10593 - Aesthetics (1) (O-Z)

Learning outcomes

After completing the course, students acquire basic knowledge of the origins of aesthetics, its development, and its current orientations. They also understand its connections with other disciplines: the theoretical ones (such as poetics, hermeneutics, and rhetorics) and those related to the arts. The students' use of the correct terminology and their ability to apply the main conceptual and methodological instruments allow them to critically understand the fundamental notions of aesthetics and engage with the study of a "classic" of the discipline.

Course contents

Aesthetics: Historical and Thematic Perspectives

The course will be divided into two parts. The first part will offer an introduction to the main themes, problems and authors of modern and contemporary aesthetics. The second focuses more specifically on the reading and analysis of Walter Benjamin’s essay The Work of Art in the Age of Its Technological Reproducibility (1935–36), a true classic in the history of contemporary aesthetic thought.

Module I: Theories and concepts of modern and contemporary aesthetics

The first part offers a general introduction to the history and foundational concepts of aesthetics. By analyzing the theories of major authors of modern and contemporary thought, the course aims to offer a glimpse into the genesis and development of the problems and theories central to the discipline, along with the definition and deepening of some of its load-bearing categories and interweavings: beauty and aesthetic judgment, art and truth, art and science, art and experience, aesthetics and language, and art and society.

Module II: Art, culture, and society in Walter Benjamin's thought

The second module is devoted to the analysis of the relationship between art and society as it evolved throughout the twentieth century, with particular attention to the transformations brought about by the emergence of mechanical reproduction and modern mass media. To this end, the module begins with a close reading and critical analysis of Walter Benjamin's seminal essay The Work of Art in the Age of Its Technological Reproducibility (1935–1936), a foundational text for understanding the profound aesthetic, cultural, and political implications of modernity. The discussion of Benjamin's principal theoretical concepts will focus on their relevance to cinema, photography, the visual arts, and, more broadly, to contemporary visual culture and the system of mass media.

Readings/Bibliography

1) Module I. Institutional part 

(mandatory texts)

- E. Caramelli, C. Gentili, Storia dell'Estetica, Firenze, Le Monnier, 2025, only chapters 3 and 4 (pp. 115-141).

- P. D'Angelo, E. Franzini, G. Scaramuzza (eds.), Estetica, Milano, Cortina, 2002 (series: ‘Bibliotheca’), only pp. 157-293, corresponding to the following authors: Kant, Schlegel, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Baudelaire, Croce, Benjamin.

 

2) Module II. Monographic part

(mandatory texts)

- Walter Benjamin, L'opera d'arte nell'epoca della sua riproducibilità tecnica, Edizione integrale comprensiva delle cinque stesure, a cura di F. Desideri e M. Montanelli. The text appears in both the Rome edition (Donzelli, 2019) and the Milan edition (Feltrinelli, 2025). For the purposes of this course, only the Fifth version ("Quinta versione", pp. 141–175) is to be studied.

- F. Desideri, I Modern Times di Benjamin, in L'opera d'arte nell'epoca della sua riproducibilità tecnica, Edizione integrale comprensiva delle cinque stesure, a cura di F. Desideri e M. Montanelli, Roma, Donzelli, 2019, pp. IX-XLI.

- M. Montanelli, Breve storia del saggio di Benjamin sull'opera d'arte, in L'opera d'arte nell'epoca della sua riproducibilità tecnica, Edizione integrale comprensiva delle cinque stesure, a cura di F. Desideri e M. Montanelli, Roma, Donzelli, 2019, pp. XLIII-LXXV.

 

For the 12 cfu exam, the texts indicated for both modules are mandatory.

For both the 6 cfu and 12 cfu exams, non-attending students will also be required to read:

- E. Casssirer, I problemi istitutivi dell'estetica moderna, Milano, Meltemi, 1995, pp. 93-114.

 

Teaching methods

The course consists of frontal lessons. The sources are commented and discussed, and their main content and historical context are synthetically reconstructed.

Assessment methods

6 cfu. Students (Module I) will be evaluated on the basis of an oral exam, which will focus only on the contents of the Bibliography relating to the Institutional Part (Module I).

12 cfu. Students (Module I and Module II) will be evaluated on the basis of a two steps evaluation:

a) a written part which consists of a multiple-choice test (21 questions concerning the readings listed in the Bibliography related to point 1 (First module); correct answer = 1,5 point; wrong answer= 0). Unless special cases are certificated (cf. students with disabilities and SLD), the examination will take 60 minutes. A pass mark (15/30 = 10 correct answers at least) on the multiple-choice test is required in order to access the oral interview.

b) an oral part, aiming to test the achievement of the fundamental learning outcomes, such as: thorough knowledge of the mandatory readings and ability to contextualize them in their historical period; full understanding of the core concepts and interpreting skills; ability to express ideas and concepts clearly and cogently; ability to build connections between authors and topics of the prescription. The oral exam will mainly focus on all the texts indicated as mandatory in the program in addition to those already covered in the written test; yet questions requiring links to the latter may still be asked.

Depending on the performance of the oral interview, the final mark may confirm or lower/grade up by max. 3 points the mark obtained in the written test.

The final grade is therefore an overall assessment: excellent (30L); top mark (30); good (27-29); fairly good (24-26); sufficient (22-23); almost sufficient (18-21).

It is not possible to switch from group A-E to group F-N or O-Z, nor vice versa. The only exception is for international students/students.

Students with disabilities and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) are entitled to special adjustments according to their condition, subject to assessment by the University Service for Students with Disabilities and SLD. Please do not contact teachers or Department staff, but make an appointment with the Service. The Service will then determine what adjustments are specifically appropriate, and get in touch with the teacher. For more information, please visit the page:
https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students

It is recommended that students contact the University office in advance. Any proposed adjustments must be submitted at least 15 days in advance for the instructor’s approval, who will evaluate their appropriateness in relation to the learning objectives of the course.

Exam sessions

Exam sessions are scheduled during the calendar year in the following months: January, March, May, June/July, September, November.

Teaching tools

PowerPoint presentations containing useful texts and materials for further study of the course topics will be shown during the lectures.

Office hours

See the website of Andrea Gatti