AESTHETIC I

Within the Bachelor’s Degree Programme in Philosophy, this course aims to introducestudents to the classics of the discipline, to its problems and fundamental authors through the direct reading of some crucial texts. Students are supposed to develop a historical comprehension of main aesthetic issues, as well as a critical understanding of their theoretical consequences, also with reference to the most recent debate.
With reference to the Bachelor’s Degree Progamme in Conservation of Cultural Heritage and Performing Arts Management, this course also aims to develop a historical and theoretical awareness about the use of some concepts such as art, fine arts, art autonomy, artwork and aesthetic experience, with particular reference to a historical and cultural contextualization of these terms.

The course “Aesthetics I” is intended to provide students with an introduction to Authors, topics, and problems that have played a crucial role in the development of the discipline and that continue to be discussed in the contemporary debate. The overall objective is to allow students to get a critical understanding of both the historical and the theoretical meaning of Aesthetics central issues and their impact upon the general context of human experience.

Given its introductory nature, the course is particularly (though not exclusively) aimed at students with little or no prior knowledge of the history of Aesthetics, and, more specifically, of the debate on the notions of the sublime.

• I. Kant, Critica della capacità di giudizio (1790), edizione a scelta dello studente, §§ 23-29 + Nota generale post § 29.
• B. Newman, Il Sublime, adesso, Abscondita 2010.
• R. Rosenblum, The Abstract Sublime, “ARTnews”, 60:1 (febbraio 1961), pp. 39-40 e 56-58.
• J.-F. Lyotard, L’istante, Newman (1984), in L’inumano. Divagazioni sul tempo, Lanfranchi 2001, pp. 109-121.
• J.-F. Lyotard, Il sublime e l’Avanguardia (1984), in L’inumano. Divagazioni sul tempo, Lanfranchi, pp. 123-143.
• A. Danto, Barnett Newman and the Heroic Sublime, “The Nation” 274:23 (2002), pp. 25-29.
• A. Chirico et al., Nature versus Art as Elicitors of the Sublime: : A virtual reality study, https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0233628

In addition for non-attending students only:
• I. Kant, Critica della capacità di giudizio (1790), edizione a scelta dello studente, §§ 1-23.
• H. Blumenberg, Naufragio con spettatore, Il mulino 1985.

The learning objectives of the course will be tested through a written test, during which students should be able to show their ability to master the multifarious aspects of the course’s subject matter. The open-ended questions aim at evaluating whether students know and understand the main concepts of the course, and if they are able to link the various topics and issues that the course covers. They also are intended to verify the students' ability in communicating the different positions with clarity and pertinence as well as critical awareness.

Frontal lessons with PPT slides.
Critical reading of the texts.

Accessibility, Disability and Inclusion

Ca' Foscari abides by Italian Law (Law 17/1999; Law 170/2010) regarding support services and accommodation available to students with disabilities. This includes students with mobility, visual, hearing and other disabilities (Law 17/1999), and specific learning impairments (Law 170/2010). If you have a disability or impairment that requires accommodations (i.e., alternate testing, readers, note takers or interpreters) please contact the Disability and Accessibility Offices in Student Services: disabilita@unive.it.

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