Aesthetics, Fall 2011; Jeffrey Wattles, instructor
Project II: Artistic living
The assignment for the second project is to “walk in beauty,” building on the evolving concept and realization of beauty as the class discovered it during the time of the first project, and moving into the “walking” phase—the doing: artistic living.
The idea is that we shall bring our study and our experience of daily life into conversation with each other. Our study should inform our experience (not that it is necessary to agree with any one philosopher) and that we should bring our experience to bear in interpreting our readings.
What does artistic living mean? For your initial definition, please consult the document, “Artistic living,” that you have received. Do not follow that document dogmatically (bowing to a false sense of pressure to conform) nor self-indulgently (following the way of false freedom, lacking responsibility). Rather follow it artistically—with mature and responsible creativity—being selective, reinterpreting, rephrasing, adding to what is there. Be sure not to neglect truth and goodness dimensions, since they are so important to many philosophers, nor the design and performance dimensions, which are at the core of artistic living.
In Part I, give a narrative of how your experience of artistic living developed during the project period. Include one or more stories of notable experience, but do not simply do that, since I need a sense of how your experience unfolded from week to week. Talk about designing and carrying out creating courses of action that may be reasonably expected to bring long-term enjoyment to those in your affect range.
In Part II, write two one-page accounts of how a philosopher that we are reading in this part of the course would comment on your experience report. Imagine that they have just read it, and encourage you in one or more ways and criticize you in one or more ways. Use brief quotes and comment on their meaning and relevance as you do this. Write commentaries for two philosophers.
Rubric for evaluating Part I
A. The experience report shows that the student has been active throughout the project period in exploring artistic living in a number of areas and has been able to articulate some genuine discovery in each area.
B. The report indicates some sincere effort in the direction of the project, but the report indicates an experience less sustained and wholehearted.
C. The project experience seems to have been more scanty and shows little life in discovery of the various layers of aesthetic experience. Just enough exploring was done to have something minimal to answer the requirements of the assignment. Some of the required layers of experience are neglected. The descriptions lack the freshness of personal engagement.
D. The report indicates a severe misunderstanding of, or cooperation with, the assignment.
F. The report gives little or no evidence of effort along the lines of the assignment.
Rubric for evaluating Part II
A. A two pages deals intelligently with brief quotations from two philosophers that we have studied in this latter part of the course. The discussion goes beyond notes from class and show a thoughtful study of the assigned readings. Each quote is interpreted, and its relevance to the project experience is clearly indicated.
B. The discussion is accurate but largely a restatement of what was said in class. There is some attention to showing the relevance of the quotes to the experience report.
C. The commentary is too brief, and it does not draw on the text except to cite information already given out by the instructor—it gives no evidence that the student read the text. Passages are cited from the text with very little commentary explaining their relation to the experience report..
D. The commentary shows severe misunderstandings of the text..
F. The paper gives little or no evidence of effort along the lines of the assignment.
Weighting: Part I, 60%; Part II, 30%; English: 10%—unless the English is very poor (see the syllabus: a D+ may be given in extreme cases). See the link on the home page of the website: http://sites.google.com/a/kent.edu/jwattles. These proportions are customary; in some cases the instructor may give additional weight to an outstanding section.