PHIL 185.001 – Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art

Instructor: Conner Schultz. This course meets MTWRF 9:45 – 11:15 a.m. via remote synchronous (RS) instruction.

What is a work of art? Does it matter if “a five-year old could’ve drawn that”? Is aesthetic judgment all just a matter of taste, or can it be objective? Can there be aesthetic value in an offensive piece of art?

This course will discuss all of these questions and more, both abstractly and in terms of different artistic media. We’ll cover a broad array of different artistic media, including traditional forms (e.g. painting, music) and popular/applied arts (e.g. film/TV, street art, and architecture). In doing so, we’ll explore a handful of the interesting intersections between art, culture, politics, and ethics.

This multidisciplinary course will include readings from both philosophers and artists. No prior background in philosophy or art is required, and anyone who has an interest in either field is encouraged to take this course.