Course syllabus
SEMESTER 1, 2018
15 points
Course Convenor:
Stephen Davies
Rm 457 Arts 1 xt 87615
sj.davies@auckland.ac.nz
Teacher:
Stephen Davies
Course delivery format:
Weekly two hour seminar
Tuesday 2-4 in Arts 1 rm 314
Summary of Course Description:
This course considers contemporary debates about possible connections between aesthetics, art and evolution.
Aesthetics is typically regarded as concerned with the beautiful and awesome (sublime) and their opposites. We look particularly at humans' aesthetic responses to non-human animals and to landscape and the environment. We also discuss the account of human beauty as sexual attractiveness offered by evolutionary psychologists and debate whether this can be reconciled to the typically broader notion of aesthetic beauty.
Many theories of art are explored in depth. These include theories that group the arts and regard them as together serving some general adaptive function, that present particular art forms each as adaptive in their own distinctive fashion, that attempt to explain the origins of art, that argue that art is not itself adaptive but is a by-product of behaviours or systems that are and that analyse art as a technology not closely connected to evolved behaviours.
As well as philosophical literature on aesthetics and the philosophy of art, reference will be made to work in other disciplines, such as evolutionary psychology, neuroscience, evolution theory, philosophy of biology and art-based disciplines.
Course outcomes:
A student who successfully completes this course will have the opportunity to:
- acquire knowledge of aesthetics, art, and evolution and apply it to the relevant literatures
- understand and carry out the analysis of arguments
- acquire skills in report writing, critical thinking, academic literacy and oral presentation etc.
Assessment Summary:
100% coursework.
Class presentation:
All students are expected to give one class presentation of 10-20 minutes. The presentation should summarise the readings set for the class. Students who do not give a presentation will be penalised 5% on their final result.
There are two options for completing the coursework requirement:
Either
One 3000 word essay, worth 60%.
One class presentation assessed at 15%.
Written 400 word summaries/comments on readings for five other classes, worth 25%.
Or
Either two 3,000 word essays, each 50%. Or one 6,000 word essay These can be based on sections of the textbook.
Due dates for essays will be advised.
Weekly Topics:
See under FILES
Prescribed Texts:
The primary text is Stephen Davies' The Artful Species, which is available as an e-book via the library or in paperback.
http://www.bookdepository.com/search?searchTerm=The+Artful+Species&search=Find+book
Recommended Texts:
Highly recommended is Denis Dutton's The Art Instinct (Oxford: Oxford University Press OR New York: Bloomsbury Press, 2009).
Workload and deadlines for submission of coursework:
The University of Auckland's expectation is that students spend 10 hours per week on a 15-point course, including time in class and personal study. Students should manage their academic workload and other commitments accordingly. Deadlines for coursework are set by course convenors and will be advertised in course material. You should submit your work on time. In extreme circumstances, such as illness, you may seek an extension but you may be required to provide supporting information before the assignment is due. Late assignments without a pre-approved extension may be penalised by loss of marks – check course information for details.
Course summary:
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