What Does Art Mean? Studies in Aesthetics and Cultural Relevance
COL 110
Fall 2018 not offered
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Humans have felt compelled to make what we now call "art" for millennia; clearly, the drive to create and express is a pressing one in our species. Can we define that drive? The title of this course encompasses multiple questions. What do we mean when we say "art," and is there a way to legitimately wield or deny that designation? Does that designation have universal meaning? Is there an inherent exclusion, or exclusivity, within it? Also, what is art communicating? Is there a common thread or purpose to what we call art? Can there ever be a "right" answer to that question? Or, put another way, if art means one particular thing, does it then cease to be art? Several thinkers in several disciplines, from art history and practice to philosophy to sociology to religion to feminist thought, have weighed in on this question; we will read and analyze some of their arguments and, because this is a writing course, students will have the chance to formulate their own. We will also visit the Davison Art Center, the Yale Art Gallery, and other locations where art can be viewed, experienced, and discussed firsthand. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA COL |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Credit/Unsatisfactory |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: None |
Major Readings:
Wassily Kandinsky, CONCERNING THE SPIRITUAL IN ART
Carol Duncan, CIVILIZING RITUALS: INSIDE PUBLIC ART MUSEUMS (excerpt)
Ben Okri, THE LANDSCAPES WITHIN
Richard Serra, THE TILTED ARC CONTROVERSY
John Berger, WAYS OF SEEING
K. Anthony Appiah, WHY AFRICA? WHY ART?
Griselda Pollock, excerpts from various articles
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Examinations and Assignments:
Writing assignments, all with first and final drafts:
One 3-page close reading/analysis of a passage
One 5-6 page comparative paper, in which students put works of literature and criticism in conversation with each other
One 9-10 page research paper, with multiple assignments along the way (research plan, annotated bibliography, outline, intro paragraph, etc)
One 3-page OpEd or policy paper |
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