PHIL 310 Aesthetics
Art and our experience of it form an important part of our existence. At the same time art's place in our lives is continually redrawn, contested, and reconsidered. The following questions have persisted over the ages and at different times have yielded different answers: What is art? How is art different from (and better or worse than) craft? What constitutes a work of art? What role does the concept of genius play in art? Is the artist's intention relevant to our experience of their work? What, if any, is the practical purpose of art? What is, or should be, considered beautiful? What is the relationship between the beautiful and the good? Are matters of aesthetic value ever objective or conclusive? The Aesthetics course tackles questions like these through the investigation of the work of philosophers, critics, and artists. Seminar. Prerequisites: LSCI 105, Information Theory and Practice, or LSCI 106, Information Sources for Architecture and Interior Design, or LSCI 205, Information in the Disciplines WRIT 313, Advanced Academic Writing; MDST 120, Public Speaking