Undergraduate Module Descriptor

PHL2045: Aesthetics

This module descriptor refers to the 2019/0 academic year.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

  • The nature of beauty and ugliness
  • the value of art
  • the sublime
  • art and morality
  • high and low art
  • music and the expression of emotion
  • everyday aesthetics

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching ActivitiesGuided independent studyPlacement / study abroad
221280

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity2211 x 2hrs weekly seminars
Guided Independent Study45Weekly assigned readings
Guided Independent Study10Preparation for class discussion
Guided Independent Study23Preparation for essay
Guided Independent Study50Preparation for final examination

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).

https://philpapers.org/browse/aesthetics

 

How this Module is Assessed

In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.

Formative Assessment

A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.

Form of assessmentSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Short essay on a selected reading5001-5Verbal and Written

Summative Assessment

A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.

CourseworkWritten examsPractical exams
50500

...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.

Form of assessment% of creditSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Essay501500 words1-6Written Feedback
Exam 501.5 hours1-7Written Feedback

Re-assessment

Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.

Original form of assessmentForm of re-assessmentILOs re-assessedTimescale for re-assessment
Essay Essay (1500 words)1-6August/September reassessment period
ExamExam (1.5 hours)1-7August/September reassessment period

Indicative Reading List

This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.

Basic reading:

Lamarque, P. & Olsen, S.H. (2004) Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art: The Analytic Tradition, Blackwell.

Robinson, J. (1994), ‘The Expression and Arousal of Emotion in Music’, The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, 52(1).

Cohen, T. (1993), ‘High and Low Thinking about High and Low Art’, The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, 51(2).

Leddy, T. (2015), ‘Experience and Awe: An Expansive Approach to Everyday Aesthetics’, Contemporary Aesthetics 13.

Cochrane, T. (2012), ‘The Emotional Experience of the Sublime’, Canadian Journal of Philosophy, 42(2).

Kieran, M. (2010), ‘The Vice of Snobbery: Aesthetic Knowledge, Justification, and Virtue in Art Appreciation’, Philosophical Quarterly, 60(239).

Gaut, B. (2002), ‘Cinematic Art’, The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, 60(4).