Department of Philosophy Philosophy of Art (PHIL 280 A1)

Instructor: Jennifer Welchman Office: 2-69 Assiniboia Hall Phone: 780 492 9030

E- mail: [email protected] Office Hours

Department of Philosophy Philosophy of Art (PHIL 280 A1)

Winter 2021

Course Location, Days & Time: Zoom

T/R 2:00PM - 3:20PM ) Teaching Assistant Information:

The University of Alberta acknowledges that we are located on Treaty 6 territory and respects the histories, languages, and cultures of the First Nations, Métis, Inuit, and all First Peoples of Canada, whose presence continues to enrich our vibrant community.

Course Description:

In 1994, some Bostonians held an impromptu exhibition of engagingly bad art collected from local streets and thrift shops. This was the basis for the Museum of Bad Art [MOBA], dedicated to collecting and exhibiting “Art too Bad to be Ignored.” Like any museum, MOBA has rigorous standards. MOBA does not accept paint-by- number pictures, commercial art produced for tourists, or anything it considers “kitsch.” In so doing, MOBA’s activities invite a host of questions: what makes bad art bad? Is bad art actually art at all? What’s wrong with

“kitsch”? And what entitles one to judge a work of art ‘bad’?

[Please note: This course focuses on concepts used in critical debates about art, not art history or connoisseurship (subjects of courses offered by Art & Design.) And be warned, though we will discuss some exemplary art works, for our purposes, bad and borderline art are just as interesting and important. So you should expect to be seeing, reading, and hearing examples of really poor and sometimes questionable ‘art.’]

Course Objectives and Expected Learning Outcomes

This course will introduce you to philosophical theorizing about art and artworks intended to help you answer these questions for yourself regarding particular artworks or performances.

To answer these questions, you will be introduced to theoretical accounts of 1. The nature of representational, formal, and expressive qualities art,

2. Features that distinguish art from outwardly similar products of pornography, propaganda, and advertising, and “kitsch”

3. The relations of ethical and aesthetic value

You will develop facility in using and applying what you learn in written assignments and in-class discussion.

Course Format:

Lecture

Textbooks:

Additional Course Fees: None

Important Dates:

First Day of Class: January 11, 2021

Add/Delete Period Ends: January 22, 2021 (Bear Tracks web registration system available until midnight)

50% Withdrawal Dates: January 22-February 10, 2021

Last day for Withdrawal from Winter Term Courses: April 9, 2021 Last Day of Winter Term Classes: April 16, 2021

Final Exam Date: None

Date of Deferred Final Exam: None

Lecture Schedule & Assigned Readings: A weekly breakdown of lecture topics, assigned readings, reading response questions, essay paper dates, etc., can be found at the end of this document

Components of Course Grade:

Component Weighting Date

Reading Response Assignments (5)

Short written responses to topic questions associated with that week’s material (see website & schedule below for topic

questions.) These assignments will integrate writing in your class preparation and also help to stimulate conversations in class. You are required to submit 5 during the semester (no more than one per week). Each should be submitted on the Monday of any week in which you submit. (You may submit a 6^th response for extra credit.)

30% overall (6% each)

You will have

opportunities during Weeks 2-5, 7-14

Essay Papers (2)

You will write 2 essay papers, 6-8 & 8-10 pages respectively. Topics and formatting

instructions will be provided on the eclass course website.

25%

35% February 23, 2021 April 28, 2021

Peer Review Exercise (2)

Prior to the due date for each essay paper you will have the opportunity to participate in an in-class peer review exercise in which you will (a)have your own paper peer-reviewed and (b)peer-review another student’s paper, providing constructive suggestions for improvements. A guide/rubric for peer- reviewing essays will be provided.

5%

(each)

February 26, 2021 April 15, 2021

In this course:

Grading:

No “scale” is used in assigning marks for this class. Percentages listed above are based on the University’s 4 point system which converted into letter grades as follows:

Letter % Pts Descriptor

A+ ^95-100% 4.0 Excellent

A ^85-94 4.0 Excellent

A- ^80-84% 3.7 Excellent

B+ ^77-79% 3.3 Good

B ^74-76% 3.0 Good

B- ^70-73% 2.7 Good

C+ ^67-69% 2.3 Satisfactory

C ^64-66% 2.0 Satisfactory

C- ^60-63% 1.7 Satisfactory

D+ ^56-59% 1.3 Poor

D ^50-55% 1.0 Minimal Pass

F ^0-49% 0.0 Fail

Attendance:

Policy for Late Assignments:

Essays handed in late without prior notice and the granting of an extension will be penalized by a 10

% grade reduction per day.

Reading Responses handed in late without prior notice and the granting of an extension will not be accepted

Missed Tests and Assignments

Deferral of term work is a privilege and not a right; there is no guarantee that a deferral will be granted.

Misrepresentation of Facts to gain a deferral is a serious breach of the Code of Student Behaviour.

Student Responsibilities:

Academic Integrity: The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty. Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University in this respect. Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behaviour (online at www.governance.ualberta.ca) and avoid any behaviour which could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence. Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University.

All students should consult the Academic Integrity website. If you have any questions, ask your instructor.

An instructor or coordinator who is convinced that a student has handed in work that he or she could not possibly reproduce without outside assistance is obliged, out of consideration of fairness to other students, to report the case to the Associate Dean of the Faculty. See the Academic Discipline Process.

Recording of Lectures: Audio or video recording, digital or otherwise, of lectures, labs, seminars or any other teaching environment by students is allowed only with the prior written consent of the instructor or as a part of an approved accommodation plan. Student or instructor content, digital or otherwise, created and/or used within the context of the course is to be used solely for personal study, and is not to be used or distributed for any other purpose without prior written consent from the content author(s).

Class Policy on Personal Electronic Devices

:

Sexual Violence Policy: It is the policy of the University of Alberta that sexual violence committed by any member of the University community is prohibited and constitutes misconduct. Resources and more information can be found at https://www.ualberta.ca/campus-life/sexual-violence

Student Resources:

The best all-purpose website for student services is: https://www.ualberta.ca/current-students.

Accessibility Resources: (1 – 80 SUB)

The University of Alberta is committed to creating work and learning communities that inspire and enable all people to reach their full potential. Accessibility Resources promotes an accessible, inclusive, and universally designed environment. For general information to register for services visit the Accessibility Resources webpage.

The Academic Success Centre: (1-80 SUB)

The Academic Success Centre offers a variety of workshops on effective study and exam strategies. There are in-person and online sessions available for a modest fee.

The Centre for Writers: (1-42 Assiniboia Hall)

The Centre for Writers offers free one-on-one writing support to students, faculty, and staff. Students can request consultation for a writing project at any stage of development. Instructors can request class visits and presentations.

Health and Wellness Support: There are many health and community services available to current students.

For more information visit the Health and Wellness Support webpage.

Office of the Student Ombuds:

The Office of the Student Ombuds offers confidential interviews, advice and support to students facing academic, discipline, interpersonal and financial difficulties.

Learning and working environment:

The Faculty of Arts is committed to ensuring that all students, faculty and staff are able to work and study in an environment that is safe and free from discrimination and harassment. It does not tolerate behaviour that undermines that environment.

The University of Alberta acknowledges that we are located on Treaty 6 territory, and respects the histories, languages, and cultures of the First Nations, Métis, Inuit, and all First Peoples of Canada, whose presence continues to enrich our vibrant community.

Policy about course outlines can be found in the Evaluation Procedures and Grading System section of the University Calendar.

Disclaimer: Any typographical errors in this syllabus are subject to change and will be announced in class and posted on eClass. The date of the final examination is set by the Registrar and takes precedence over the final examination date reported in this syllabus.

Copyright: Jennifer Welchman, Faculty of Arts, University of Alberta 2021

Topics & Readings Readings

1 Course Introduction

Defining Art

Introduction

Davies: Definitions of Art

Recommended: Monty Python video: ‘Argument Clinic'

2 Can We Evaluate Art Objectively?

1/19-1/21

Hume, On the Standard of Taste Kant, selections

Walton, Categories of Art (selection) Beardsley, What are Critics For?

Recommended: Winston & Cupchik, The Evaluation of High Art and Popular Art By Naive and Experienced Viewers

3 Functions of Art: Representation

[Note: Last day of Add/Drop: 1/22]

Plato: Remarks on Imitation from The Republic (selection) Lopes, Chapter 1 of his Understanding Pictures

Walton, Pictures and Make Believe Carroll, Review of Walton

Recommended: MOBA video: Ferret in a Brothel

4 Representation: Two Puzzles

Photography?

2/4

Pornography?

Scruton, Photography and Representation Cohen, What's So Special About Photography?

Keiran, Pornographic Art

Mag Uidhir, Pornography Can't be Art

Recommended: Monty Python video: Why Michelangelo Didn’t Paint the Last Supper

5 Representational Art Gone Bad or Wrong?

2/9-11 Plato, Groarke, Eaton

Plato, selection from The Republic Groarke, Deceitful Art

Eaton, Where Ethics and Aesthetics Meet

6 Reading Week

2/16-18 No classes

7 Representational Art Gone Bad or Wrong?

2/23 Live synchronous Peer Review 2/25 Video Gaming?

2/26: First Paper Due

Smuts, Are Video Games Art?

Patridge, Incorrigible Social Meaning of Video Game Imagery

8 Functions of Art: Formalism &

Aesthetic Value

Bell, Significant Form

Greenberg, Modernist Painting Stolnitz, Aesthetic Attitude

Recommended: short video on Merce Cunningham's contributions to 20th century dance

9 Formalist Art: The Forgery Problem

3/9-11

Lessing, Forgery

Gopnik, In Praise of Art Forgeries Dutton, Artistic Crimes

Han: the Copy is the Original

Recommended: Irvin, Forgery and the Corruption of Aesthetic Understanding

10 Formalist Art Gone Bad or

Wrong? Immoral Jokes and Social Injustice

3/16-18

Cohen, Selection from Jokes: Philosophical Thoughts on Joking Matters Smuts, Do Moral Flaws Enhance Amusement?

Kahlo & Kollwitz, Transgressive Techniques of the Guerilla girls Devereaux, Autonomy and its Feminist Critics

Recommended: Mullin, Feminist Art and Political Imagination

11 Functions of Art: Emotional Expression

3/23-25

Matisse, Notes of a Painter

Tolstoy, Expressivism in Art (selection)

Collingwood, Expression of Emotion (selection) Robinson, Expression and Expressiveness Recommended: CBC video: What is Folk Art?

12 Expressionist Art Gone Bad or Wrong? Cultural Appropriation

& Inauthenticity 3/30-4/1

Matthes, Cultural Appropriation Without Cultural Essentialism?

Young, Art Appropriation Authenticity Eberhardt & Freeman, I’m the Realest Heldke, Let's Cook Thai

Recommended: McBride, Racial Imperialism and Food Traditions

13 Why Is it Bad if it’s Kitsch? 4/6- 8

Greenberg, On Kitsch

Jefferson, What's Wrong with Sentimentality?

Carroll, Nature of Mass Art Solomon, Kitsch & Sentimentality

14 Course Conclusion

4/13: Live synchronous session on Conceptual Art

4/15: Live synchronous Peer Review

Final Paper Due: 4/28

Le Witt, Paragraphs on Conceptual Art

Kordic, One Minute Sculptures at Venice Biennale 2017 Video: Duchamp 3 Minute Wonder Public Discussion