00345 - Aesthetics (O-Z)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, students will have a basic knowledge of the birth of aesthetics, its development and its many current trends. They will also have an idea of its links with other disciplines, both theoretical (such as poetics, hermeneutics and rhetoric) and those related to arts. The use of the correct terminology and the ability to apply the main conceptual and methodological tools will enable the student to critically understand the basic concepts of aesthetics and to engage in the study of a classic text in the history of thought.

Course contents

The course will be divided into two parts. The first part will offer an introduction to the main themes, problems and authors of modern and contemporary aesthetics; the second part will deal more specifically with the in-depth reading and analysis of David Hume's Essays on Taste and the Arts, which are considered true “classics” in the history of aesthetic thought.

Module I: Theories and concepts of modern and contemporary aesthetics.

The first part offers a general introduction to the history and foundational concepts of aesthetics. By analyzing the theories of major authors of modern and contemporary thought, the course aims to offer a glimpse into the genesis and development of the problems and theories central to the discipline, along with the definition and deepening of some of its load-bearing categories and interweavings: beauty and aesthetic judgment, art and truth, art and science, art and experience, aesthetics and language, and art and society.

Module II: Aesthetic judgement and the theory of the arts in David Hume

The second part of the course will focus on reading and commenting on the Essays on Aesthetics written by David Hume from the 1740s onwards, in order to reveal their most original and fruitful themes. In the second half of the eighteenth century, these essays marked a remarkable turning point in the study of aesthetics, if only because of their influence on Kant's Critique of Judgment (1790). Concepts such as 'taste', 'criticism', and 'experience' are thus examined through the lens of Hume's theory; echoes of these concepts in contemporary thought are also considered. The analysis of Hume's essays will provide a first introduction to the critical reading of philosophical texts.

Readings/Bibliography

1) Module I. Institutional part

- E. Cassirer, I problemi istitutivi dell'estetica moderna, edited by G. Matteucci, Milano, Meltemi, 2024.

- P. D'Angelo, E. Franzini, G. Scaramuzza (eds.), Estetica, Milano, Cortina, 2002 (series: ‘Bibliotheca’), only pp. 157-293, corresponding to the following authors: Kant, Schlegel, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Baudelaire, Croce, Benjamin.

2) Module II. Monographic part

- David Hume, Saggi sul gusto e sulle arti, a cura di A. Gatti, Milano, Aesthetica edizioni, 2024, pp. 57-165.

Also mandatory for Module II:

- A. Gatti, Presentazione, in D. Hume, Saggi sul gusto e sulle arti, Milan, Aesthetica edizioni, 2024, pp. 7-47.

- E. Lecaldano, La “scienza della natura umana” di Hume e la bellezza dal Trattato ai Saggi, in “Studi di estetica” (online journal, open access), LI, 2023, pp. 15-38.

Non-attending students must supplement their preparation for the exam with one of the following texts (at their own choice)

- E. Franzini, L'estetica del Settecento, Bologna, Il Mulino, 1995 (series: "Lessico dell'estetica"), only pp. 67-114;

or:

- A. Gatti, Genesi e forme dell’estetica moderna. Il dibattito inglese sul bello e sulle arti, Roma, Aracne, 2019, only pp. 169-184, corresponding to chap. VIII ('Hume's taste for standards').

Teaching methods

The course consists of frontal lessons. The sources are commented and discussed, and their main content and historical context are synthetically reconstructed. Powerpoints of the study materials will be projected.

Assessment methods

6 cfu. Students (part I) will be evaluated on the basis of an oral exam, which will focus only on the contents of the Bibliography relating to the Institutional Part (Module I, point 1).

12 cfu. Students (part I and part II) will be evaluated on the basis of a two steps evaluation:

a) a written part which consists of a multiple-choice test (21 questions concerning the readings listed in the Bibliography related to point 1 (First module); correct answer = 1,5 point; wrong answer= 0). Unless special cases are certificated (cf. students with disabilities and SLD), the examination will take 60 minutes. A pass mark (15/30 = 10 correct answers at least) on the multiple-choice test is required in order to access the oral interview.

b) an oral part, aiming to test the achievement of the fundamental learning outcomes, such as: thorough knowledge of the mandatory readings and ability to contextualize them in their historical period; full understanding of the core concepts and interpreting skills; ability to express ideas and concepts clearly and cogently; ability to build connections between authors and topics of the prescription. The oral exam will mainly focus on all the texts indicated as mandatory in the program in addition to those already covered in the written test; yet questions requiring links to the latter may still be asked.

Depending on the performance of the oral interview, the final mark may confirm or lower/grade up by max. 3 points the mark obtained in the written test.

The final grade is therefore an overall assessment: excellent (30L); top mark (30); good (27-29); fairly good (24-26); sufficient (22-23); almost sufficient (18-21).

It is not possible to switch from group A-E to group F-N or O-Z, nor vice versa. The only exception is for international students/students.

Students with disabilities and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) are entitled to special adjustments according to their condition, subject to assessment by the University Service for Students with Disabilities and SLD. Please do not contact teachers or Department staff, but make an appointment with the Service. The Service will then determine what adjustments are specifically appropriate, and get in touch with the teacher. For more information, please visit the page:
https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students

Teaching tools

Further readings will be made available through the channels provided by the Unibo portal.

Students who require specific services and adaptations to teaching activities due to a disability or specific learning disorders (SLD), must first contact the appropriate office: https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students

Office hours

See the website of Andrea Gatti