Philosophy Home

People

• Faculty
• Administrative Staff
• Graduate Students
• Office Hours

B.A. Program

• General Information
• Program Requirements
• Undergraduate Courses

M.A. Program

• General Information
• Program Requirements
• Graduate Courses
• Applying to NIU

Course Offerings

• Fall 2008
• Spring 2008
• Course Finder

News and Events

• Colloquia
• Graduate Student Conference
• Myers Award
• Rafalson Essay Contest
• Stanage Scholarship
• Philosophy Club
• Newsletter

Philosophical Resources

• Research Tools
• Philosophy Links

Course Offerings: Spring 2008

PHILOSOPHY 342: PHILOSOPHY OF THE ARTS

WEDNESDAY
SECTION 1, 6:00 - 8:40 P.M.

PROFESSOR WILLIAM TOLHURST

REQUIRED TEXTS
Neill & Ridley, Arguing About Art
Cooper, Aesthetics: The Classic Reading

COURSE CONTENT
The course will explore questions concerning the nature and value of art as well as issues that arise in connection with various art forms, e.g. film, theater, music, painting, etc. Among these are: 1) What makes something a work of art? 2) Is there a particular sort of experience (aesthetic experience) which works of art are designed to generate? 3) How is a work’s value as art related to other sorts of value that it might have? 4) Are there objective standards for assessing the value of a work of art? 5) What is it for a work to be authentic and what, if anything, does authenticity have to do with a work’s value as art? Both contemporary and classical texts will be discussed.

COURSE FORMAT
TBA