B8903 - Aesthetics (LM)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, students become familiar with some of the main notions of philosophical aesthetics also in order to use them as tools to account for contemporary phenomena in which the aesthetic plays a crucial role on the cultural and experiential levels. Students will acquire a good degree of autonomy in analyzing aesthetic-philosophical texts concerning discussions carried out over the last few decades. In particular, the course will stress topics and problems that have emerged more recently in the international discourse and that pertain to the nexus between the experiential dimension, the elaboration of expressive languages, and the formal and design-related articulations taking place within the field of the aesthetic. The aim of the course is to reflect on the (dis-)continuity and the (a-)symmetry between the conceptual-theoretical and the operative-experiential levels, and thus contribute to the development of a critical and non-dogmatic attitude toward the contemporary horizon that characterizes the aesthetic..

Course contents

Title of the course: Between Design and Familiarization Processes

The course will address a category which has traditionally been either problematic for, or foreign to, aesthetics: function. The aim of the course is to show that, when understood as something operative and transformative and not merely contemplative and conservative, the aesthetic possesses an inherent functional character. Aesthetic function will be dealt with through different philosophical perspectives, ranging from pragmatism to critical theory, to the more recent everyday aesthetics.

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

In module 1 (Aesthetics (1)), the case study will be design.

In module 2 (Aesthetics (2)), the case study will be familiarization processes.

Readings/Bibliography

Module 1:

- J. Dewey, “Substance and Form”, in Art as Experience, in J.A. Boydston (ed.), The Later Works of John Dewey, vol. 10, Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale, 1981, pp. 111-38.

- T.W. Adorno, “Functionalism Today”, in N. Leach (ed.), Rethinking Architecture, Routledge, London-New York, 1997, pp. 5-18.

- J. Forsey, “The Useful-Beautiful Couplet”: On the Aesthetic Appraisal of Designed Objects”, in F. Zanella et al. (eds.), Multidisciplinary Aspects of Design, Objects, Processes, Experiences and Narratives, Springer, Cham, 2024, pp. 11-20 [available here: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-49811-4]

- G. Parsons, “The concept of function” and “Function, form and aesthetics” in Philosophy of Design, Polity Press, Cambridge, 2015, pp. 85-102 e 103-28.

- K. Puolakka, “On Habits and Functions”, Contemporary Aesthetics Vol. 16, 2018.

- Y. Saito, “Care Relationships with Objects”, in G.L. Iannilli (ed.), Co-operative Aesthetics. A Quasi-Manifesto for the 21^st Century, Aesthetica, Milan, 2022, pp. 131-42.

For module 1, non-attending students must also read:

- M. Gal, J. Ventura, “The Definitions of Design” and “Form and Function” in Introduction to Design Theory, Routledge, London 2023, pp. 6-57 and pp. 59-94.

- G.L. Iannilli & O. Naukkarinen, “Problem-solving”, in G.L. Iannilli (ed.), Co-operative Aesthetics. A Quasi-Manifesto for the 21^st Century, Aesthetica, Milan, 2022, pp. 11-25.

or

- G.L. Iannilli, “John Dewey: Form as Function” and “Theodor W. Adorno: Function as Form” in The Aesthetics of Experience Design. A Philosophical Essay, Mimesis International, Milan, 2020, pp. 73-108 and pp. 109-132.

 

Module 2:

- Y. Saito, Aesthetics of the Familiar: Everyday Life and World Making, Oxford University Press, Oxford-New York, 2017, pp. 9-65.

- O. Naukkarinen, What is “Everyday” in Everyday Aesthetics?, Contemporary Aesthetics, vol. 11, 2013 [https://digitalcommons.risd.edu/liberalarts_contempaesthetics/vol11/iss1/14/]

- J. Dewey, “Qualitative Thought”, in J.A. Boydston (ed.) The Later Works of John Dewey vol. 5 Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale, 1984, pp. 243-262.

- E. Gombrich, “The Mask and the Face: The Perception of Physiognomic Likeness in Life and Art”, in E. Gombrich, J. Hochberg, M. Black (eds.), Art, Perception and Reality, The John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore-London, 1972, pp. 1-46.

- M.G. Portera, “Babies Rule! Niches, Scaffoldings, and the Development of an Aesthetic Capacity in Humans” in The British Journal of Aesthetics, vol. 6, issue 3, 2020, pp. 299-314.

- R. Dreon, L. Candiotto, “Affective Scaffoldings as Habits: A Pragmatist Approach”, in Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 12, 2021 [https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.629046/full]

For module 2, non-attending students must also read:

- Y. Saito, Aesthetics of the Familiar: Everyday Life and World Making, Oxford University Press, Oxford-New York, 2017, pp. 141-226.

- G.L. Iannilli, “Can We Design Familiarity?”, in L. Giombini, A. Kvokačka (eds.), Applying Aesthetics to Everyday Life. Methodologies, History and New Directions, Bloomsbury, London-New York, pp. 70-88.

 

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

N.B.: The program may be subject to change until the beginning of the course.

Teaching methods

Traditional lectures, workshops, presentations by students.

During the academic year, seminar series and other events organized by the Department of Philosophy will take place. They will be indicated by the teacher during the class.

Assessment methods

The exam may be taken in one of the following ways:

1) Written paper (the topic must be agreed upon in advance with the teacher):

- 6 cfu exam: 10-page paper (approximately 30.000 characters) on a transversal theme addressed in the texts indicated in the bibliography addressing at least one case study (last 10 years)

- 12 cfu exam: 15-page paper (about 45.000 characters) on a transversal theme addressed in the bibliography while using at least one case study (last 10 years).

n.b.:

- The paper must be sent in pdf format to the teacher at least 8 days 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.

3) Presentation and Short Paper (the topic must be agreed upon in advance with the teacher):

-For the 6 cfu exam a Power Point presentation of 6 slides – to be given during the exam – accompanied by a 3-page paper (approx. 12.000 characters) on a transversal theme addressed in the bibliography while using at least one case study (last 10 years).

-For the 12 cfu exam a Power Point presentation of 10 slides – to be given during the exam – accompanied by a 6-page paper (approx. 24.000 characters) on a transversal theme addressed in the bibliography while using at least one case study (last 10 years).

n.b.:

- The Power Point presentation and the paper must be sent in pdf format to the teacher at least 3 days before the exam (registration is required on Almaesami).

Teaching tools

Power point, conferences

Office hours

See the website of Gioia Laura Iannilli