Philosophy 1361, Philosophy and the Arts, Spring 2008
MW 2:30-4, 106 Agnes Arnold Hall
Section # 34501
Professor Cynthia A. Freeland,
Office Hours: TBA, 511 Agnes Arnold, (713) 743-3206
TA: TBA
Office hours: TBA Agnes Arnold 508
Overview
The outline below will be gradually updated for Spring 2008 semester. The schedule has been updated, but the written assignments shown below are from a previous year's class. (So, DON'T START doing them already--they are there only FYI.) Learning Outcomes
1. You will acquire general knowledge of how philosophers at various time periods from ancient Greece to the present have defined art and aesthetic value, and about the examples they used to develop their accounts.
2. You will improve your analytic and writing skills by attending class discussion that brings out key points in the readings; by weekly writing assignments that encourage your own independent critical reaction to topics in the arts; as well as by assigned take-home papers and exams that require you to analyze abstract discussions and apply the results to particular examples.
Texts
Required
2. Aesthetics: The Big Questions, (ABQ), ed. Carolyn Korsmeyer (Blackwell, 1998)
Recommended
2. Carol Strickland, John Boswell, The Annotated Mona Lisa: A Crash Course in
Art History,
Andrews McMeel Publishing, 1992. (This book is highly recommended to give you a clear introduction
to western art history from ancient Egypt up through modernism and post-modernism. If you don't know
the difference between Impressionism, Expressionism, and Abstract Expressionism, but would like to, this
book is for you.)
1. But is it Art? A Very Short Introduction to Art Theory, Cynthia A. Freeland. Published Spring 2001 by Oxford
University Press; paperback version. Chapters listed on syllabus from "Freeland" are
from this book. (Yes, I get some income from this book. I donate it back to the University for scholarship money. Seriously.)
1. Robert Cumning, Art: The World's Greatest Paintings Explored and Explained, DK
Publishing, 1995. (This book is recommended to give you an excellent introduction to the
interpretation of meaning and symbolism in paintings, with detailed studies of a number
of great paintings in western art history.)
Warning
Some art to be shown and discussed in
class may offend some students. This includes artwork that addresses themes about religion, race
and racism,
sexuality, violence, and gender identity.
Disability
If you need accommodations in this course, please notify Dr. Freeland immediately, and supply the relevant paperwork
from the Office of Students with disAbilities on campus.
Plagiarism
All work in this course must be your own; be sure you have read and understood the university's
academic honesty policy. Plagiarism, the use of someone else's work without proper citation, is a serious offense that can lead to
an "F" in the course. This professor will regularly use Turnitin.com and other sources to check papers for plagiarism.
Requirements and Grading
Explanation and comments:
Topics and Course
Plan
For details of the schedule and specific reading and writing assignments,
please refer to the Class Schedule.
URL for this page: April 1, 2008
Grading is done on a scale based on 100 points total. No in-class exams or final.
Paper One Topics (due Jan. 30th)
Paper Two Topics (due March 5th)
Paper Three Topics (due April 8th)
Paper Four Topics (due April 23rd)
Attendance (10 points) Attendance will be taken. Participation is part of the process of learning.
This includes not simply your presence but your contributions to the ongoing dialogue in the class. The professor puts a lot of work into
selecting images, music and film selections, and actual artworks to bring to class in order to assist in
understanding the philosophical readings and arguments. The rationale for counting attendance as part of the
overall grade is that if
you miss a class you are most
likely to miss seeing or hearing illustrations and explanations that are relevant to the assigned
readings and essays, and this
will hurt your performance.
If you are 20 minutes or more late to class, or if you leave 20 minutes or more early from class,
it will count as an absence.
You will lose one point from your attendance score for every two classes you miss.
Art Log: See separate information page.
Papers: Papers are graded on the basis of content and also spelling, grammar, clarity, punctuation, etc.
This is required both because it is important for everyone to learn how to write well and also because the course is
listed as a writing-intensive course for purposes of the core curriculum.
Late Policy: Art log submissions will not be accepted late.
Papers will be severely marked down if submitted
late, and the mark-down increases with each day it is late. I do accept submissions on line if you have a problem
coming to class. Exceptions, or course, are consided and usually granted in cases of documented illnesses, medical emergencies, court
appearances, family care emergencies, etc. Please do not kill off your grandmother in this class! (It happens all too often, I assure you! Hence, funeral attendance
is regarded with some skepticism as an excuse.)
A note on grading: The professor will grade half of the papers and will
grade some art logs at random.
The TA will grade the art logs and half of the papers.
The final grade depends on the points and an overall scale will
be developed that you can check on the WebCT pages for the course. Please ask if you have any questions.
The professor welcomes
e-mail from students and will respond ASAP.
Note: The course web pages are in transition from a previous version; some links are sure to be broken. Please
let me know if you find one, as I will be revising pages to
update this course during the Spring 2008 semester.