1. COURSE DESCRIPTION Course Number: PHS 471/SAI 372 Course Title: Aesthetics in Sacred Art Term: Fall 2016 Professor Dr. Michela Beatrice Ferri Stucchi, Ph.D. mferri@holyapostles.edu This course explores the various elements of Aesthetics in Sacred Christian Art, in comparison with secular Christian Arts of religious themes, and in comparison with Art in general. We learn the specifics of Christian theological, doctrinal, theosophical and philosophical thought foundations as they relate to Aesthetics in Sacred Arts and examine their evolution through the ages. Students will recognize and develop an appreciation for the uniqueness of the Aesthetics used in Christian Arts through their multiple facets, intended relation, and effect on the human senses both cognitively, symbolically and spiritually. 2. ENVISIONED LEARNING OUTCOMES Students will demonstrate the ability to recognize what the field of study Aesthetics of the Sacred Art. Students will demonstrate the ability to understand what is that field of study called Theological Aesthetics. Students will demonstrate the ability to analyze an artwork in the context of the Aesthetics of the Sacred Art. 3. COURSE SCHEDULE PART 1: INTRODUCTION. AESTHETICS OF THE SACRED WEEK 1: AESTHETICS OF THE SACRED ART. INTRODUCTION 29 AUGUST (MONDAY) 02 SEPTEMBER (FRIDAY) A general introduction: Aesthetics : The nature and scope of Aesthetics https://www.britannica.com/topic/aesthetics 1
The development of Western Aesthetics https://www.britannica.com/topic/aesthetics/taste-criticism-and-judgment#toc11681 A general introduction: Sacred Art : Ebook: The Beauty of Holiness: Sacred Art and the New Evangelization, by Jem Sullivan New Haven, CT: Knights of Columbus Supreme Council Catholic Information Service, 2012 with imprimatur. Part of the New Evangelization Series (Michelle K. Borras, Ph.D., general editor). http://www.kofc.org/en/resources/cis/cis418.pdf Book: Religious Aesthetics. A Theological Study of Making and Meaning by Frank Burch Brown Princeton University Press, 1993 ISBN-13: 978-0691024721 ISBN-10: 0691024723 Chapter 1. Introduction, pp. 1-15 Assignment: Podcast Compose a podcast : maximum 5 minutes, in which you explain what is Aesthetics in Sacred Art. WEEK 2: AESTHETICS OF THE CHRISTIAN ART 05 SEPTEMBER (MONDAY) 09 SEPTEMBER (FRIDAY) Religious Aesthetics. A Theological Study of Making and Meaning by Frank Burch Brown Chapter 2. Can Aesthetics be Christian?, pp. 16-46 2
WEEK 3: AESTHETICS OF THE CHRISTIAN ART 12 SEPTEMBER (MONDAY) 16 SEPTEMBER (FRIDAY) Religious Aesthetics. A Theological Study of Making and Meaning by Frank Burch Brown Chapter 3. Art, Religion, and the Aesthetic Milieu, pp. 47-76 WEEK 4: AESTHETICS TOWARDS THEOLOGY 19 SEPTEMBER (MONDAY) 23 SEPTEMBER (FRIDAY) Religious Aesthetics. A Theological Study of Making and Meaning by Frank Burch Brown Chapter 4. Artistic Makings and Religious Meanings, pp. 77-111 Chapter 8. Conclusion. Aesthetics from the standpoint of Theology, pp. 185-194 PART 2: WHERE AESTHETICS MEETS THEOLOGY Book: Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2012 ISBN : 978-0199959761 3
WEEK 5: AESTHETICS MEETS THEOLOGY 26 SEPTEMBER (MONDAY) 30 SEPTEMBER (FRIDAY) The Notion of Theological Aesthetics pp. 6-11 The Place of Theological Aesthetics in Theology pp. 35-38 Assignment: Slide-show Create a slide-show about the main concepts of the theme: Aesthetics meets Theology WEEK 6: THE UNPICTURABILITY OF GOD 03 OCTOBER (MONDAY) 07 OCTOBER (FRIDAY) God in Thought and in Imagination: representing the Unimaginable pp. 39-71 Write a 2000 words paper about the theme of this lesson. WEEK 7: GOD AND THE BEAUTIFUL PART 1 10 OCTOBER (MONDAY) 14 OCTOBER (FRIDAY) 4
Natural Theology and Aesthetics. The Beautiful as an Approach to God? pp. 104-105 The Ascent of the Mind to God in the Western Tradition pp. 105-120 WEEK 8: GOD AND THE BEAUTIFUL PART 2 17 OCTOBER (MONDAY) 21 OCTOBER (FRIDAY) A Transcendental Approach Through Beauty? pp. 120-140 WEEK 9: ART AND THE SACRED PART 1 24 OCTOBER (MONDAY) 28 OCTOBER (FRIDAY) Dimension of the Question of Art and the Sacred pp. 143-162 5
WEEK 10: ART AND THE SACRED PART 2 31 OCTOBER (MONDAY) 04 NOVEMBER (FRIDAY) The Sacred Word in Art and Music pp. 165-182 WEEK 11: ART AND THE SACRED PART 3 07 NOVEMBER (MONDAY) 11 NOVEMBER (FRIDAY) Beauty and Art in the Perspective of the Cross pp. 189-198 pp. 203-214 WEEK 12: THE BEAUTY OF THE CROSS 14 NOVEMBER (MONDAY) 18 NOVEMBER (FRIDAY) The excellent published collection of full-color images entitled 6
Crucifixion London: Phaidon Press, 2000 Paperback ISBN-10: 0714847968 ISBN-13: 9780714847962 http://it.phaidon.com/store/art/crucifixion-9780714847962/ Write a 2000 words paper that contains your reflections about the artworks presented inside this book. PART 3: THEOLOGIANS AND PHILOSOPHERS DISCUSS AESTHETICS WEEK 13: AESTHETICS IN JACQUES MARITAIN (1882-1973) 21 NOVEMBER (MONDAY) 25 NOVEMBER (FRIDAY) Essay: Incarnate Beauty: Maritain and the Aesthetic Experience of Contemporary Icons by Katherine Anne Osenga in Beauty, art, and the polis edited by Alice Ramos Washington, D.C. : American Maritain Association Distributed by the Catholic University of America Press, c2000 Series: American Maritain Association publications https://maritain.nd.edu/ama/ramos/ramos15.pdf Essay: Jacques Maritain: Aesthetics and philosophy of art http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/maritain/#aest Write a 1000 words paper about the Aesthetics in the thought of Jacques Maritain. 7
WEEK 14: THEOLOGICAL AESTHETICS OF HANS URS VON BALTHASAR (1905-1988) 28 NOVEMBER (MONDAY) 02 DECEMBER (FRIDAY) : From the Beauty of Theology to the Theology of Beauty: The Theological Aesthetics of Hans Urs von Balthasar pp. 25-35 Essay: Hans Urs von Balthasar. Theologian of Beauty by Joan L. Roccasalvo The Way, 44/4 ( October, 2005 ), pp. 49-63 http://www.theway.org.uk/back/444roccasalvo.pdf Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905-1988): his most original and creative contribution to twentiethcentury theology is his Theological Aesthetics. Write a 1000 words paper about the Aesthetics theory of Hans Urs von Balthasar WEEK 15: RECENT TEACHING OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ON BEAUTY 05 DECEMBER (MONDAY) 09 DECEMBER (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. A book of professor Ferri, dedicated to the relationship between Faith and Art in the Contemporary Age is going to be published in English, and contains her inquiries and her dialogues with Art Historians of the Roman Catholic Church and Artists that belong to the Roman Catholic Tradition. 1) The Via Pulchritudinis, Privileged Pathway for Evangelisation and Dialogue. Rome, Palazzo San Calisto, 27-28 March 2006 Pontifical Council for Culture 8
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/cultr/documents/rc_pc_cultr_doc_20060 327_plenary-assembly_final-document_en.html 2) Read these texts from the Vatican web site: Pope Paul VI http://w2.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/en/speeches/1965/documents/hf_pvi_spe_19651208_epilogo-concilio-artisti.html Pope John Paul II http://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/letters/1999/documents/hf_jpii_let_23041999_artists.html Pope Benedict XVI http://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/speeches/2009/november/documents/hf_benxvi_spe_20091121_artisti.html 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. 1000 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 (e.g. Brown, Robert, Week 1, September, 8, 2016. Email all your papers to the following email address: mferri@holyapostles.edu) 9
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: Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2012 ISBN : 978-0199959761 Religious Aesthetics. A Theological Study of Making and Meaning by Frank Burch Brown Princeton University Press, 1993 ISBN-13: 978-0691024721 ISBN-10: 0691024723 Crucifixion London: Phaidon Press, 2000 Paperback ISBN-10: 0714847968 ISBN-13: 9780714847962 http://it.phaidon.com/store/art/crucifixion-9780714847962/ Other texts will be shared by professor Michela Beatrice Ferri during the lessons. They are: - Links to web pages - Links to 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 10
Third edition, Routledge, 2013 ISBN-13: 978-0415782876 http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415782876/ (Only partially available on Google Books) 2. Oxford Handbook of Religion and the Arts Burch Brown, Frank London New York, Oxford University Press, 2012 ISBN-10: 0195176677 ISBN-13: 978-0195176674 7. 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 http://www.holyapostles.edu/owl). GRADING SCALE: A 94-100; A- 90-93; B+ 87-89; B 84-86; B- 80-83; C+ 77-79; C 74-76; C- 70-73 D 60-69; F 59 and below Grading Rubric for the Major Papers and (DB) Postings 1 (F) 2 (D) 3 (C) 4 (B) 5 (A) CONTENT Absence of Understanding Posting shows no awareness of the concepts addressed in the topic by shifting offtopic Misunderstanding Posting demonstrates a misunderstanding of the basic concepts addressed in the topic through an inability to reexplain them Adequate Understanding Posting demonstrates an adequate understanding of the basic concepts addressed in the topic by a re-explanation of them Solid understanding Posting demonstrates an understanding of the basic concepts addressed in the topic and uses that understanding effectively in the examples it provides Insightful understanding Posting demonstrates an understanding of the basic concepts of the topic through the use of examples and by making connections to other concepts WRITING & EXPRESSION Incomplete writing Posting is only partially written or fails to address the topic Writing difficult to understand, serious improvement needed Posting touches only on the surface of the topic and proceeds to talk about something else; confusing organization or development; little elaboration of position; insufficient control of sentence structure and vocabulary; unacceptable number of Acceptable writing, but could use some sharpening of skill Posting 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, Solid writing with something interesting to say Posting is an adequate response to the topic; some depth and complexity in treatment; persuasive organization and development, with suitable reasons and examples; levelappropriate syntax and diction; mastery of grammar, mechanics, command-level writing, making a clear impression Posting is a thorough response to the topic; thoughtful and insightful examination of issues; compelling organization and development ; superior syntax and diction; error-free grammar, mechanics, and usage 11
errors in grammar, mechanics, and usage and usage, but some errors and usage, with hardly any error 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. Solid research and documentation A number of relevant scholarly sources revealing solid research; sources appropriately referenced in paper; only a few minor citation errors. COMMUNITY INTERACTION (50-word response) Inadequate response Response merely provides laudatory encouragement for original post, e.g., Excellent post! You really have thought of something there. Poor response Response misses the point of the original posting or merely summarizes original posting to which it responds. Acceptable response Response makes a contribution to the posting to which it responds. Individually-conscious contributory response Response makes a contribution to the posting to which it responds and fosters its development. Community-conscious contributory response Response makes a contribution to 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 rmish@holyapostles.edu or 860-632-3015. 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. 12
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 http://www.holyapostles.edu/owl/resources). 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. 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. 13
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. 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 2016. Moreover, she is the Author of a volume dedicated to the dialogue between Faith and Art and devoted to Contemporary Sacred Art, titled Sacro Contemporaneo. Dialoghi sull arte, published by a Roman Catholic house publishing based in Milan, Italy. In this book, she presents dialogues that she have had with the major Roman Catholic art historians and with the most 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. 14