22.5 credits from Aesthetics A or 22.5 credits from Practical Philosophy A or 22.5 credits from Theoretical Philosophy A
In this course, we study three central problems within philosophical aesthetics. We start by looking at a specific aesthetic concept (e.g., aesthetic value, aesthetic experience or aesthetic judgment) and investigate various theories and definitions of how the concept should be understood. Secondly, we turn to an issue about art in general or a specific art form to gain insight into how art may affect us and why we think that art is valuable (for instance: "Can music express emotions?" or "How does a painting differ from a photograph?"). We end by looking at an issue that concerns the broadening of aesthetics into domains outside of art (for instance: "How do we experience nature aesthetically?" or "Can functional or everyday objects be beautiful?"). The specific issues treated may vary from semester to semester.
