What is art? Does something have to be created in a certain way in order for it to count as art, or does it just need to be accepted by the art world? Are the artist's thoughts and intentions relevant to understanding or appreciating of a work of art? Why do people respond to art in the way they do? Why does art have an emotional impact, and why are people compelled to evaluate it? These are the kinds of questions that are taken up in the area of philosophical aesthetics. The philosopher’s task is to try to sort out these puzzles in a clear and reasonable way. This class will focus on a few key questions about aesthetics, read what some philosophers have had to say about them, and discuss the readings along with personal thoughts and experiences about art, the art world, artists’ intentions, and other related concepts.
This course embraces and explores many forms of mass communication, applying theories to see how best to create, use, and understand everything from a news photo to a video game, or from a TV commercial to a political web site.
A teeming metropolis long regarded as America’s artistic center, New York City is famed for its world-class museums, lively gallery scene, and iconic architecture. But the prospective visitor wanting to fully experience the city’s rich visual culture should not overlook its public sculpture, statues, and monuments; its distinctive bridges; and the revolutionary approach to landscape design that led to the development of Central Park.
Looking at graphic novels in the genres of mystery, superhero, manga, memoir, and works beyond categorization, students will examine how these stories are structured: the forms of novel, novella, and short story will help differentiate and explain the subtleties of these forms.
This course concerns itself with the great variety and the interdependence of species that live on this planet. Students will discuss just how species evolve and grow and how they die and become extinct. Change over time in living organisms will be a major theme of this course.
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