Essay question: click
Please write an essay (no more than 1000 words; preferably between 800 and 1000 words) in response to the above question. You need not quote or make reference but if you do so, please follow the guidelines in standard references such as MLA, APA, Chicago, or Harvard. You should submit the essay via the link in SOUL. You will be able to see the figure from Turnitin regarding the degree of similarity to published or public materials, which allows you to decide whether to revise before confirming submission; also beware of over-reliance on AI, especially at the stage of drafting the outline. The deadline for submission is noon 7/11/2025.
Presentation Groups
CL-01
A: AKOVRUEP JAN, CHAN YE TING, LO TSZ WING, NG CHAK HEI, YEUNG WAI HUNG (Recording)
B: GUAN YAT MAN, KWOK TSZ CHUN, MA CHAK YAT, WONG LOK MAN (Recording)
C: AU MAN TING, CHAN TSZ WAI, FENG LOK HIM, HO TSZ YING, YEUNG PO YI (Recording)
D: CHANG TSZ LUNG, CHEN CHI NANG, HO HOI KA, HUNG KING SEE (Recording)
E: CHENG HO YING, CHEUNG WAN TIK, KWOK WAN YING, LEE SAU NAM, Ho Yui Hei (recording)
F: CHIU PAK HIN, KU PUI YIU, LEE CHUN LONG, LI HAU CHING
G: LAI CHEUK HEI (Recording)
H: Leung Ka Ho
I: Yuen Ka Ching
CL-02
A: CHOY CHI
B: LI HIU KI CATHERINE, LUI KWONG YUEN, TANG SHIN LING, VILLANUEVA ERIKA MARIE JAVALERA, FENG WAI CHIT (recording)
C: CHIU CHI WING ANISA, FUNG EMERALD, YOUSAF QURA TUL AINE
D: HU MAN HEI, KWOK MAN PANG, LAM CHEUK YIN, LI RONG, ZHANG MAN YI (Recording)
E: CHEN HEI CHING FREEYA, HEUNG WING HEI, POON KUK YI, TUNG WING HIM
F: CHAN WING LAM, CHENG SZE IN, IP HOI KI, YIP CHEUK CHI, YU VICTOR
G: HUANG YUHAN, MAO YIZHEN, PRUVOST CHARLOTTE, TSE WAI LONG
H: TANG TSUN HIM, XU XIANGYUAN
I: Ho Hiu Tung, Yu Kit Ying, Leung Yu Yan (Recording)
J: TANG SUM YUET (recording)
K: Kuo Tsz Huen (recording)
Assessment
1. Individual Essay: Each student will write an argumentative essay (800-1000 words) (Submitted by Turnitin on SOUL): 20%
Essay question sample: Click
Grading rubric: click
Sample Short Essay and Comment: Click
More examples of essay evaluation in a top university: click
2. Art Review: Each student will write a review/commentary (around 300 words) on an artwork (1.5 hour during the lecture period): 15%
Art review form: Click
Grading rubric: click
Sample art review: click
3. Group Presentation: A group of students, 3-5 members, form a presentation group with a topic approved by the lecturer (individual performance may have contribution to the final group marks if it is objectively superior to the average performance; solo presentation may be accepted if the schedule allows but the duration and scope of presentation will not be thereby proportionally diminished). Each group will perform a 20-25 minutes oral presentation during the last one or two lectures: 25%
Sample presentation: click
4. Two-hour Exam: it may consist of MCQ, short questions and essay question: 40%.
Exam sample: click
Tentative key events:
Week 5: Confirm presentation group members and topics
Week 8: Submit essay by SOUL (7/11/2025)
Week 11: Art review (during lecture period)
Week 12/13: Group presentation (during lecture period)
Tips on revising:
1. You have more than a month to write the essay. Always try to give an honest and coherent view instead of quoting here and there from lecture notes or books. Also consult the marking rubric and hint on wiritng essay on this webpage. Late submission and plagiarism are things you should always avoid. When you submit by Turnitin, you can see the "scores" about the similarity to public/published materials: grading may be subject to such considerations and so please refrain from the "copy-and-paste" method. Also note that over-reliance on AI in writing will generate an essay that has cliche-ridden content, not to mention the lack of real personal engagement in argumentation.
2. The presentation topic is something you choose and should not pose a problem for you. Note that oral presentation is different from writing: fluency and engaging the audience are the two most important aspects. Arguably, it is quite impossible to judge the presenter as plagiarising unless she just reads out other's work.
3. Examination covers only topics 1, 2, 5, 6. Topics 3 and 4 are relevant to learning art review and picking the group presentation topic.
Course Outline: Click
Consultation: If you want to meet the lecturer in person to discuss, please email to him/her to arrange a time. Thomas Ming email: tkyming@hkuspace.hku.hk
Please note that I will not print out the PowerPoint or notes for you.
Course website: https://sites.google.com/site/arthkuspace/
Useful Links:
APA style guide: Click
Grading information: Essay Presentation
Guide to writing essay: Click
1. Introduction
Lecture: Beaty and Art
Reading: Tarkovsky
Video: Intro
Topic 1: Tarkovsky reading summary: click
2. Form, Taste and Emotion
Lecture: Art and Form
Lecture: Hume and Kant
Video: Hume and Kant
Topic 2: Nietzsche-Hume-Kant readings summary: click
3. History of Art
Lecture: History of Art
Video: On Gombrich
4. Case Studies
Lecture and Practicum : Art Review
Reading: Foucault
Video: Sample One Sample Two Sample Three Sample Four
5. Contemporary Art: Diversity and Frivolousness
Lecture: Contemporary Art and Society
Reading: Heidegger
Video: On Kitsch Roger Scruton on Fake and Kitsch
Topic 5: Heidegger reading summary: click
6. Socializing and Politicizing Art
Lecture: Historicizing Art
Video: On Benjamin Communist Art Cultural Revolution Art
Readings:
You are not required to buy any book. Readings will be provided for you in the course website. You can, however, consult the following texts to enrich your knowledge in the area.
1. Gombrich, E. H. The Story of Art. Phaidon Press, 2016.
2. Gutting, Gary. What Philosophy Can Do. W. W. Norton, 2015.
3. Gage, M. F. Aesthetic Theory: Essential Texts. W. W. Norton, 2012.
4. Ribeiro, A. C. The Continuum Companion to Aesthetics. Bloomsbury, 2012.