Course Number: PHS 671 Course Title: Aesthetics and God. A path inside the theories in Aesthetics Term: Spring Professor

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1 Course Number: PHS 671 Course Title: Aesthetics and God. A path inside the theories in Aesthetics Term: Spring 2016 Professor Dr. Michela Beatrice Ferri Stucchi, Ph.D. mferri@holyapostles.edu 1. COURSE DESCRIPTION The discipline of Aesthetics emerged in the modern period consequent upon the separation of the transcendental qualities True, Good, and Beautiful from each other, and the emergence of a notion of fine art dedicated to beauty. We will argue that this differentiation is a good thing, provided we can begin to see these three in their complex interrelationship and relate fine art to the broader human capacity of making. 2. ENVISIONED LEARNING OUTCOMES 1) Students will demonstrate the ability to recognize theories and authors of the history of Aesthetics. 2) Students will demonstrate the ability to understand and to analyze the theories we will meet studying the history of Aetshetics. 3) Students will demonstrate the ability to explain a work of Art, using the theories of the history of Aesthetics as they will learn them step by step. 3. COURSE SCHEDULE The schedule below examines the history of Aesthetics and will explore those authors of the Philosophical and Theological traditions whose contributions were important for the development of Aesthetics as scientific discipline. A lesson will be dedicated to Aesthetics of the Bible, and the final lesson will be dedicated to the Aesthetics point of view of three Popes: Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. Week 1 : Introduction to Aesthetics 02 May (Monday) 06 May (Friday) I will explain to the students what is Aesthetics, as a discipline. I will present to the students an overview of the history of Aesthetics, useful to have a clear background of this discipline and its author. I will present, moreover, a brief but clear overview of the history of art, so that they will be 1

2 able to locate each author of the history of Aesthetics in a precise point of the history of art in the Western culture. My plan for this course focuses on the different meanings of the concepts of Art and of Beauty through the phases of the history of Aesthetics, and on the role of Roman Catholic authors in the history of Aesthetics. Read the Syllabus. Acquire the following texts, to be read: Text 1, about an overview of the history of Aesthetics What is Aesthetics? Text 2, about an overview of the history of Arts: An overview in the history of Aesthetics. What is Aesthetics? Explain which is the most difficult point or theme you find in the Lesson 1. Assignment: Podcast Compose a podcast : maximum 5 minutes, in which you explain what is Aesthetics. Week 2: Aesthetics in Plato 09 May (Monday) 13 May (Friday) I will explain how Aesthetics is considered in the Ancient Philosophy. I will discuss the role of Plato as the first philosopher that focused his thought on Aesthetics. We will read some parts of the Republic of Plato. 1) Read the text: PART 1. Introduction to Ancient Aesthetics 2) Read the text: 1. Plato Republic Aesthetics in Plato. Explain which is the most difficult point or theme you find in the Lesson 2. Write a 1000 words paper about Aesthetics in Plato. 2

3 Week 3: Aesthetics in Aristotle 16 May (Monday) 20 May (Friday) I will discuss how the Aesthetics covers an important role in the thought of Aristotle. We will read some parts from the Poetics. 2. Aristotle Poetics Aesthetics in Aristotle. Explain which is the most difficult point or theme you find in the Lesson 3. Write a 1000 words paper about Aesthetics in Aristotle. Week 4: Aesthetics in Plotinus 23 May (Monday) 27 May (Friday) I will explain the Aesthetics of Plotinus, explaining how Plotinus speaks about the concept of Beauty in his Enneads. In particular, we will study the metaphysics of beauty in Plotinus Ennead I - VI, On Beauty. 3. Plotinus Enneads Aesthetics in Plotinus Explain which is the most difficult point or theme you find in the Lesson 4. Write a 1000 words paper about Aesthetics in Plotinus. Week 5: Aesthetics in the Bible 30 May (Monday) 03 June (Friday) I will explain why we can talk about an Aesthetics in the Bible. I will indicate the reasons that make the Bible extremely important in the study of Aesthetics, not only for literary reason but for Aesthetics reason in a wide sense. Read the text: Read this Introduction: 3

4 Read this Introduction: chap_1.pdf The Bible and Aesthetics Explain which is the most difficult point or theme you find in the Lesson 5. Assignment: Slide-show Create a slide-show about the main point of the theme: The Bible and Aesthetics. Week 6: Aesthetics in Medieval Tradition 06 June (Monday) 10 June (Friday) I will explain the fundamental role that the Medieval Philosophy covers inside the development of the concept of Beauty and of Aesthetics in a wide sense. We will study authors as Augustine and as Thomas Aquinas, and we will read about other Medieval authors. This discussion will make clear the path of Aesthetics as a philosophical discipline, as it is toward the Renaissance. Read this text, for an overview of Aesthetics in Medieval Tradition 1) Read from the anthology: PART 2. Introduction to Medieval and Renaissance Aesthetics 2) Read from the anthology: 5. Augustine The Confessions 3) Read from the anthology 7. Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologica Aesthetics in Medieval Tradition Explain which is the most difficult point or theme you find in the Lesson 6. Write a 2000 words paper about Aesthetics in Medieval Tradition 4

5 Week 7: The Early Modern Aesthetics and Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten 13 June (Monday) 17 June (Friday) I will explain why the Early Modern Aesthetics is the point in which Aesthetics was born as a philosophical discipline. We will consider authors that cover a prominent role in the theorization of Aesthetics. Moreover, we will examine the role of Baumgarten as the founder of the Aesthetics and the reason of this function that he covers in the history of the discipline. 1) Read the following text: PART 3. Introduction to Early Modern Aesthetics Teacher will provide a brief summary concerning: Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux; Jean-Baptiste DuBos; Francis Hutcheson; Charles Batteux. 2) Read the following text: 15. Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten Aesthetica The Early Modern Aesthetics and Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten Explain which is the most difficult point or theme you find in the Lesson 7. Write a 1000 words paper about the Early Modern Aesthetics. Week 8: Aesthetics in British Empiricism 20 June (Monday) 24 June (Friday) I will explain why the British Empiricism is the field in which some concepts of the Aesthetics found their first theorization. We will discuss the theorizations of Irish philosopher Edmund Burke and of the Scottish philosopher David Hume. 1) Reading: 16. Edmund Burke, A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful 2) Reading: 17. David Hume. Of the Standard of Taste 5

6 Aesthetics in British Empiricism Explain which is the most difficult point or theme you find in the Lesson 8. Write a 1000 words paper about Aesthetic in British Empiricism Week 9: Aesthetics in Gotthold Ephraim Lessing 27 June (Monday) 01 July (Friday) I will discuss the Aesthetics of Gotthold Ephraim Lessing and I will explain why Lessing is defined the father of the Aesthetics in the Modern Age of Philosophy 18. Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Laocoön Gotthold Ephraim Lessing Explain which is the most difficult point or theme you find in the Lesson 9. Write a 1000 words paper about the Aesthetics theory of Lessing Week 10: Introduction to Modern Aesthetics and Aesthetics in Immanuel Kant 04 July (Monday) 08 July (Friday) In this lesson, I will explain what we mean with the name of Modern Aesthetics. Then, I will explain the fundamental role of Immanuel Kant and his theorization of the nature of Aesthetic Judgment. 1) Reading: PART 4. Introduction to Modern Aesthetics 2) Reading: 20. Immanuel Kant, Critique of Judgment Immanuel Kant Explain which is the most difficult point or theme you find in the Lesson 10. 6

7 Write a 1000 words paper about the Aesthetics theory of Kant Week 11: Aesthetics of Hegel 11 July (Monday) 15 July (Friday) I will discuss the role of Hegel in the path of the Aesthetics as a modern discipline. We will consider the structure of that part of his thought related to the Aesthetics. 25. G. W. F. Hegel, Lectures on the Philosophy of Art Read also the following text: Hegel - Aesthetics Aesthetics of Hegel Explain which is the most difficult point or theme you find in the Lesson 11. Write a 1000 words paper about the Aesthetics theory of Hegel Week 12: Aesthetics in Pavel Florenskij 18 July (Monday) 22 July (Friday) I will discuss why the thought of Pavel Florensky covers a fundamental role in the study of Aesthetics considering the particular historical background in which he lived and I will explain which is his theorization in the field of Aesthetics. Teacher will provide parts of the text: (Only partially available on Google Books) Beyond Vision: Essays on the Perception of Art Edited by Nicoletta Misler Reaktion Books, 2002 Aesthetics of Pavel Florenskij Explain which is the most difficult point or theme you find in the Lesson 12. Write a 2000 words paper about the Aesthetics theory of Pavel Florenskij 7

8 Week 13: Aesthetics in Maurice Merleau-Ponty 25 July (Monday) 29 July (Friday) I will discuss why Phenomenology represents a very important place in which Aesthetics have been finding attention, and why many Phenomenologists have been discussing Aesthetics. I will present the Aesthetics analysis in the Phenomenology of perception of Maurice Merleau- Ponty 36. Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Eye and Mind Aesthetics of Maurice Merleau-Ponty Explain which is the most difficult point or theme you find in the Lesson 13. Write a 1000 words paper about the Aesthetics of Maurice Merleau-Ponty Week 14: Aesthetics in Hans Urs von Balthasar 01 August (Monday) 05 August (Friday) I will explain the role that Aesthetics covers in the thought of the theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar. Teacher will provide parts of the text: (Only partially available on Google Books) The Cambridge Companion to Hans Urs Von Balthasar Edited by Edward T. Oakes and David Moss Cambridge University Press, 2004 Aesthetics of Hans Urs von Balthasar Explain which is the most difficult point or theme you find in the Lesson 14. Write a 1000 words paper about the Aesthetics theory of Hans Urs von Balthasar Week 15: Three Popes and the Contemporary Art 08 August (Monday) 12 August (Friday) I will present an overview of Aesthetics and of its authors in Contemporary Philosophy. Then, I will focus the attention on the relationship that Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II, and then Pope Benedict XVI had with the Contemporary Art. I will discuss the relationship between Roman Catholic Faith and Art in contemporary world. 8

9 A book of professor Ferri, dedicated to the relationship between Faith and Art in the Contemporary Age is going to be published. Unfortunately, the book is written in Italian. Anyway, professor Ferri will share with her students her inquiries and her dialogues with Art Historians of the Roman Catholic Church and Artists that belong to the Roman Catholic Tradition. 1) Read this text from the anthology: PART 5. Introduction to Contemporary Aesthetics 2) Read these texts from the Vatican web site: Pope Paul VI Pope John Paul II Pope Benedict XVI Aesthetics in Contemporary World: Three Popes and the contemporary Art. Explain which is the most difficult point or theme you find in the Lesson 15 Assignment: Slide-show Create a slide-show about the main point of the theme : Aesthetics in Contemporary World: Three Popes and the contemporary Art. 4. COURSE REQUIREMENTS No exams or quizzes are scheduled for this course. The following tasks and assignments are designed for online learning i.e., for learning that is both individually paced and a collaborative enterprise, as well as taking advantage of the resources available on the web. Assessment of learning and grade evaluation will be based upon the successful completion of these assignments words paper 40% 2000 words paper 20% Slide-show 10% Podcast 10% Discussion Post 20% The papers should be doubled-spaced, with 2 inch margins, and using a 12 point font Arial. Please include a separate title page for all your papers with the following information: Your Last Name, the Week Number, and due date of the paper 9

10 (e.g. Brown, Robert, Week 1, May 02, all your papers to the following address: Citations in Discussion Posts For the purposes of the Discussions in Populi, please do provide a full footnote for sources at the end of your post. You will have to type a special character (^) at the beginning and end of your numbers to make a superscript in Populi, e.g. ^1^, ^2^, etcetera. Use the special characters for superscript also in your footnote. Example Footnote ^1^ Vincent Balaguer, Understanding the Gospels (New York, Scepter Publishers, Inc., 2005), 5, [Hereafter UG]. Also, to bold, italicize, or underline words in Populi, please refer to the Formatting Guide located below all discussion/comment fields in Populi. 5. REQUIRED READINGS and RESOURCES: Students will acquire the volume: (Only partially available on Google Books) Bloomsbury Academic, 2012 ISBN Other texts will be shared by professor Michela Beatrice Ferri during the lessons. They are: - Links to web pages - Links to Google-Books - PDFs 6. SUGGESTED READINGS and RESOURCES: Students are not required to purchase the following books. They can read them just for their own interest. 1. The Routledge Companion to Aesthetics Edited by Berys Gaut and Dominic McIvers Lopes Third edition, Routledge, 2013 ISBN-13: (Only partially available on Google Books) 10

11 2. Philosophies of Art and Beauty. Selected in Aesthetics from Plato to Heidegger Edited by Albert Hofstadter and Richard Kuhns Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1976 ISBN-13: (Only partially available on Google Books) 3. Concerning the Spiritual in Art Wassily Kandinsky ISBN-13: PDF: 4. Aesthetics: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Art Anne Sheppard Oxford University Press, 1987 ISBN-13: (Only partially available on Google Books) 5. Aesthetics: The Big Questions Edited by Carolyn Korsmeyer Wiley, EVALUATION (Basis of evaluation with explanation regarding the nature of the assignment and the percentage of the grade assigned to each item below). Students who have difficulty with research and composition are encouraged to pursue assistance with the Online Writing Lab (available at GRADING SCALE: A ; A ; B ; B 84-86; B ; C ; C 74-76; C D 60-69; F 59 and below Grading Rubric for the Major Papers and (DB) Postings 0 pts. Paper 0 pts. DB Posting; 3 pts. Paper 2 pts. DB Posting; 6 pts. Paper 4 pts. DB Posting; 9 pts. Paper 6 pts. DB Posting; 12 pts. Paper 8 pts. DB Posting; 15 pts. Paper 10 pts. DB Posting; CONTENT Absence of Understanding Lack of Understanding Inadequate understanding Adequate understanding Solid Understanding Insightful understanding Analysis shows no awareness of the discipline or its methodologies as they relate to the topic. Analysis seems to misunderstand some basic concepts of the discipline or Analysis is sometimes unclear in understanding or articulating concepts of the Analysis demonstrates an understanding of basic concepts of the discipline but could express Analysis demonstrates a clear understanding and articulation of concepts with Analysis clearly demonstrates an understanding and articulation of concepts of the discipline as they 11

12 lacks ability to articulate them. discipline. them with greater clarity. some sense of their wider implications. relate to the topic; highlights connections to other concepts; integrates concepts into wider contexts. RESEARCH Missing Research Paper shows no evidence of research: citation of sources missing. Inadequate research and/or documentation Over-reliance on few sources; spotty documentation of facts in text; pattern of citation errors. Weak research and/or documentation Inadequate number or quality of sources; many facts not referenced; several errors in citation format. Adequate research and documentation but needs improvement Good choice of sources but could be improved with some additions or better selection; did not always cite sources; too many citation errors. Solid research and documentation A number of relevant scholarly sources revealing solid research; sources appropriately referenced in paper; only a few minor citation errors. Excellent critical research and documentation Critically selected and relevant scholarly sources demonstrating extensive, in-depth research; sources skillfully incorporated into paper at all necessary points; all citations follow standard bibliographic format. WRITING & EXPRESSION Incomplete writing Analysis is only partially written or completely misses the topic. Writing difficult to understand, serious improvement needed Analysis fails to address the topic; confusing organization or development; little elaboration of position; insufficient control of sentence structure and vocabulary; unacceptable number of errors in grammar, mechanics, and usage. Episodic writing, a mix of strengths and weaknesses. Analysis noticeably neglects or misinterprets the topic; simplistic or repetitive treatment, only partiallyinternalized; weak organization and development, some meandering; simple sentences, below-level diction; distracting errors in grammar, mechanics, and usage. Acceptable writing, but could use some sharpening of skill Analysis is an uneven response to parts of the topic; somewhat conventional treatment; satisfactory organization, but more development needed; adequate syntax and diction, but could use more vigor; overall control of grammar, mechanics, and usage, but some errors. Solid writing, with something interesting to say. Analysis is an adequate response to the topic; some depth and complexity in treatment; persuasive organization and development, with suitable reasons and examples; level-appropriate syntax and diction; mastery of grammar, mechanics, and usage, with hardly any error. Command-level writing, making a clear impression Analysis is a thorough response to the topic; thoughtful and insightful examination of issues; compelling organization and development; superior syntax and diction; errorfree grammar, mechanics, and usage. COMMUNITY INTERACTION (50-word response) Inadequate response Response merely provides laudatory encouragement Poor response Response misses the point of the original posting. Weak response Response summarizes original posting to which it responds. Acceptable response Response makes a contribution to the posting to which it responds. Individuallyconscious contributory response Response makes a contribution to the Communityconscious contributory response Response makes a contribution to 12

13 for original post, e.g., Excellent post! You really have thought of something there. posting to which it responds and fosters its development. the learning community and fosters its development. 8. DISABILITIES ACCOMMODATIONS POLICY Holy Apostles College & Seminary is committed to the goal of achieving equal educational opportunities and full participation in higher education for persons with disabilities who qualify for admission to the College. Students enrolled in online courses who have documented disabilities requiring special accommodations should contact Bob Mish, the Director of Online Student Affairs, at or In all cases, reasonable accommodations will be made to ensure that all students with disabilities have access to course materials in a mode in which they can receive them. Students who have technological limitations (e.g., slow Internet connection speeds in convents) are asked to notify their instructors the first week of class for alternative means of delivery. 9. ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY Students at Holy Apostles College & Seminary are expected to practice academic honesty. Avoiding Plagiarism In its broadest sense, plagiarism is using someone else's work or ideas, presented or claimed as your own. At this stage in your academic career, you should be fully conscious of what it means to plagiarize. This is an inherently unethical activity because it entails the uncredited use of someone else's expression of ideas for another's personal advancement; that is, it entails the use of a person merely as a means to another person s ends. Students, where applicable: Should identify the title, author, page number/webpage address, and publication date of works when directly quoting small portions of texts, articles, interviews, or websites. Students should not copy more than two paragraphs from any source as a major component of papers or projects. Should appropriately identify the source of information when paraphrasing (restating) ideas from texts, interviews, articles, or websites. Should follow the Holy Apostles College & Seminary Stylesheet (available on the Online Writing Lab s website at Consequences of Academic Dishonesty: Because of the nature of this class, academic dishonesty is taken very seriously. Students participating in academic dishonesty may be removed from the course and from the program. 13

14 10. ATTENDANCE POLICY Even though you are not required to be logged in at any precise time or day, you are expected to login several times during each week. Because this class is being taught entirely in a technologymediated forum, it is important to actively participate each week in the course. In a traditional classroom setting for a 3-credit course, students would be required to be in class 3 hours a week and prepare for class discussions 4.5 hours a week. Expect to devote at least 7 quality hours a week to this course. A failure on the student s part to actively participate in the life of the course may result in a reduction of the final grade. 11. INCOMPLETE POLICY Eligibility Students who have completed little or no coursework are ineligible for an Incomplete in a course. An instructor may grant an incomplete to a student who: - has satisfactorily completed major components of the course; and - has the ability to finish the remaining work without re-enrolling; and - has encountered extenuating circumstances, such as illness or family emergencies, that prevent him or her from finishing coursework prior to the last day of the semester. An I for Incomplete is a temporary grade assigned at the discretion of the instructor. Process A student seeking an Incomplete should obtain the Incomplete form from the shared folder of the files tab in Populi or from the Associate Registrar s office. The student will fill out the parts of the form pertaining to the student and submit the form to the instructor before the end of the semester. If the instructor approves the Incomplete, the instructor fills out the section of the Incomplete form indicating what the student must do to finish the course and signs the form. The instructor of an online class sends the approved form to the Assistant Registrar for online learning; the instructor of an on-campus class sends the form to the Associate Registrar for oncampus learning. The instructor also sends a copy of the completed Incomplete form to the student. Students receiving an Incomplete (I) must submit the missing course work by the end of the sixth week following the semester in which they were enrolled. An incomplete grade administratively turns into the grade of F for Fail if the course work is not completed by the end of the sixth week. Other Results for Insufficiently Completing a Course W for Withdrawal will appear on the student s permanent record for any course dropped after the end of the first week of a semester to the end of the third week. Absent the granting of an I for Incomplete, WF for Withdrawal/Fail will appear on the student s permanent record for any course dropped after the end of the third week of a semester and on or before the Friday before the last week of the semester. A student who does not complete sufficient coursework to pass a course and does not request a W or a WF will receive an F as the final course grade. 14

15 12. YOUR PROFESSOR Michela Beatrice Ferri, Ph.D. in Philosophy, born in Italy and living in Italy, is a Roman Catholic professor and writer and teaches at the Holy Apostles College Seminary Distance Learning Program. Her BA thesis in Philosophy, discussed in 2005 at the Università degli Studi di Milano, is dedicated to Edmund Burke and to the birth of the Modern Sublime ( Burke e la genesi moderna del sublime ). Her MA thesis in Philosophy, discussed in 2007 at the Università degli Studi di Milano, is dedicated to the concepts of time and of art in the first reception of Phenomenology in Italy ( Tempo e arte nella fenomenologia italiana ). In February 2012 she received her Doctorate in philosophy at the Università degli Studi di Milano, with a dissertation dedicated to the reception of Phenomenology in the United States of America. Her Ph.D. dissertation is the first work ever appeared in Italy, in Europe, and in North America focused on the history and on the analysis of the reception of Husserlian Phenomenology in the North America. She is the editor of a volume titled: The Reception of Phenomenology in North America projected on the basis of her dissertation that will be published by Springer in Moreover, she is the editor of a volume dedicated to the dialogue between Faith and Art, that will be published in 2016 by a Roman Catholic Publisher based in Italy. In this book, she presents dialogues that she have had with the major Roman Catholic art historians and with important contemporary artists operating in Italy. Michela Beatrice Ferri is also writer and journalist. She works for several Roman Catholic journals, writing about Philosophy, Theology, History, Aesthetics, Art History and History of Architecture, Church, Jewish Studies. Since 2009 she is married with Luca Stucchi, MS in Computer Science. 15