AESTHETICS

The course in Aesthetics Sp. aims to introduce the student to Dewey's aesthetics, i.e. his theory of experience and his philosophy of art. The course aims to develop the student's ability to confront the legacy of American pragmatism, some philosophical issues and the philosophical styles characterizing this tradition of thought, by considering the tools of the aesthetic and philosophical tradition acquired during the three-year course as a point of departure. The course will solicit the students to develop an interpretative approach that could be at the same time critical and robust on the one hand, pluralistic and non-reductive on the other hand.

Knowledge and understanding: As a result of this course students should acquire the conceptual tools for understanding the contemporary aesthetic debate, by engaging it with Classical Aesthetics; by the end of the course, students are expected to be able to contextualize the debate on its theoretical and historical background.
Applying knowledge and understanding: As a further goal, students should achieve the capacity to use concepts and arguments arising from the aesthetic debate to interpret the different forms of artistic productions and, more generally, the cultural world.
Making judgments: The course is intended to provide some basic tools for a critical reconstruction of the debate on environmental aesthetics.
By the end of the course, students should gain adequate communicative skills apt to analyzing the current debate and expressing their own evaluations with clarity as well as on the basis of convenient arguments.

In order to attend the course, students are requested to know the main aspects of classic German aesthetics, particularly the main lines of Kant's, Schiller's and Hegel's aesthetic theories.

The course will explore John Dewey's aesthetics, reconstructing his path from the theory of experience, interpreted as an interaction between organisms and their environment, to the philosophy of art, which was meant to be an enhancement of the aesthetic aspects inherent to experience. Particular emphasis will be given to the connections between Dewey's continuist conception of aesthetics and the legacy of Charles Darwin, the radical empiricism of William James, as well as some of Hegel's claims, interpreted within an originally naturalistic framework by Dewey. In order to complement the journey across Dewey's aesthetics, the course will provide a series of lessons on the contemporary aesthetic debate within the pragmatist field, with particular reference to the positions of Richard Rorty and Joseph Margolis with contributions by Michela Bella, Sarin Marchetti, and Francesco Ragazzi.

Essential bibliography:
John Dewey, The Need for a Recovery of Philosophy.
John Dewey, Experience and Nature, Later Works 10, Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1988.
John Dewey, Art as Experience, Later Works 10, Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1989.

The exam consists of a short essay (10 pages) on a specific topic, that will be chosen by the student among those covered in the course, and agreed upon personally with the teacher (robdre@unive.it). The exam involves also a short interview on the second volume of Dewey, that will not be covered by the student's essay.
Alternatively, the examination may be taken entirely orally, it will deal with all the texts characterized as essential in the syllabus (Experience and Nature, Art as Experience and the essay The Need for a Renewal of Philosophy) plus one article or book chapter chosen by the student among the secondary literature titles that will be provided in the course of the lectures (see Moodle).
The first option is preferable.

Reading of the texts, conceptual analysis, arguments analysis, critical reflection, and discussion in the class.
Interventions of experts on the contemporary aesthetic debate within the pragmatist field.

Italian

Students who cannot attend the class will find help in one of the following volumes:
- Alexander, T., John Dewey's Theory of Art, Experience and Nature. The Horizons of Feeling, New York: SUNY, 1987
- Roberta Dreon, Fuori dalla torre d'avorio, L'estetica inclusiva di John Dewey oggi, Genova: Marietti.

Students are requested to subscribe to the Moodle space of the course as well as to regularly check materials and information they can find there.

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.

oral

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Human capital, health, education" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development