Curtis Bowman
Logan Hall 464
898-8563 (dept.)
cubowman@nous.phil.upenn.edu
http://www.phil.upenn.edu/~cubowman
Course Description
Aesthetics concerns itself with philosophical questions which arise when we reflect upon the nature of art and our experience of it. What makes something a work of art? What is the relationship between artists and their artworks? Can we give reasons for our judgements about artworks, or are they simply expressions of what we like and dislike? What is the ontology of the work of art? We shall ask and try to answer these and similar questions in this course.
Our readings shall be drawn from the history of Western aesthetics. Thus we shall begin with Plato and Aristotle and then work our way up to the present day. No knowledge of art history is required, although it is certainly helpful, since innovations in aesthetics are often responses to innovations in the arts themselves.
Required Text
G. Dickie, R. Sclafani, and R. Roblin, (eds.), Aesthetics: A Critical Anthology, 2nd ed.
(St. Martin's Press, 1989) (Abbreviated as DSR)
A small bulkpack will also be available at the Campus Copy Center (3907 Walnut St).
Readings
Traditional Theories of Art
1. Art as Imitation: selections from Plato and Aristotle in DSR, pp. 10-31, 32-47; Alexander Nehamas's "Plato and the Mass Media" (in bulkpack); commentary by Schaper in DSR, pp. 48-56
2. Art as Expression: (1) selections from Tolstoy in DSR, pp. 57-63; commentary by Bates in DSR, pp. 64-72; (2) selections from Collingwood in DSR, pp. 96-118; commentary by Tormey in DSR, pp. 119-132
3. Art as Significant Form: selections from Clive Bell in DSR, pp. 73-83; commentary by Carroll in DSR, pp. 84-95
Contemporary Theories of Art
1. Art as an Open Concept: selections from Weitz and Mandelbaum in DSR, pp. 138-159
2. The Definition of 'Art': (1) Cyril Barrett's "Are Bad Works of Art 'Works of Art'?" (in bulkpack); (2) George Dickie's "Defining Art" (in bulkpack), the exchange between Dickie and Stecker in DSR, pp. 196-217; (3) P. N. Humble's "Duchamp's Readymades: Art and Anti-Art" (in bulkpack) and Dickie's "What is Anti-Art?" (in bulkpack)
Traditional Theories of the Aesthetic
1. Selections from Francis Hutcheson in DSR, pp. 223-241; commentary by Kivy in DSR, pp. 259-263
2. Selections from David Hume in DSR, pp. 242-253; commentary by Kivy and Mothersill in DSR, pp. 263-266, 269-286
3. Selections from Immanuel Kant in DSR, pp. 287-305
Contemporary Theories of the Aesthetic
1. The Aesthetic Attitude: selections from Bullough and Stolnitz in DSR, pp. 320-333, 334-341
2. Critique of the Aesthetic Attitude: selections from Dickie in DSR, pp. 342-355; Dickie's "Art Narrowly and Broadly Speaking" (in bulkpack)
3. Aesthetic Concepts: selections from Sibley and Cohen in DSR, pp. 356-374, 375-393
The Contemporary Artworld: The End of Art?
Arthur C. Danto's "Approaching the End of Art" and "The End of Art" (in bulkpack)
Course Requirements
Students will write two papers of 5-10 pages. There will also be a comprehensive exam at the end of the semester. Each assignment will count for a third of the course grade.
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This page last modified on May 8, 1999.