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Module Title
LM Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art
School
Lan, Cult, Art Hist & Music
Department
Music
Module Code
09 24995
Module Lead
Ben Earle
Level
Masters Level
Credits
20
Semester
Semester 2
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions
None
Exclusions
Description
This module consists of a critical examination of topics in aesthetics and the philosophy of art. It considers subjects such as: art and the nature of aesthetic experience; beauty, ugliness and the sublime; symbolism and allegory; the aesthetics of modernism. At its core is an overview of the German aesthetic tradition, involving a close reading of foundational texts by Immanuel Kant, Georg Hegel and their contemporaries in the early 19th century. It will also consider work by a range of subsequent authors, such as, for example, Walter Benjamin, John Dewey, Ernst Bloch, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Theodor Adorno and Martin Heidegger. Attention will be paid not only to the conceptual arguments put forward by the thinkers in question, but also to the ways in which their theoretical tenets have underpinned the interpretation and criticism of works of art, music and literature.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module students should be able to:
Demonstrate a critical knowledge and understanding of a range of topics in the philosophy of art as theorised by selected authors in the aesthetic traditions
Submit key arguments and ideas of the authors in question to critical scrutiny
Consider ways in which the German aesthetic tradition and the work of subsequent philosophers of art have informed the interpretation of art, music and literature
