Aesthetics I
Main language of instruction: Catalan
Head instructor
Dra. Eulalia TORT - etort@uic.es
Office hours
To make an appointment with the professor, please write an email.
This subject aims for the student to acquire specific knowledge about the origin, evolution and different fields of Aesthetics history; as well as the topics, vocabulary and classical debates of the discipline. The student will go through the main authors and their texts to articulate the thought on the main ideas of the discipline.
This methodology aims for the student to have a good knowledge of critical tools to understand and build Aesthetics history and think over fundamental categories transversely.
There are no previous requisites
The subject's goals are:
To know the history of the school of thought and culture.
To know the fundamental periods of the Art and Philosphy confluence, as well as the affinities with other kinds of thinking.
To understand the human dimension in the aesthetical experience
To gain knowledge out of texts' analysis
To recognize fundamental ideas of the authors learnt in class and to be able to make a powerful introduction.
To understand Aesthetics' origin in the frame of its cultural context.
To build connections between different artistical disciplines in the frame of philosophical thought.
To know about the main debate on Beauty and Art carried out by the authors, artists, academics, philosophers and Art critics.
To recognize humanistical references from the past to understand their actual influence.
1. Introduction. Definition of the concept.
2. Historical itinerary
2.1 Classical landscape (Plato, Aristotle, Plotinus)
2.2 Dark century Aesthetics
2.3 Renaissance and Baroque aesthetics
2.4 Origin of a new era
3. The concept of Art through History
3.1 Ancient times
3.2 Trying Classification attempt
3.3 Relationship to Poetry
4. Beauty
4.1 History of the concept
4.2 Objectivism and subjectivism
5. Creativity
6. Mimesis
6.1 History of the concept
6.1 Art and Truth
6.2 Art and Nature
7. Aesthetics experience
a) Reading of some key texts
b) Text commentary
c) Discussion of some examples
d) Practical exercises of analysis and reflexion
The evaluation system will consist on a written exam based on the theory and an individual project that will have to be written and presented in class. This project is mandatory and essential to pass the course. The percentage is 60% for the written exam and 40% for the project.
Taking into account the practical nature of the course, attendance to classes will be welcomed, as well as active participation. 80% of attendance is required.
ADVICE NOTES
1. In this course it is very important to make proper use of language in written tests, essays and oral presentations, both from the point of view of grammar and spelling and punctuation and wording. A proper use of terms specific to the discipline is also particularly relevant. The criteria to be followed before any of these errors is as follows: 0.25 will be lowered for misspelling or incorrect words in essays and exams.
2. Advice on plagiarism
Plagiarism is the use of material appropriated from another source or from other sources with the intention of passing it off as one’s own work. Plagiarism may take the form of unacknowledged quotes or substantial paraphrasing. Sources of material include all printed and electronically-available publications in English or other languages, or unpublished materials, including theses, written by others.
To avoid plagiarism, you must quote the source whenever ideas written by another person are used and even if the quote is not direct and is paraphrasing or summarising someone else’s ideas. In direct quotes, one must use quotation marks and quote the source. In an academic essay, it is not enough to generally record the literature used, but it is necessary to explicitly mention the source where ideas written by someone else come from.
Plagiarism in written essays for this course is unacceptable and, therefore, any work in which plagiarism is committed will be evaluated with a zero.
BRUYNE, E.; La estética de la edad media. Madrid: Visor, 1994.
ECO, U. Art i bellesa en l'estètica medieval. Barcelona: Destino, 1990.
PLAZAOLA, Juan; Introducción a la estética: historia, teoría y textos. Bilbao: Universidad de Deusto, 1991
TATARKIEWICZ, w.; Historia de seis ideas. Madrid: Tecnos, 1992.
TATARKIEWICZ, W.; Historia de la estética I. La estética antigua. Madrid: Ediciones Akal, 1987.
TATARKIEWICZ, W.; Historia de la estética II. La estética medieval. Madrid: Ediciones Akal, 1989.
VALVERDE, J.M.; Breve historia y antología de la estética. Madrid: Ariel, 2011.
YARZA, I.; Introducción a la estética. Navarra: EUNSA, 2004.