Sample Syllabus. Course Number: AMG 505

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1 Disclaimer: This is an indicative syllabus only and may be subject to changes. The final and official syllabus will be distributed by the Instructor during the first day of class. The American University of Rome Master s Program in Arts Management Department or degree program mission statement, student learning objectives, as appropriate Course Title: Art Theory: From the Beginning to the End of Art Course Number: AMG 505 Credits & hours: 3 credits Pre/Co Requisites: Enrollment in the MA Program in Arts Management Course description This course examines relevant theories of art, from the beginning of the modern understanding of art (which was finally constructed in the eighteenth century, based on the Renaissance and post Renaissance developments in the society and culture), till the so called ends of art, art history and art theory, in the late twenty century discourses. Students will be able to critically examine the modern, western European concept of art and its social implications, and to understand the place of artworks in the broader intellectual, cultural, ideological and social environment. Required Textbook (subject to change) (Only selected chapters must be read, according to weekly schedule) Primary sources: Harrison, Charles, Paul Wood, Jason Gaiger (Eds.). Art in Theory : An Anthology of Changing Ideas. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2008 a. Harrison, Charles, Paul Wood, Jason Gaiger (Eds.). Art in Theory : An Anthology of Changing Ideas. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2008 b. Harrison, Charles, Paul Wood, Jason Gaiger (Eds.). Art in Theory : An Anthology of Changing Ideas. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2008 c. Hofstadter, Albert, Richard Kuhns (Eds.). Philosophies of Art & Beauty. Selected Readings in Aesthetics from Plato to Heidegger. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, Secondary texts: Belting, Hans. The End of the History of Art? Chicago: U of Chicago, 1987 Blunt, Anthony. Artistic Theory in Italy, Oxford: Clarendon, Burgin, Victor. The End of Art Theory: Criticism and Post modernity. Atlantic Highlands, NJ: Humanities International, Danto, Arthur C. After the End of Art: Contemporary Art and the Pale of History. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, Dickie, George. Art and the Aesthetic: An Institutional Analysis. Ithaca, NY: Cornell UP,

2 1974. Dzalto, Davor. "Creation vs. Techne: The Inner Conflict of Art," in: Analecta Husserliana (2011): Eagleton, Terry. The Ideology of the Aesthetic. Cambridge, MA, USA: Basil Blackwell, Greenberg, Clement. Art and Culture; Critical Essays. Boston: Beacon, Harris, Jonathan. Art History: The Key Concepts. London: Routledge, Holly, Michael Ann., and Keith P. F. Moxey. Art History, Aesthetics, Visual Studies. Williamstown, MA: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Lippard, Lucy R. Six Years: The Dematerialization of the Art Object from 1966 to 1972; a Cross reference Book of Information on Some Esthetic Boundaries. New York: Praeger, Panofsky, Erwin. Idea: A Concept in Art Theory. Columbia: University of South Carolina, Shiner, L. E. The Invention of Art: A Cultural History. Chicago: University of Chicago, Wittkower, Rudolf, Margot Wittkower. Born under Saturn: The Character and Conduct of Artists. New York: New York Review, Recommended Readings (subject to change) Alpers, Svetlana. Interpretation without Representation, Or, the Viewing of Las Meninas, in: Representations 1 (1983): Cobley, Paul. The Routledge Companion to Semiotics and Linguistics. London: Routledge, Foucault, Michel. Truth and Power, in: Power/Knowledge: Selected Interviews & Other Writings, New York: Pantheon Books, Freud, Sigmund, and James Strachey. The Future of an Illusion. New York: Norton, Levinson, Jerrold. The Oxford Handbook of Aesthetics. Oxford: Oxford UP, Löwith, Karl. Meaning in History. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, Lyotard, Jean François. The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge.Minneapolis: University of Minnesota P, Malinowski, Bronislaw. Magic, Science and Religion: And Other Essays. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Malpas, Simon, and Paul Wake. The Routledge Companion to Critical and Cultural Theory. London: Routledge, McNeely, Ian F., Lisa Wolverton. Reinventing Knowledge: From Alexandria to the Internet. New York: W.W. Norton, Messer Davidow, Ellen, David R. Shumway, and David J. Sylvan (Eds.). Knowledges: Historical and Critical Studies in Disciplinarity. Charlottesville: University P of Virginia, Mitchell, W. J. T. What Do Pictures Really Want? in: October, Vol. 77/1996, pp

3 Nelson, Robert S. "The Map of Art History." The Art Bulletin 79.1 (1997): Nelson, Robert S., Richard Shiff. Critical Terms for Art History. Chicago: U of Chicago, Panofsky, Erwin. Meaning in the Visual Arts. Chicago: U of Chicago, Print. Preziosi, Donald. The Art of Art History: A Critical Anthology. Oxford: Oxford UP, Ricœur, Paul. Interpretation Theory: Discourse and the Surplus of Meaning. Fort Worth: Texas Christian UP, Sim, Stuart. The Routledge Companion to Postmodernism. London: Routledge, Smith, Paul, and Carolyn Wilde. A Companion to Art Theory. Oxford: Blackwell, Entry Fees Students must pay their own entrance fees when required. Course Learning Objectives At the end of the course, students will be able to: 1. demonstrate in depth knowledge of relevant theories of art, in connection to the social and cultural role of art and artworks in the (post) modern society 2. critically analyze major theoretical approaches to art 3. critically analyze the role of art as a social and cultural construct 4. produce graduate level research papers Course Learning Activities In class analysis and discussions (CLO 1 3): Each week students will read the scheduled texts in preparation for class discussion. Students will be asked to participate in class discussions and to present their responses to scheduled texts and particular topics during the class. They will be expected to answer orally to questions stemming from the assigned readings and the topic for that week. Oral presentation (CLO 1 3): Students will make an oral presentation on one of the course topics. Oral presentations can be made in form of power point, poster or other appropriate presentations, in consultation with professor. Students are expected to make a well structured and organized presentation, which should be minutes long, followed by discussion. The purpose of this presentation is to expand students' understanding of a particular topic, and to teach them how to structure their oral presentations and how to establish links between knowledge they obtained during the classes, class readings and their preparations for the presentation, and, on the other hand, clear articulation of their thoughts and presentation of main points to the audience. Research paper (CLO 1 4): Students will write one research paper during the course on any topic related to the course and course materials, with prior approval of the professor. All written work should have the student's name and the topic of the paper clearly written on the front page. Papers should be approximately 15 pages long, written in 12 point plain type (Times New Roman), be formatted with 1.5 spaced lines. Pages should be numbered. Images should be appropriately captioned (e.g., name of the

4 artist, date and location). Papers are expected to: show knowledge and deep understanding of the scholarly books and articles relevant to the topic; address the topic directly; present a lucid thesis and a persuasive argument in its defense; use correct grammar, punctuation, and sentence construction; make ample and appropriate use of quotations from the text; weave together thesis and argument, quotations and interpretations; reveal thoughtfulness, originality and insight. Assessment tools Participation in class discussions 20% Oral presentation 40% Research paper 40%

5 COURSE SCHEDULE Week Topic Brief Description Readings (selected chapters) Week 1 Introduction Introduction to course. Presentation of materials and topics. Specification of course policies and assignments. Week 2 Art Theory? Art theory as a discipline (similarities and differences between art theory, art history, aesthetics/philosophy of art and art criticism). The place of art theory within the broader context of humanities. Week 3 What is art? How do we approach art and artworks? What is the framework of understanding of art and art related phenomena? Week 4 When was the birth Art in the modern and pre modern era. Art as an of art? institution of the modern society. Week 5 Art and artists before the era of art Ars, techne and creatio theoretical approaches to aesthetic media in the pre modern times. Week 6 Art and aesthetics Enlightenment and the foundation of aesthetics, art history and art. Approaches to art and beauty in Baumgarten, Kant and the Encyclopedists. Week 7 Art as aesthetics Aesthetic argument and the beginning of the autonomous concept of art. The ideological function of art as an aesthetic phenomenon. The invention of the artist as a genius. Creative act as inspiration and expression of the artist s subjectivity and talent. Week 8 Week 9 Gesamtkunstwerk and L art pour l art High modernism and dematerialization of art The function of art within the Romanticist ideology. The ideas of the total work of art and art for art s sake. The development of the idea of the autonomous art. Clement Greenberg s art theory. The post historic theories of art in the twentieth century. Dematerialization of art as the final stage of the development of the idea of autonomous art. Smith, Panovsky, Smith, Shiner, Shiner, Blunt, Hofstadter, Džalto, Wittkower, Harrison, 2008 a Shiner, Harrison, 2008 a Eagleton, Harrison, 2008 a, 2008 b. Greenberg, Harrison, 2008 c. Lippard, Week 10 Art as a social function Artworld and Institutional theory of art. Danto, Dickie, Week 11 Week 12 Week 13 Week 14 The end of art and art theory Art after the end of art Art theory and the art market Postmodernism and the end of art theories. Belting, Harrison, 2008 c. Danto, Wake, Theoretical approaches to art in the age of global integrations. Art between post post modernism and new modernism. Contemporary art market and the importance of art theory. Buying art in the gaseous state. Wake, Nelson, FINAL EXAM Film projection.

6 ATTENDANCE POLICY AUR s attendance policy requires that students attend a minimum of 70% of required course meetings in order to receive a passing grade. Failure to attend 70% of the course will result in an F grade. In order to maintain the academic integrity of the Master s programs and to meet the learning objectives, students are expected to attend all classes, meet all deadlines and be present for examinations. Absences will undermine the focus of class discussions and student interaction. Absences may be excused in exceptional circumstances, on permission of the instructor. Socially accepted standards of civility are expected in class. Grades GRADE GPA A Excellent points A pts B+ Very Good B Good B C C Satisfactory C Less than Satisfactory D Poor F Failing AUDIT (AU) Only possible when the student registers for a course at the beginning of the semester as an audit student Students can obtain no more than 3 C grades (including C+, C and C ) on all courses. Students with four or more C grades will not qualify for submitting their M.A. thesis and completing the program. They will be allowed to repeat a course in order to qualify. Students must obtain at least B for their M.A. thesis in order to complete the M.A. program.