Course
GP312 - Aesthetics
General Information
| Course Type | On Campus |
| Course Category | P2. Systematic Philosophy |
| Description | Teaching Objective: This course explores the philosophical foundations of aesthetics, including theoretical perspectives and historical developments in aesthetic thought; critically analyzes the relationship between the aesthetic subject and objective beauty, and how aesthetic judgments are formed; and actively engages with classic texts of aesthetic philosophy. By the end, students will be able to: 1） differentiate aesthetic paradigms of the ancient, medieval, Renaissance, modern, and contemporary eras from a historical-philosophical perspective; 2） elucidate the emergence of modern aesthetics; 3） analyze and interpret essential texts of aesthetics within their historical contexts; 4） comprehend Kantian aesthetics related to the conditions of judgment and conditions of meaning; 5） understand contemporary perspectives on beauty and art, along with phenomenological aesthetics from modern thinkers. Teaching Content: What does “aesthetics” mean? How did it originate in philosophical reflection? What are its main objects of investigation? What do concepts like beauty, the sublime, art, artistic beauty, ugliness, and aesthetic judgment refer to? Is it possible to identify “models of beauty” and, by reverse, “models of ugliness”? What are their defining features? This course offers both diachronic and synchronic analyses of these aesthetic questions and explores potential insights by studying classic texts in aesthetic philosophy, spanning from antiquity to the modern era. Part One: Ancient Greece, Rome, and Early Christianity 1. Ancient Greek mythology and the origins of Greek aesthetics 2. Aesthetics of Plato and Aristotle 3. Aesthetics of the Hellenistic Era and Ancient Rome 4. The Concept of Beauty in the Old Testament and the Aesthetics of the Early Church Fathers Part Two: The Middle Ages 5. St. Augustine’s Aesthetics 6. Aesthetics during the period from the decline of the Western Roman Empire to the Carolingian dynasty. 7. Medieval Byzantine Aesthetics and Arts 8. Aesthetics of Medieval Mysticism 9. Aesthetics of Scholasticism and Saint Thomas Aquinas 10. Medieval Christian Arts and the Theory of Art Part Three: From the Renaissance to Contemporary 11. Arts and Aesthetics of Humanism in the Renaissance 12. Arts and Aesthetics of the Baroque Era 13. The Aesthetics of European Rationalism and Empiricism 14. Aesthetics of German Idealism: Kant and Hegel 15. The Development of European Romantic Aesthetics and Contemporary Phenomenological Aesthetics Teaching Mode: Lecture, Discussion and Read classical works ranging from antiquity to the present Assessment Mode: Oral Examination |
| College Organization Structure | Holy Spirit Institute of Philosophy |
| Course Tuition Fee | 1380.00 |
| Course Combination | There is no records at the moment. |
