• The Craft of Writing

    R1A - 002 | CCN: 20300

    Reimagining the Aesthetic: An Archeology of Aesthetic Philosophy

    Instructor: Megan Alvarado-Saggese & Marcos Cisneros

    4 Units

     This course aims to develop students’ critical thinking, reading, and

    writing skills through close analysis of works of literature, visual
    art, and philosophy. Moving between foundational texts from the
    history of aesthetic philosophy and contemporary works of art, this
    course will facilitate proficiency approaching visual, literary, and
    acoustic works. As such, students are expected to consider what close
    reading means when applied to a variety of aesthetic forms. As the
    first half of a year-long writing curriculum, we will focus on the
    development of exegetical writing. This means that a clear understanding of the courses’ texts is essential to successful essay
    writing.

    Beginning with Kant, we will trace the development of crucial debates
    regarding the meaning, value, and power of aesthetics. While
    the term was only introduced by Alexander Baumgarten in the mid-18th
    century, the question as to whether aesthetics is a contribution or a
    hindrance to the republic has long preceded his categorization of the
    phenomena. The term "aesthetics," then, serves as a lens through which to consider larger questions of subjectivity, community, and
    politics. While the readings will largely trace the thinking of French
    and German aesthetic philosophy, we will pair these canonical texts
    with contemporary works of art and literature, demonstrating the
    persistence of these seminal debates.