Active Outline

General Information

Course ID (CB01A and CB01B)
HUMID002.
Course Title (CB02)
But is it Art? Questions and Criticism
Course Credit Status
Credit - Degree Applicable
Effective Term
Fall 2024
Course Description
This course is a cross-cultural, interdisciplinary introduction to aesthetics - theories about what art is, its functions and value, and the ways we experience it. The course examines historical and contemporary views on visual and performing arts. Explores distinctions between "fine" and popular art, and varieties of deviant or shocking art. The primary focus will be on the visual arts and how they enrich our lives.
Faculty Requirements
Discipline 1
[Humanities ]
Discipline 3
[Philosophy]
FSA
[FHDA FSA - HUMANITIES]
Course Family
Not Applicable

Course Justification

This course meets a general education requirement for °®¶¹´«Ã½, CSU GE, and IGETC and belongs on the Liberal Arts Associate Degree. This course meets significant student interest/demand and addresses unique content not found elsewhere within the °®¶¹´«Ã½ general education and transfer programs. providing students with a deep understanding of historical, contemporary, cross-cultural, and interdisciplinary introduction to the aesthetic critique of "fine" and popular arts.

Foothill Equivalency

Does the course have a Foothill equivalent?
No
Foothill Course ID

Course Philosophy

Formerly Statement

Course Development Options

Basic Skill Status (CB08)
Course is not a basic skills course.
Grade Options
  • Letter Grade
  • Pass/No Pass
Repeat Limit
0

Transferability & Gen. Ed. Options

Transferability
Transferable to both UC and CSU
°®¶¹´«Ã½ GEArea(s)StatusDetails
2GC2°®¶¹´«Ã½ GE Area C2 - HumanitiesApproved
CSU GEArea(s)StatusDetails
CGC2CSU GE Area C2 - HumanitiesApproved
IGETCArea(s)StatusDetails
IG3BIGETC Area 3B - HumanitiesApproved

Units and Hours

Summary

Minimum Credit Units
4.0
Maximum Credit Units
4.0

Weekly Student Hours

TypeIn ClassOut of Class
Lecture Hours4.08.0
Laboratory Hours0.00.0

Course Student Hours

Course Duration (Weeks)
12.0
Hours per unit divisor
36.0
Course In-Class (Contact) Hours
Lecture
48.0
Laboratory
0.0
Total
48.0
Course Out-of-Class Hours
Lecture
96.0
Laboratory
0.0
NA
0.0
Total
96.0

Prerequisite(s)

Corequisite(s)

Advisory(ies)

EWRT D001A or EWRT D01AH or ESL D005.

Limitation(s) on Enrollment

Entrance Skill(s)

General Course Statement(s)

(See general education pages for the requirements this course meets.)

Methods of Instruction

Lecture and visual aids

Discussion of assigned reading

Discussion and problem solving assigned in class

In class exploration of internet sites

Quiz and examination review in class

Field observation and field trips

Guest Speakers

Collaborative learning and small group exercises

Collaborative projects

Assignments

  1. Reading assignments
    1. from a minimum of one college-level, book length text
    2. from reserve, online and in-class issued articles and papers.
    3. Group discussion and analysis of reading assignments
  2. Viewing assignments
    1. of videos, slides or original art shown in-class or media lab
    2. each viewing assignment is accompanied with specific study questions to assess and summarize
  3. Written assignments
    1. summarizing assigned readings or viewings
    2. critically analyzing assigned readings or viewings
  4. Journal or other homework assignments
    1. responding to artistic examples
    2. responding to course themes
  5. At least one field report
    1. responding to specific questions of analysis based on concepts of definition, evaluation, application
    2. regarding the student's museum, gallery or performance visit.
  6. A research monograph
    1. of at least five pages of text (not including frontis, footnote, bibliography pages)
    2. OR an experiential assignment in which students will create a work of visual or performing art for presentation to the class and a written description of the process will be assigned.
    3. A minimum of five topics requiring analytical comparisons between definitions, or criteria, or purposes will be provided by the instructor from which the student may choose.
    4. students will collaborate on some aspect of the research monograph process

Methods of Evaluation

  1. A series of short "quizzes" to evaluate, review and discuss specific conceptual areas found within the lecture, reading, viewing assignments - designed to establish degree of mastery of course objectives.
  2. A minimum of two major examinations based on lecture, reading and viewing assignments and testing the students skill in identifying and applying the concepts of definition, application and criteria in order to evaluate their mastery of course objectives.
  3. A two-hour final examination requiring the student to demonstrate their overall comprehension and critical application of concepts of definition, evaluation and purposes to be evaluated based on extent of mastery of course objectives.
  4. Informal and formal writing assignments responding to and/or critically analyzing assigned readings and viewings, as well as artistic examples and course themes, to be evaluated based on extent of mastery of course objectives.
  5. At least one field reports in which the student verbally presents to the class or prepares a written report. The subject of the report will be a specific art object found within a museum, gallery or other public spaces. The student will evaluate and analyze this art object using the concepts of definition, purpose and criteria in an interrelated evaluation and will be evaluated based on extent of mastery of course objectives.
  6. A research monograph of at least five pages of text (not including frontis, footnote, bibliography pages) OR an experiential assignment in which students will create a work of visual or performing art for presentation to the class and a written description of the process will be assigned. A minimum of five topics requiring analytical comparisons between definitions, or criteria, or purposes will be provided by the instructor from which the student may choose. The monograph or experiential project will be evaluated based on extent of mastery of course objectives.

Essential Student Materials/Essential College Facilities

Essential Student Materials: 
  • None
Essential College Facilities:
  • None.

Examples of Primary Texts and References

AuthorTitlePublisherDate/EditionISBN
Magsamen, Susan and Ivy Ross"Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us"Random House2023978-0593449233
Lewis, Richard and Susan Ingalls Lewis"The Power of Art", 3rd EditionCengage Learning2018978-1337555555
Hick, Darren Hudson"Introducing Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art", 3rd EditionBloomsbury Academic2023978-1350256767
Goldblatt, David, Lee B. Brown, and Stephanie Patridge, Editors.Aesthetics: A Reader in Philosophy of the Arts, 4th EditionRoutledge2017978-1138235885
Wartenberg, Thomas E."The Nature of Art: An Anthology", 3rd EditionCengage Learning2011978-1111186524

Examples of Supporting Texts and References

None.

Learning Outcomes and Objectives

Course Objectives

  • Examine and analyze various historical and contemporary approaches to defining and understanding the arts - visual, music, dance, and drama.
  • Critique the extent to which the arts are integral in students' lives and how knowledge of art theories can enhance students' experience of the arts.
  • Examine and analyze the major sources of personal experience through the arts, and the various purposes to which the arts may be applied. The major analysis will be art as a source of moral and social teachings, definitions and influence of institutions through art, and art as a means of personal exploration.
  • Examine and analyze historic attitudes toward women and minorities in the arts, and compare some of the gender, multicultural and cross-cultural approaches to defining and experiencing art.
  • Compare and evaluate the intrinsic and instrumental qualities of art and formulate personal criteria for "good" and "bad" art.

CSLOs

  • Apply the synthesis of critical thinking, imaginative, cooperative, and empathetic abilities as whole persons to contextualize knowledge and practice active agency.

  • Evaluate the personal and communal potential and purpose of the arts.

Outline

  1. Examine and analyze various historical and contemporary approaches to defining and understanding the arts - visual, music, dance, and drama.
    1. Evaluate various historical and disciplinary theories of aesthetics and art, using readings such as Stolnitz's "The Aesthetic Attitude".
    2. Compare "Art" and "art"; "art" and "the arts," using readings (from Korsmeyer, Ross and/or Wartenberg) and discussions on topics such as:
      1. High and Low (Cohen, Gracyk)
      2. Visual (any of numerous choices)
      3. Music (Kivy, Brown)
      4. Dance (Langer, Jowitt)
      5. Theatre/film (Nietzsche, Cavell)
    3. Deconstruct essentialist definitions and theories, such as:
      1. Mimetic (Plato)
      2. Cognition (Aristotle)
      3. Taste (Hume)
      4. Communicable Pleasure (Kant)
      5. Expression (Collingwood, Tolstoy)
      6. Significant Form (Bell)
      7. Symptom (Freud)
      8. Institutional (Danto, Dickie)
      9. Experience (Dewey)
    4. Critique non-essentialist definitions and theories, such as:
      1. Post-modern (Derrida)
      2. Weitz's "family resemblance" theory; Anderson's open definition
    5. Critically examine and discuss works of visual and performing arts.
  2. Critique the extent to which the arts are integral in students' lives and how knowledge of art theories can enhance students' experience of the arts.
    1. Experiment personally with the universality of an aesthetic sense.
    2. Create a baseline inventory of the presence of the arts in students' lives.
    3. Construct periodic metacognitive analyses.
  3. Examine and analyze the major sources of personal experience through the arts, and the various purposes to which the arts may be applied. The major analysis will be art as a source of moral and social teachings, definitions and influence of institutions through art, and art as a means of personal exploration.
    1. Evaluate sources, such as:
      1. As a source of moral teachings
        1. Promotion of moral content
        2. Protection of moral content: censorship
        3. The relation of beauty and goodness
      2. As a source of social teachings
        1. Art and revolution: propaganda
        2. Art and social conformance: advertisement
        3. Art and social bias
        4. Art as entertainment
      3. As a means of institutionality
        1. Imagery and corporate America
        2. Imagery and racism
        3. Imagery and gender definition
        4. Imagery and religious institutions
      4. As a means to subjective definition
        1. Expression of subjective emotion
        2. As representation of experience
        3. Expression of fantasy and vision
    2. Evaluate purposes, such as:
      1. Inspiration
      2. Understanding
      3. Catalyst for transformation and action
      4. Therapy
    3. Analyze the relationship between horror and the grotesque, using readings such as Freeland, Diepeveen.
    4. Compare art vs. pornography or sacrilege, using examples such as Mapplethorpe, Serrano; critique U.S. Congress's definition of the arts.
  4. Examine and analyze historic attitudes toward women and minorities in the arts, and compare some of the gender, multicultural and cross-cultural approaches to defining and experiencing art.
    1. Analyze and compare attitudes toward and approaches of women:
      1. Readings such as Nochlin, Brand, Parker and Pollock
      2. Discussion of works such as Chicago's "Dinner Party"
      3. Activities such as those of the Guerilla Girls, ACT UP
    2. Analyze and compare attitudes toward and approaches of multiculturalism:
      1. "Tribal" museums
      2. Various works by African-American, Latino, Asian-American artists/performers
      3. Readings such as Minh-ha, Clifford
    3. Analyze and compare attitudes toward and approaches of cross-culturalism:
      1. African (Appiah, Jegede)
      2. Asian (Coomaraswamy, Lee, Suzuki)
      3. Indigenous (Anderson)
  5. Compare and evaluate the intrinsic and instrumental qualities of art and formulate personal criteria for "good" and "bad" art.
    1. Analyze the intrinsic qualities of "Good" art.
      1. Plato's "Measure"
      2. Aristotle's "rational qualities"
      3. Egyptian: Conformance to prescription
      4. (St.) Augustine's rule
      5. Revealing of reality
      6. Subjectivism: Avant-Garde
    2. Analyze the instrumental qualities of "Good" art.
      1. Platonic: Inspirational revelation
      2. Platonic: Imitation
      3. Aristotle: Form and function
      4. Chinese: Achievement of form and content
      5. African: Achievement of form and content
    3. Analyze the characteristics of "Bad" art.
      1. Medieval Christian: Deviation from prescription
      2. Islam: Rejection of imagery
      3. African: Rejection of reality
      4. Truth and Authenticity: absence
      5. Questions of originality in Derivative Art
      6. Absence of the achievement of purpose
    4. Construct interactive methods of accessing information and assimilating the material.
      1. Independent and group exploration of texts, art works, responses
      2. Multi-modal approach, including:
        1. Reading
        2. Viewing
        3. Listening
        4. Playing instruments, movement/dancing
        5. Acting
        6. Art making
      3. Evolution of independent perspectives and methods of response.
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