06488 - History of Aesthetics

Academic Year 2022/2023

  • Moduli: Giovanni Matteucci (Modulo 1) Luca Guidetti (Modulo 2) Gioia Laura Iannilli (Modulo 3)
  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures (Modulo 1) Traditional lectures (Modulo 2) Traditional lectures (Modulo 3)
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: First cycle degree programme (L) in Philosophy (cod. 9216)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course students are able to know the main areas of aesthetic historiography, in relation to different orientations, first of all as regards aesthetics in modern and contemporary age, considering also the development of philosophical reflection on art from classical antiquity up to the Enlightenment. They must have acquired the basic knowledge related to the history of aesthetics understood as the philosophy of art and be able to recognize the aesthetic value of poetics and critical reflections that have been developed since antiquity. They must also know how to use survey methods that will enable them to analyze, according to a philosophical interpretation key, the complexity of the relationships involved in the definition of the aesthetic object and artistic object.

Course contents

Course title: Expression, form, and relationship: a path through the aesthetics of the twentieth century

The course will deepen the status of the aesthetic starting from the themes and problems (expression, form and relationship) indicated in its title, by tackling them specifically within the English-speaking philosophical tradition. These issues will be analyzed by moving specifically from John Dewey's contribution to aesthetics and then intertwining this perspective with philosophical paradigms that, to a greater or lesser extent, are continuous with it.

The course will be divided into two parts (corresponding to two modules of 30 hours each).

In the first module, corresponding to Storia dell'estetica (1), the aesthetic reflection on the concept of expression deriving from John Dewey's pragmatism will be presented, and then compared with relevant aspects of the perspectives of Susanne Langer and Nelson Goodman.

In the second module, corresponding to Storia dell'estetica (2), John Dewey's aesthetic perspective will be addressed in relation to the concepts of form and relationship. It will then be compared with Arnold Berleant's phenomenological-pragmatist perspective and with some tenets of the recent sub-discipline of aesthetics called Everyday Aesthetics.

Readings/Bibliography

Part 1: Storia dell’estetica (1) – prof. Giovanni Matteucci

- J. Dewey, Arte come esperienza, Aesthetica, Sesto San Giovanni, 2020, chapters 3, 4 e 5. 

- N. Goodman, When is Art?, in Kobau, P., Matteucci, G., Velotti, S. (eds.), Estetica e filosofia analitica, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2007, pp. 73-85 (or any other editions).

 

Part 2: Storia dell’estetica (2) – prof.ssa Gioia Laura Iannilli

- J. Dewey, Arte come esperienza, Aesthetica, Sesto San Giovanni, 2020, chapters 3, 6 e 7.

- A. Berleant, Il campo estetico. Una fenomenologia dell’esperienza estetica, Mimesis, Milano-Udine, 2020, specifically chapp. 3 and 4 (pp. 85-197).

- O. Naukkarinen, Prospettive di un’estetica del quotidiano, BUP, Bologna, 2020, only pages 99-111; 129-149; 167-179.

 

For non-attending students:

- G. Matteucci, Il sensibile rimosso, Mimesis, Milano-Udine, 2016, chapters 2 e 3.

Teaching methods

Traditional lectures and classroom presentations by students.

Assessment methods

The examination may be taken in one of the following modes.

1) Written paper:

6 cfu exam: 10-page paper (approximately 30.000 characters, footnotes and bibliography included) on a transversal theme addressed in the texts indicated in the bibliography;

12 cfu exam: 15-page paper (about 45.000 characters, footnotes and bibliography included) on a transversal theme addressed in the texts indicated in the bibliography.

n.b.:

- It is possible to propose alternative topics that compare one or more texts indicated in the bibliography with authors or aesthetic phenomena of specific interest to the student; in this case the topic must be agreed upon in advance with the teacher.

- The paper must be sent in pdf format to the teacher at least one week before the exam (registration is required on Almaesami).

 

2) Oral examination:

The assessment will concentrate particularly on the skill displayed by the student in handling the material in the exam bibliography and his/her ability to find and use information and examples to illustrate and correlate the various themes and problems addressed in the course.

The assessment will thus examine the student's:

- factual knowledge of the subject;
- ability to summarise and analyse themes and concepts;
- familiarity with the terminology associated with the subject and his ability to use it effectively.

Top marks will be awarded to a student displaying an overall understanding of the topics discussed during the lectures, combined with a critical approach to the material and a confident and effective use of the appropriate terminology.

Average marks will be awarded to a student who has memorized the main points of the material and is able to summarise them satisfactorily and provide an effective critical commentary, while failing to display a complete command of the appropriate terminology.

A student will be deemed to have failed the exam if he/she displays significant errors in his/her understanding and failure to grasp the overall outlines of the subject, together with a poor command of the appropriate terminology.


Teaching tools

We will use power point slides concerning course's texts and topics.

Office hours

See the website of Giovanni Matteucci

See the website of Luca Guidetti

See the website of Gioia Laura Iannilli

SDGs

Quality education

This teaching activity contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda.