2016-17 Academic Catalog

A central idea in modernist thinking about the arts is that an artwork is meant to be appreciated ‘for its own sake.’ In this course, we shall challenge this idea and consider art that is not primarily ‘for art’s sake’ in order to explore more general questions about the nature of artworks and of artistic appreciation. We ask, under what conditions are such works artworks? Much of the course will address material in a new monograph upon which Professor Davies is working. This course is co-taught by Daniel Groll and Cowling Visiting Professor David Davies. Prerequisite: One previous Philosophy course