Syllabus
Aesthetics, Fall 2012; Jeffrey Wattles, instructor
Philosophy 31060, section 001 (CRN 16868), T/R 12:30-1:45, Bowman 219
The main goals of the course are to introduce the student to the history and logic of Western philosophy’s ways of thinking about questions of beauty and the aesthetics of the fine arts from classical Greece down to the present. Objectives: students will be able to restate key teachings in writing, handle multiple-choice questions that test understanding as well as recall, and apply versions of aesthetic theories in experience as reported in papers.
Texts: (1) Stephen David Ross, ed., Art and Its Significance, 3rd edition, State University of New York Press, 1994. ISBN: 0-7914-1852-9. (2) Cynthia Freeland, But is it art? (Oxford University Press, ISBN: 978-0-19-285367-7).
Expectations (grading). We are a community of inquiry, and our interaction has a life of its own; so you are expected to attend regularly, be on time and biologically ready for class, have the reading done, and be ready to participate. Missing more than four classes can affect your grade. If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to get notes from someone else, to see the instructor if you still have questions, and to ask the instructor for anything handed back during your absence. In case of an epidemic or other emergency, arrangements will be made for computer-based interaction. If you miss four weeks of class, how can I pass you?
Second, there are two papers (30 points each). If you feel you have a reason to request an alternative to any of the projects, please speak with the instructor. One more thing about the papers. Writing is so important for your future role; English well used is important for our world, especially when so much communicating is mediated by machines; and it is a vital skill that school sometimes fails to teach. If I don’t fuss about writing, you should see what some folks hand in! So I fuss, and I generally get quite decent writing. Thus papers must be well written to receive a C or above. It’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the Writing Center’s services and its website: http://dept.kent.edu/english/WritingCent/writngcenter.htm . Speaking of communication, the University obliges you to check your Flashline e-mail address. If I have messages to send to the whole class, e.g., about changing a syllabus assignment, or keeping in touch in the case of an emergency, I will use those addresses. Third, there are three quizzes(including the final--10 points each), mostly multiple-choice; later quizzes will touch on material covered in earlier quizzes. Record grades as you receive them. I no longer provide the service of calculating the grade for students prior to the final exam.
The course website: https://sites.google.com/a/kent.edu/jwattles/ (click on aesthetics in the matrix toward the top of the home page).
Finally, there are materials to read and take notes on from this website: http://sites.google.com/a/kent.edu/jwattles. The grade is based on participation (10 points—7.5 for attendance and the rest for contributing to class); two papers (30 points each); and three quizzes (10 points each).
My office hours are MW 10: 40-12:10 and TR 10:40-11:40 (Bowman 320H) and by appointment (330-672-0276; e-mail: jwattles@kent.edu).
Policy on the use of technology in the classes of Dr. Jeffrey Wattles
August 2012
In addition to specific course objectives, my goals as a teacher are to foster educational growth for each student, to whet appetites and promote discovery, and to provide a classroom environment where each student is supported as well as challenged. My ethical standard is the golden rule: Treat others as you want others to treat you.
To learn effectively, we need to focus. When we focus at our best, we engage all our powers of mind, soul, and body.
Focus is broken if we are distracted by cell phones and laptops. At least half of the laptops used in class take attention away from class. The user is distracted, and others are affected, too. Think about the message that this activity communicates to the instructor. Think about the message it conveys to other students.
My policy on technology is designed to promote the good of the whole. Neuroscientists have shown that multi-tasking seriously compromises the attention to each task. Measuring distraction, researchers found that driving while talking on a cell phone is like driving drunk. Decades ago, educational psychologists said that students’ attention span in a lecture was 20 minutes; John Medina now says it’s 10 minutes. Concern is mounting about how technology use can become compulsive and addictive; many people suffer from a mild form of attention-deficit disorder. There are consequences for our ability to achieve personal goals and for our society’s competitiveness in a global economy.
For these reasons, I have decided to join the many other faculty members who are creating policies to restrict classroom use of technology. I have chosen the following policy.
All cell phones and laptops are to be turned off and put away. The surface of the desk is to be clear, free of book bags, purses, and other barriers except for the textbook and writing materials. When I see a student using a cell phone or a laptop, I will deduct one percent from that student’s course grade.
When such action seems necessary, I will immediately notify the student by e-mail, and there will be a chance to clear up any misunderstanding.
If you believe that there are good reasons to make an adjustment in this policy or exception for you, speak with me.
I profoundly regret the conditions that require me to enforce this policy and complicate our educational relationship. However, I hope that you will rise above this disciplinary aspect and help us attain the level of the Kent State University motto: Excellence in action.
University policy 3342-3-01.8 deals with the problem of academic dishonesty, cheating, and plagiarism. None of these will be tolerated in this class. The sanctions provided in this policy will be used to deal with any violations. If you have any questions, please read the policy at http://www.kent.edu/policyreg/policydetails.cfm?customel_datapageid_1976529=2037779.
University policy 3342-3-01.3 requires that students with disabilities be provided reasonable accommodations to ensure their equal access to course content. If you have a documented disability and require accommodations, please contact the instructor at the beginning of the semester to make arrangements for necessary classroom adjustments. Please note, you must first verify your eligibility for these through Student Accessibility Services (contact 330-672-3391 or visit www.kent.edu/sas for more information on registration procedures).
University policy requires all students to be officially registered in each class they are attending. Students who are not officially registered for a course by published deadlines should not be attending classes and will not receive credit or a grade for the course. Each student must confirm enrollment by checking his/her class schedule (using Student Tools in FlashLine) prior to the deadline indicated. Registration errors must be corrected prior to the deadline.
The Philosophy Department Grievance Procedure for handling student grievances is in conformity with the Student Academic Complaint Policy and Procedures set down as University Policy 3342-4-16 in the University Policy Register. For information concerning the details of the grievance procedure, please see the Departmental Chairperson.
Schedule of Activities
Week 1. Tuesday, August 28. Introductions. Fact, meaning, and value. Project 1 launch.
Thursday, August 30. Read pages 1-15 in the document e-mailed by the instructor to your Flashline e-mail accounts: “John Muir as a guide to aesthetic education.”
Week 2. Tuesday, September 4. Complete the reading of the John Muir article.
Thursday, Sept. 6. Read the selection from the Plato’s Symposium in the text, Art and Its Significance, pp. 56-63. Read also the web notes on the Symposium: https://sites.google.com/a/kent.edu/jwattles/home/aesthetics/the-symposium
Week 3. Tuesday, Sept. 11. Plato’s Republic 9-16 and 32-44 in our text plus the web document on this dialogue.
Thursday, 13. Discussion continued.
Week 4. Tuesday, Sept. 18. Aristotle, 66-76 plus the web notes on Aristotle and Hume.
Thursday, Sept. 20. Quiz 1. (30 multiple choice questions, except that you will write out an account of the ladder in the Symposium).
Week 5. Tuesday, Sept. 25 First read the summaries of Kant in the Freeland text: pp. 8-16, 46-48; then tackle Kant himself in the Ross text, pp. 98 – 113 plus the relevant web notes. See what you can understand, and leave the rest for class to clarify.
Thursday, Sept. 27. Discussion continued.
Week 6. Tuesday, Oct. 2. Kant on the sublime, pp. 113-123 + web notes.
Thursday, Oct. 4. Discussion continued.
Week 7. Tuesday, Oct. 9 Paper 1 due: Beauty in nature: experience and concept (hardcopy + e-mail). Lecture on Hegel.
Thursday, Oct. 11. Response to papers. Read the instructor’s notes on Hegel.
Week 8. Tuesday, Oct. 16. John Dewey, 203-220. Project 2 launch.
Thursday, Oct. 18. Discussion continued.
Week 9. Tuesday, Oct. 23. Nietzsche, first essay + web notes.
Thursday, Oct. 25. Nietzsche, second essay. Quiz 2.
Week 10. Tuesday, Oct. 30. Freeland, chapter 1.
Thursday, Nov. 1. Discussion continued.
Week 11. Tuesday, Nov. 6. Freeland, chapter 2
Thursday, Nov. 8. Chapter 3, pp. 60-70.
Week 12. Tuesday, Nov. 13. Freeland, chapter 3 conclusion.
Thursday, Nov. 15 Freeland, chapter 5.
Week 13. Tuesday, Nov. 20. Paper 2 due.
Thursday, 22. Thanksgiving.
Week 14. Tuesday, Nov 27. Response to papers. Chapter 6.
Thursday, Nov. 29. Discussion continued.
Week 15. Tuesday, Dec. 4. Freeland, chapter 7
Thursday, Dec. 6. Discussion continued.
Final Examination, Monday, December 10, 7:45-10:00. This will be a quiz like the previous ones, only more comprehensive.
A poem symbolizes the unity of the two projects for the course. A Navaho prayer symbolizes the drama of actual and potential beauty.
With beauty before me, I walk
With beauty behind me, I walk
With beauty above me, I walk
With beauty below me, I walk
From the east beauty has been restored
From the south beauty has been restored
From the west beauty has been restored
From the north beauty has been restored
From the zenith of the sky beauty has been restored
From the nadir of the earth beauty has been restored
From all around me beauty has been restored.[1]
While there is no doubt in this poem-prayer about the reality of beauty, neither is beauty static or aloof. It is in the cosmos (above me) and the earth (below me, and in the east, south, west, and north). Once we find cosmic beauty surrounding us, we find it within us, and we arrive at that place of power where we can feel it wherever we turn. Yes, of course, there is that in the world and in ourselves which is not beautiful, but beauty itself is there, too. Students under the stimulus of an assignment to discover the high reality of beauty in nature often do mobilize themselves for the quest and are magnificently rewarded for their efforts, and it is not uncommon in the wake of such a discovery that the person becomes able to find beauty everywhere.
In the prayer-poem, the creative tension of beauty is that it is not only perceived but also lived and thereby restored. The first phase of the process is to become aware of terrestrial-and-cosmic beauty. The second phase is the walking—artistic living. This means abiding in continuous communion with beauty while performing the activities of one’s life. To walk in beauty restores beauty in the one who does so. That person thereby becomes a center from which beauty emanates. Asking my Shawnee colleague Thomas Norton-Smith for help in interpreting the cultural context of this poem, I received the answer: “You will understand it by living it.”
If beauty must be realized in order to be fulfilled (restored), then creature appreciation plays a role in actualizing beauty. Thus beauty involves a correlation and cooperation of subjective and objective phases of experience and reality. Neither a one-sidedly objective account of beauty (there whether or not we realize it) nor a one-sidedly subjective (eye-of-the-beholder) account of beauty will do.
[1] Calvin Luther Martin, The Way of the Human Being (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1999), pp. 24-25.