Society for the Arts in Religious and Theological Studies

The textbook for the course defines “aesthetics” as the branch of philosophy concerned with art and beauty. Sounds simple enough, right? But the investigation of the topic involves questions of aesthetic experience, taste, judgment, context, and a variety of other related topics that qualify the discussion of “art for art’s sake.”

PURPOSE: The textbook for the course defines “aesthetics” as the branch of philosophy concerned with art and beauty. Sounds simple enough, right? But the investigation of the topic involves questions of aesthetic experience, taste, judgment, context, and a variety of other related topics that qualify the discussion of “art for art’s sake.” The course will include a historical review of classical understandings of aesthetic theory, beginning with Plato and Aristotle and continuing through post-modernism and post-structuralism. The
goal of the course is to introduce the student to the evolution of understandings of aesthetics and to engage in a personal appreciation of the interaction of beauty, truth, and the “good” that characterize the field of aesthetics.