AESTHETICS

Within the framework of the Master’s Degree in Philosophical Sciences, this course aims to introduce students to the contemporary aesthetic debate. Specifically, it will investigate some of the most significant proposals of what could be characterized as the "practical turn" in aesthetics - namely, the shift in methodological focus from the ontological status of artworks to the consideration of the arts as practices. The course will explore and discuss positions that emphasize the anthropological relevance of artistic practices from an anti-autonomist perspective. This approach will encourage students to develop their own critical perspective on the great 18th- and 19th-century aesthetic tradition acquired during their Bachelor’s degree.

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.

Artistic Practices: Positions in the Contemporary Debate
Various voices in the contemporary aesthetic debate have contributed in different ways to moving away from the traditional aesthetic approach to art, which is primarily centered on objects characterized by a sui generis ontological status and supposedly requiring a mode of disinterested, contemplative appreciation (Berleant 1992). Alternatively, a "practical turn" toward the arts has been taking shape, considering them as activities and/or practices of anthropological significance, with relevant functions in shaping who we are (Margolis 2004).
The course explores several of these proposals, in particular:
Ellen Dissanayake’s conception of the arts as practices of "artification" aimed at "making special" situations that are uncertain and important for human communities.
Georg W. Bertram's (2017) idea of the arts as meta-level practices, ultimately aimed at self-recognition, as well as Alva Noë's (2022) view of art as a practice to reorient our attention toward the ways in which "we are organized".
Finally, the approaches to "fictionalizing" and performance, articulated respectively by Wolfgang Iser and Victor Turner, as practices for establishing and/or preserving individual identity within uncertain contexts, dealing with dramatic, existential, and social situations.

Texts by A. Berleant, G. Bertram, E. Dissanayake, W. Iser, J. Margolis, A. Noë, and V. Turner.
More specific details regarding the bibliography required for the exam will be provided before the start of the course.

oral

The lecturer has a duty to ensure that the rules regarding the authenticity and originality of exam tests and papers are respected. Therefore, if there is suspicion of irregular conduct, an additional assessment may be conducted, which could differ from the original exam description.

A. Grades in the range of 18-22 will be awarded for:*
Essay writing: sufficient handling of the issue and the state of the art.
Oral part: sufficient ability to provide answers with correctness, clarity, relevance, and appropriate arguments.

B. Grades in the range of 23-26 will be awarded for:
Essay writing: Decent handling of the issue and the state of the art, fair level of independent judgment.
Oral part: Decent ability to provide answers with correctness, clarity, relevance, and appropriate arguments.

C. Grades in the range of 27-30 will be awarded for:
Essay writing: Good or excellent handling of the issue and the state of the art, ability to provide original insights or hypotheses.
Oral part: Good or excellent ability to provide answers with correctness, clarity, relevance, and appropriate arguments.

D. “Honors” will be awarded to students with:
Essay writing: Excellent handling of the issue and the state of the art, excellent ability to provide original insights or hypotheses.
Oral part: Excellent ability to provide answers with correctness, clarity, relevance, and appropriate arguments.

Reading of the texts, conceptual analysis, arguments analysis, critical reflection, and discussion in the class.

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.
- Roberta Dreon, Matteo Santarelli, John Dewey tra natura umana e democrazia. Una biografia intellettuale, Roma: Carocci 2026.

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.

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