. Sept 16: Davies, Ch. 3: Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art, pp. 52-80
9. Sept 21: Same as above
Rock versus Classical Music
10. Sept 23: Two Readings:
i. Roger Scruton, “The Decline of Musical Culture,” Arguing, pp. 121-136
ii. Bruce Baugh, “Prolegomena to Any Aesthetics of Rock Music” on class webpage
11. Sept 28: Stephen Davies, “Rock versus Classical Music” on class webpage
The Ontology of Artworks
12. Sept 30: Davies, Ch. 4: Varieties of Art, pp. 81-108
13. Oct 5: Same as above
14. **Oct 7: MIDTERM EXAM**
Fall Break
Meaning, Intention, and Interpretation
15. Oct 14: Oct 6: Davies, Ch 5: Interpretation, pp. 109-134
Emotion and Art
16. Oct 19: Alex Neill, “Fiction and the Emotions,” Arguing, pp. 272-288
17. Oct 21: Berys Gaut, “The Paradox of Horror,” Arguing, pp. 317-329
18. Oct 26: Davies, Ch 6: Expression and Emotional Responses, pp. 135-166
19. Oct 28: Same as above
**Paper proposal due: Friday, Oct 29**
Representation and Art
20. Nov 2: Davies, Ch. 7: Pictorial Representation and the Visual Arts, pp. 167-195
Environmental Art
21. Nov 4: Glen Parsons, “Art in Nature,” on class webpage
a. Video: Andy Goldsworthy, “Rivers and Tides”
Value and Art
22. Nov 9: Kendall Walton, “Morals in fiction and fictional morality,” on class webpage
23. Nov 11: Davies, Ch 8: The Value of Art, pp. 199-231
a. Video: Riefenstahl’s Triumph of the Will
24. Nov 16: Same as above, plus two readings:
a. “Goldfish in Blender Causes Curiosity, Contempt” on class web page
b. “‘Artist Leaves Dog To Die on Exhibition Display” on class webpage
Nature Aesthetics
25. Nov 18: Allen Carlson, “Aesthetic Appreciation of the Natural Environment” in Arguing, pp. 157-171
26.
**Paper due: Friday, Nov 19, 1pm, 14 Glebe Mailbox**
Thanksgiving
27. Nov 30: Noel Carroll, “On Being Moved by Nature: Between Religion and Natural History,” Arguing, pp. 172-191
28. Dec 2: Ned Hettinger, “Evaluating Positive Aesthetics” on class webpage
Tues, Dec 7: Last day for turning in Bluesphere response
**Final exam: Tues, Dec 14, 8-11, in classroom**