VIS4002 Visual Aesthetics

VIS	4002	91533	2, 2009	ONC	Visual Aesthetics	1.00	Toowoomba
Subject	Cat-nbr	Class	Term	Mode	Description	Units	Campus

Academic group:	FOART
Academic org:	FOA005
Student contribution band:	1
ASCED code:	100300

Staffing
Synopsis
Objectives
Topics
Texts
Reference materials
Student workload
Assessment details
Important assessment information
Assessment notes
Other requirements
Production date
PDF version

STAFFING

Examiner: Kyle Jenkins

SYNOPSIS

Debates over the questions of meaning, textuality, intertextuality, history, and the subject organise contemporary aesthetic studies in the context of the visual arts. This course introduces students to a consideration of these questions through a selection of essays drawn from particular areas such as critical theory, structuralism, post-structuralism, modernism, postmodernism, aesthetic analysis, feminism, post-colonialism and current contemporary trends.

OBJECTIVES

On successful completion of this course students will have:

1.: an ability to identify key problems in the interpretations of visual and/or written texts and images;
2.: a demonstrated ability to discuss and evaluate a range of critical responses to these problems;
3.: a demonstrated ability for reflexivity in their critical practice.

TOPICS

	Description	Weighting (%)
1.	The nature of aesthetic value	14.00
2.	Visual Aesthetics and reading systems	14.00
3.	'Goodness' in visual art	14.00
4.	Aesthetics and information society	14.00
5.	Critical dialectics and the visual arts	14.00
6.	The 'posts' as channels for contemporary critical theories	14.00
7.	Contested terrains: history, artist and audience	16.00

TEXT and MATERIALS required to be PURCHASED or accessed

ALL textbooks and materials are available for purchase from USQ BOOKSHOP (unless otherwise stated). Orders may be placed via secure internet, free fax 1800642453, phone 07 46312742 (within Australia), or mail. Overseas students should fax +61 7 46311743, or phone +61 7 46312742. For costs, further details, and internet ordering, use the 'Textbook Search' facility at http://bookshop.usq.edu.au click 'Semester', then enter your 'Course Code' (no spaces).

There are no texts to purchase for this course.

REFERENCE MATERIALS

Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.

Adorno, T 1996, Aesthetic theory, University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, Mn.

Adorno, T & Bernstein, JM (trans) 1991, The culture industry: selected essays on mass culture, Routledge, London.

Armstrong, I 2000, The radical aesthetic, Blackwell Publishers, Malden, Mass.

Ashcroft, B, Griffiths, G & Tiffin, H 1998, Key concepts in post-colonial studies, Routledge, London.
(Also available online via library catalogue)

Barasch, M 2000, Theories of art, Routledge, New York: London.

Barker, D 2000, Aesthetics and gender in American literature: portraits of the woman artist, Bucknell University Press: Associated Univ Press, Lewisberg, Pa: London.

Battersby, C 1989, Gender and genius: towards a feminist aesthetics, Women's Press, London.

Baudrillard, P 1988, Jean Baudrillard: selected writings, Polity Press, Cambridge.

Benjamin, A 1991, Art, mimesis and the avant-garde, Routledge, London.

Bennett, T, Mercer, C & Wollacott, J (eds) 1986, Popular culture and social relations, Open University Press, Milton Keynes.

Betterton, R (ed) 1987, Looking on: images of feminity in the visual arts and media, Pandora, London.

Bourdieu, P 1984, Distinction: a social critique of the judgement of taste, Routledge, London.

Bourdieu, P & Wacquant, L 1992, An invitation to reflexive sociology, Polity Press, Cambridge.

Brodribb, S 1993, Nothing mat[t]ers: a feminist critique of postmodernism, Spinifex Press, North Melbourne.

Broude, N & Garrard, M 1982, Feminism and art history, Harper & Row, New York.

Bulloch, A & Stallybrass, O et al (eds) 1988, Fontana dictionary of modern thought, Fontana Press, London.
(revised edition)

Butler, R (ed) 1996, What is appropriation?, Power Publishers & IMA, Sydney.

Carroll, D 1987, Paraesthetics: Focault, Lyotard, Derrida, Routledge: Chapman & Hall, New York.

Code, L (ed) 2000, Encyclopedia of feminist theories (Available: http://ezproxy.usq.edu.au:2048/login?url=http://site.ebrary.com/lib/unisouthernqld/Doc?id=10016884) [Accessed 10 03 2004]
(Routledge, London: New York)

Cooper, D (ed) 1995, A companion to aesthetics, Blackwell, Oxford.

Danto, A 1981, The transfiguration of the commonplace, Harvard University Press, Cambridge.

de Lauretis, T 1984, Alice doesn't: feminism, semiotics, cinema, Indiana University Press, Bloomington.

Derrida, J 1987, The truth in painting, University of Chicago Press, Chicago.

Forester, J (ed) 1985, Critical theory and public life, MIT Press, Cambridge, Ma.

Foster, H 1985, Recodings: art, spectacle, cultural politics, Bay Press, Port Townsend, Washington.

Foster, H (ed) 1983, The anti-aesthetic: essays on postmodern culture, Bay Press, Seattle.

Foster, H (ed) 1999, Vision and visuality, New Press, New York.

Freeland, C 2001, But is it art?: an introduction to art theory, Oxford University Press.

Gombrich, EH 1972, Art and illusion, 4th edn, Phaidon, London.

Graham, G 2000, Philosophy of the arts: an introduction to aesthetics, 2nd edn, Routledge, London: New York.
(Also available online via library catalogue)

Harvey, D 1989, The condition of postmodernity, Blackwell, Oxford.

Herwitz, DA 1993, Making theory/constructing art, University of Chicago Press, Chicago.

Hutcheon, L 1989, The politics of postmodernism, Routledge, London.

Kosuth, J 1991, Art after philosophy and after, MIT Press, Cambridge.

Lechte, J 1994, Fifty key contemporary thinkers, Routledge, London.

Lippard, LR 1995, The pink glass swan: selected essays on feminist art, New Press, New York.

Lyotard, J 1984, The postmodern condition: a report on knowledge, University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis.

Mascia-Lees, F & Sharpe, P 2000, Taking a stand in a postfeminist world: toward an engaged cultural criticism, State University of New York Press, Albany.

Meynell 1986, The nature of aesthetic value, State University of New York Press, Albany.

Morton, S 2003, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Routledge, New York.

Mulvey, L 1989, Visual and other pleasures, MacMillan, Hampshire.

Nochlin, L 1988, Women, art and power and other essays, Harper & Row, Philadelphia.

Pollock, G (ed) 1996, Generations and geographies in the visual arts: feminist readings, Routledge, London.

Postman, N 1986, Amusing ourselves to death: public discourse in the age of showbusiness, Heinemann, London.

Prinz, J 1991, Art discourse, discourse in art, Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick.

Ross, S (ed) 1994, Art and its significance: an anthology of aesthetic theory, 3rd edn, State University of New York Press, Albany.

Russell, B 1972, History of western philosophy, Simon & Schuster, New York.

Said, E 1994, Culture and imperialism, Vintage Books, New York.

Said, E 1995, Orientalism, Penguin, London.

Sheppard, A 1987, Aesthetics: an introduction to the philosophy of art, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Sleinis, E 2003, Art and freedom, University of Illinois Press, Urbana.

Wexler, P 1991, Critical theory now, Falmer, Philadelphia.

Williams, R 1988, Keywords: a vocabulary of culture and society, Fontana, London.
(revised edition)

Wolff, J 1993, Aesthetics and the sociology of art, 2nd edn, MacMillan, London.

Young, R 1990, White mythologies: writing history and the west, Routledge, London.

Zolberg, V 1990, Constructing a sociology of the arts, Cambridge University Press, New York.

STUDENT WORKLOAD REQUIREMENTS

ACTIVITY	HOURS
Private Study	165.00

ASSESSMENT DETAILS

Description	Marks out of	Wtg(%)	Due date	Notes
ESSAY - 2000 WORDS	100.00	25.00	14 Aug 2009	(see note 1)
JOURNAL & NEWSGROUP PARTICIPAT	100.00	25.00	02 Nov 2009	(see note 2)
RESEARCH PAPER 3000 WDS	100.00	50.00	02 Nov 2009	(see note 3)

NOTES

1.: This assessment item is aligned with Objectives 1, 2 and 3.
2.: This assessment item is aligned with Objectives 1, 2 and 3.
3.: This assessment item is aligned with Objectives 1, 2 and 3.

IMPORTANT ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

Attendance requirements:
There are no attendance requirements for this external course. However, it is the student's responsibility to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration.
Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
To successfully complete an individual assessment item, a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks or a grade of at least C-. This statement must be read in conjunction with Statement 4 below.
Penalties for late submission of required work:
If students submit assignments after the due date without extenuating circumstances and without prior approval, then a penalty of a maximum of 5% of the assigned mark may apply for each working day late, up to a maximum of 10 working days, at which time a mark of zero can be recorded for that assignment.
Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
To be assured of receiving a passing grade, a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.
Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the aggregate of the weighted marks obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course.
Examination information:
There is no exam for this course.
Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
Given the details under (6) above, there are no deferred exams for this course. However, if any deferred/makeup work is granted, it would have to be submitted by a date set by the examiner.
University Regulations:
Students should read USQ Regulations 5.1 Definitions, 5.6 Assessment, and 5.10 Academic Misconduct for further information and to avoid actions which might contravene University Regulations. These regulations can be found at the URL http://www.usq.edu.au/corporateservices/calendar/part5.htm

ASSESSMENT NOTES

(a) The due date for an assignment is the date by which a student must despatch the assignment to the USQ. The onus is on the student to provide proof of the despatch date, if requested by the Examiner. (b) Students must retain a copy of each item submitted for assessment. This must be despatched to USQ within 24 hours if requested by the Examiner. (c) In accordance with University's Assignment Extension Policy (Regulation 5.6.1), the examiner of a course may grant an extension of the due date of an assignment in extenuating circumstances such as documented ill-health. (d) In the event that a due date for an assignment falls on a local public holiday in their area, such as a Show holiday, the due date for the assignment will be the next day. Students are to note on the assignment cover the date of the public holiday for the examiner's convenience. (e) Students who do not have regular access to postal services or who are otherwise disadvantaged by these regulations may be given special consideration. They should contact the examiner of the course to negotiate such special arrangements. (f) Students who have undertaken all of the required assessments in the course but who have failed to meet some of the specified objectives of the course within the normally prescribed time may be awarded the temporary grade: IM (Incomplete-Makeup). An IM grade will only be awarded when, in the opinion of the examiner, a student will be able to achieve the remaining objectives of the course after a period of non-directed personal study. (g) Students who, for medical, family/personal, or employment-related reasons, are unable to complete an assignment or sit for an examination at the scheduled time, may apply to defer an assessment in the course. Such a request must be accompanied by appropriate supporting documentation. One of the following temporary grades may be awarded: IDS (Incomplete - Deferred Examination; IDM (Incomplete Deferred Make-up); IDB (Incomplete - Both Deferred Examination and Deferred Make-up).

10.

Students are strongly advised to maintain regular contact with their supervisor.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

The assessment format and requirements will be established as part of the original contract, and ratified by the Visual Arts Course Team.

This version produced 11 Dec 2009.