Booking for these courses (which can be taken independently of each other) will open in early January 2010 c/o Tate Modern ticketing (either call 0207 887 8888 or register online here). Last year these courses sold out very soon after booking opened.
Aesthetics: An introduction to the philosophy of art in
three courses
Thinking about art has
a long history. These three courses will give you the opportunity to explore
some of that history through a combination of short lectures and discussion in
groups. Part of each session will be spent in the Tate Modern galleries. The
price of the course also includes a glass of wine after each session and the
opportunity to discuss ideas further in an informal setting.
Major themes explored
throughout these courses include the nature of aesthetic experience, beauty,
creativity, the definition of art, the place of emotion in the arts,
interpreting works of art, and the bases of qualitative judgments about art.
Each course lasts six
weeks and is independent of the other courses. You can take, one, two or all
three courses. Together they provide a comprehensive introduction to the
philosophy of art through a consideration of some key readings. No prior
knowledge of philosophy or art is assumed.
The set book for the
courses is Aesthetics: A
Comprehensive Anthology ed.
Steven M. Cahn and Aaron Meskin, published by Blackwell (2008). You will need
access to a copy of this book and will be expected to read a specified section
in advance of each session. After each session recommended further reading and
hyperlinks will be provided on a weblog.
Course 1:
Classic Aesthetics
An Introduction to the Philosophy of Art
Led by Nigel Warburton, Senior Lecturer in
Philosophy at The Open University
Mondays 22 February – 29 March 2010
Tate Modern, Level 7 East Room
£110(£90
concessions)
30 places
Thinking about art has a long history. This
6-session course provides an opportunity to explore ideas from Plato's Ion
and Republic through to Kant's Critique of Judgement. Each week
we will discuss a reading from Cahn and Meskin eds. Aesthetics: A
Comprehensive Anthology (Blackwell, 2008). You will also have the
opportunity to think about particular works in the Tate Modern collection in
relation to these ideas. Key themes include the nature of art, beauty, the
sublime, and value judgements about the arts.
Course
2:
Modern Aesthetics
An Introduction to the Philosophy of Art
Led by Nigel Warburton, Senior Lecturer in
Philosophy at The Open University
Mondays 7 June – 12 July 2010
£110(£90
concessions)
30 places
Emotion and expression are key themes in
this course which explores ideas from Romanticism through to the mid-twentieth
century. Major thinkers whose work we will examine include Schopenhauer,
Nietzsche, Collingwood, Benjamin and Heidedgger. Each week we will
discuss a reading from Cahn and Meskin eds. Aesthetics: A Comprehensive
Anthology (Blackwell, 2008). You will also have the opportunity to think about
particular works in the Tate Modern collection in relation to these ideas.
Course
3:
Contemporary Aesthetics
An Introduction to the Philosophy of Art
Led by Nigel Warburton, Senior Lecturer in
Philosophy at The Open University
Mondays 18 October – 22 November 2010
£110(£90
concessions)
30 places
What is art? and How should we understand
art? are two key questions explored in this course which ranges from
examination of ideas from Arthur Danto through to Kendall Walton and other
thinkers in the Anglo-American analytic tradition in the philosophy of
art. Each week we will discuss a reading from Cahn and Meskin eds. Aesthetics:
A Comprehensive Anthology (Blackwell, 2008). You will also have the
opportunity to think about particular works in the Tate Modern collection in
relation to these ideas.
Recent Comments