Unit information: Experiencing the Aesthetic in 2017/18

Unit name	Experiencing the Aesthetic
Unit code	AFAC20003
Credit points	20
Level of study	I/5
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director	Professor. Shaw-Miller
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	Arts Faculty Office
Faculty	Faculty of Arts

Description including Unit Aims

This unit, while focused on the unique nature of aesthetic experience, also provides a broad introduction to the arts. The concern is with the nature, make-up and history of the arts, not in an attempt to provide full coverage, but to address issues of identity around specific instances and institutions. There will be two parts to the unit, characterised as ‘What do the arts do?’ and ‘What are the arts made of?’. The first considers the manifestations of art (film, theatre, visual art, music, literature) through a theme relating to the underlying nature of artistic activity (for instance beauty, the senses, or representation, each with its historical and conceptual aspects). The second considers specific objects (definitions, functions: e.g. poems, operas, portraits, symphonies, photographs, and more challenging examples like sound art or visual music) and spaces where art happens (case studies drawn from the many local venues).

The unit aims:

• To instruct students in fundamental issues surrounding the nature of art
• To introduce students to the historical and social complexities of artistic activity, objects and institutions
• To introduce students to a critical vocabulary and conceptual framework for the analysis of art
• To make students more aware of the aesthetic aspects of the world around them
• To improve skills of verbal and written presentation

Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of the unit, successful students will be able to demonstrate:

1. A basic knowledge and understanding of key expressive forms across the arts.
2. A familiarity with the difficulties in, and attitudes to, aesthetic categorization and analysis.
3. An understanding of the way in which central aesthetic concepts vary across disciplines and historical periods.
4. An awareness of the relationships between sensory studies, history and art
5. The ability to express themselves cogently in verbal and visual presentations.
6. An ability to construct coherent, relevant and persuasive arguments on different aspects of the subject, showing critical thought and displaying full understanding of academic conventions.

Teaching Information

Two 1-hour lectures per week, plus one 1-hour seminar per week (on readings done in advance).

Assessment Information

1. Class presentation and accompanying report; peer review exercise (50%). Students will present an illustrated class talk on a case study on either 1] An object (see the Description above) and how it does or does not conform or deviate from the concerns discussed in part one of the course or 2] An exhibition, or performance etc., and how it does or does not conform or deviate from the concerns discussed in part two of the course. Each presentation would include a 1,000-word written summary of the argument which will be peer reviewed. Each student would review and would in turn be reviewed. At the end of term the revised report will be handed in together with a 300-word reflection on what has been learned from the reviewing process. [This will assess ILOs 1-6.]

2. Summative essay (50%). An essay (3,000 words) on a topic related to the module, from a designated list. [This will assess ILOs 1-4 and 6.]

Reading and References

Sensing the Past: Seeing, Hearing, Smelling, Tasting, and Touching in History by Mark M. Smith (University of California Press, 2008)

Empire of the Senses: The Sensual Culture Reader (Sensory Formations), ed. David Howes (Berg, 2004)

The Oxford Handbook of Aesthetics (Oxford Handbooks in Philosophy) ed. Jerrold Levinson (OUP, 2005)

Art and the Senses eds. Francesca Bacci, David Melcher (OUP, 2013)