Puzzles about Art and Literature

Learning Outcomes

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• think critically about a number of issues relating to art and the value we attach to it.
• identify and evaluate assumptions which are made about the nature of art and its significance.
• articulate and defend your own views concerning the art and its appreciation.
• present and debate ideas, both orally and in writing, in a rigorous and open-minded way.

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• undertake independent study, including identifying and using appropriate resources.
• contribute to discussion of controversial issues in an informed and dispassionate way.
• extract relevant information from a variety of sources.
• complete work to deadlines and under time pressure.

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• influential attempts to resolve those puzzles and the problems they face.
• some of the respects in which art and literature matter to individuals and to society at large.
• some of the puzzles which reflection on art and literature and our experience of it raises.

The syllabus may vary from year to year. Topics might include:

Definitions of art

• What is art? How distinguishes art from what is not art?

Art and value

• Why we do value art? Is it for the knowledge it provides? Or for the experiences it affords? Or for the feelings it conveys?

Art and interpretation

• How should we interpret works of art? Should we appeal to what the artist intended in creating the work? Or facts about his or her life?

Art and imagination

• What role does the imagination play in our appreciation and understanding of art? Why do we care about fictional events when we know they are not real?

Art and judgement

• Does a person’s evaluation of an artwork merely express her taste? Are there objective standards for assessing artworks? Is there a distinction between high and low art?

Teaching methods include

• Lectures
• Group discussion
• One-on-one consultation with module co-ordinator

Learning activities include

• Attending lectures
• Contributing to class discussion
• Doing independent research for and writing assessed essays and exams

Formative

This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.

Essay proposal

• Assessment Type: Formative
• Feedback: Written feedback on your essays and essay draft. Opportunity for further discussion with the module coordinator on any aspect of your performance during their office hours or by appointment.
• Final Assessment: No
• Group Work: No
• Percentage contribution: 100%

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.