Kathleen M Higgins

This course will examine the relationship between philosophy and literature, emphasizing both philosophical theories about literature and the way that philosophical ideas are conveyed through literature and literary form and devices.  Some of the topics to be considered include: distinctive characteristics of literary texts; the line between the fictional and the non-fictional; whether fictional literature can convey truth and, if so, how; the ontological status of fictional worlds and characters; the “problem of fiction” (why we care about characters we know to be fictional); the impact of literature on emotion and its relevance to evaluating literature; literary means of positioning the reader; literature in relation to moral education; the (alleged) intentional fallacy; the pleasures of tragedy; aesthetic and moral evaluation of literature;  the nature of genre; the genres of philosophical texts; and indirect communication.

“Existentialism” was hardly a philosophical movement in the traditional sense, for few of its major figures would have described themselves as existentialists.  And yet the existentialists do represent a movement in the sense that they sharing certain concerns, such as emphasis on how reflective thought relates to our actual lives, skepticism regarding reason, reevaluation of traditional approaches to ethics, and insistence on passionate engagement as essential for a meaningful life. Among the figures we will consider are Søren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, Martin Heidegger, and Simone de Beauvoir.

PHL 317K

Fall 2018

Kathleen Higgins, Professor

Description:  This course will consider some of the answers given in the Western philosophical tradition to questions about the nature of art and beauty, with some comparison with the aesthetic traditions of other societies.  Particular attention will be given to the nature of aesthetic experience from the standpoint of both the artist and the observer, the relationship between art and reality, and the questions contemporary art raises about the purpose of art.

Text:  David Goldblatt, Lee B. Brown, and Stephanie Patridge, Aesthetics: A Reader in Philosophy of the Arts, 4th ed.

Grading:

Short papers               30% total (beauty, wall text, Landmarks, something toward end)

Exam 1                       15%

Exam 2                       15%

Final project                20%

Section presentation    10%

Participation                10%

Prerequisites

Graduate Standing and Consent of Graduate Advisor or instructor required.

Course Description

In this course we will consider some of the grounding theories of Western aesthetics with an eye to more contemporary perspectives that challenge or build upon them.  Among the classical aesthetic theories we will consider are those developed by David Hume, Immanuel Kant, Arthur Schopenhauer, G.F.W. Hegel, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Martin Heidegger.  Among the issues to be considered are: whether aesthetic value is grounded on anything “objective” (i.e. intersubjective across humankind); whether (or to what extent) beauty is culturally relative; whether beauty ought to be the aesthetic ideal of art; what, if anything, unites the projects of various artistic media; how emotion figures in what is aesthetically valuable; why we can aesthetically value representations of what would disturb us; how aesthetic value is related to ethical value; what role art plays (or should play) within society; whether aesthetics is necessarily tied to social positioning; how art might relate to truth/reality; how valuing art resembles and differs from aesthetically valuing the natural world and from aesthetically valuing everyday phenomena; etc.

Grading Policy:

Term Paper 85%

Participation 15%  

(This includes providing questions for discussion for one class during the course of the semester and making a presentation on the last day of the seminar on term paper research)

Texts:

Prerequisites

Graduate Standing and Consent of Graduate Advisor or instructor required.

Course Description

Nietzsche is noteworthy among philosophers for the stylistic range of his writing.  As some see it, his literary experimentation eclipses or interferes with his philosophical achievement, but he considers it of a piece with his philosophical work.  We will consider the relationship between Nietzsche’s philosophy and his style, considering such questions as:  What is Nietzsche’s conception of philosophy?  Why does he think style is important for philosophical communication?  What does he hope to achieve with the various styles he utilizes?  Do his literary efforts facilitate the communication of his philosophical ideas, or are readers forced to translate from Nietzsche’s literary mode of presentation to more prosaic statement to make sense of them?  What is the status of some of his most well-known (but nebulous ideas), such as the Übermensch (superman), eternal recurrence, and will to power?  What should we make of his discussions of music in relation to his writing?  What is the point of his choosing to write Thus Spoke Zarathustra as fiction?  To what extent is he manipulating the reader, and to what purpose?

Grading Policy

Term paper: 85%

Participation: 15% 

(This includes providing questions for discussion for one class during the course of the semester and making a presentation on the last day of the seminar on term paper research    

Texts

Friedrich Nietzsche, The Birth of Tragedy

Friedrich Nietzsche, “On Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense"

Friedrich Nietzsche, The Gay Science

Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra

Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil

Friedrich Nietzsche, On the Genealogy of Morals

Friedrich Nietzsche, Ecce Homo

This seminar satisfies the Ethics requirement.

This course will consider some of the answers given in the Western philosophical tradition to questions about the nature of art and beauty, with some comparison with the aesthetic traditions of other societies.  Particular attention will be given to the nature of aesthetic experience from the standpoint of both the artist and the observer, the relationship between art and reality, and the questions contemporary art raises about the purpose of art.

“Existentialism” was hardly a philosophical movement in the traditional sense, for few of its major figures would have described themselves as existentialists.  And yet the existentialists do represent a movement in the sense that they sharing certain concerns, such as emphasis on how reflective thought relates to our actual lives, skepticism regarding reason, reevaluation of traditional approaches to ethics, and insistence on passionate engagement as essential for a meaningful life.  Among the figures we will consider are Søren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, Martin Heidegger, and Simone de Beauvoir.

This course will consider some of the answers given in the Western philosophical tradition to questions about the nature of art and beauty, with some comparison with the aesthetic traditions of other societies.  Particular attention will be given to the nature of aesthetic experience from the standpoint of both the artist and the observer and the relationship between art and reality.

Prerequisites

Graduate Standing and Consent of Graduate Advisor or instructor required.

Course Description

This course will consider basic issue in philosophy of emotion and their application to issues in philosophy of the arts, with special (but not exclusive) emphasis on music.  Among the issues to be considered are the following:  What mechanisms are involved in emotional responses to the arts?  How does art express emotion?  How does emotion contribute to meaning in art?  Should moral considerations restrict our emotional responses to art?  What can we learn from our emotional responses to art?  Why do we enjoy “negative” emotions (horror, sadness) in art?  How does emotional expression relate to emotional arousal?  Can we have real emotional reactions to characters and plots that we know are fictional, and if so, how?  Do emotions require objects? If they do, are there musical emotions?  Can music express cognitively complex emotions?  Are emotional responses to art universal in any sense?

Grading Policy

Term paper: 80%   Participation (including a brief introduction of some discussion questions for particular week’s readings): 20%

Texts

Robert C. Solomon, ed., What Is an Emotion?, 2nd ed. 

Albert Hofstadter and Richard Kuhns, eds., Philosophies of Art and Beauty  Mette Hjort and Sue Laver, eds.,

Emotion and the Arts

A packet of articles

This course will critically examine the social implications of feminism. Topics to be considered include: the legacy of historical philosophical understandings of women; the concept of gender; and relationship between sexism and racism; the possiblitiy and desirability of feminist approaches toward traditional areas of philosophy (such as ethics, aesthetics, epistemology and ontology); the diversity of feminisms and their various social and polictical agendas; and the viability of particular institutional changes advocated by feminists (in connection with such arenas as weomen's rights, chil-rearing, the interaction of the sexes, work, etc).

This course will consider some of the answers given in the Western philosophical tradition to questions about the nature of art and beauty, with some comparison with perspectives from Japan (and perhaps other societies).  Particular attention will be given to the nature of aesthetic experience from the standpoint of both the artist and the observer and the relationship between art and reality.

This course will consider Nietzsche as both a critic of the moral tradition and a positive ethical thinker.  Among the issues to be considered are the following: 1) What is Nietzsche’s immoralism? 2) What implications does genealogy have for morality? 3) What is the point of revaluation of values, and what should come in its wake? 4) What are the implications of the theory of will to power for ethical life? 5) What is Nietzsche’s positive ethical vision? 6) Does Nietzsche think his ethical ideals are humanly attainable? 7) Is Nietzsche a virtue ethicist?.

This course will be an overview of basic themes in Chinese philosophy, concentrating on the ancient texts of Confucianism and Daoism.  Emphasis will be placed on: the respective emphases of Confucianism, Daoism, and Chinese Buddhism, with consideration of the way in which these emphases have been synthesized and conjoined in more recent Chinese philosophy.

This course will consider some of the answers given in the Western philosophical tradition to questions about the nature of art and beauty, with some comparison with perspectives from Japan (and perhaps other societies). Particular attention will be given to the nature of aesthetic experience from the standpoint of both the artist and the observer and the relationship between art and reality.

This course will consider basic issue in philosophy of emotion and their application to issues in philosophy of the arts, with special (but not exclusive) emphasis on music.  Among the issues to be considered are the following:  What mechanisms are involved in emotional responses to the various arts?  How does art express emotion?  How does emotion contribute to meaning in art?  Should moral considerations restrict our emotional responses to art?  What can we learn from our emotional responses to art?  Why do we enjoy “negative” emotions (horror, sadness) in art?  How does emotional expression relate to emotional arousal?  Can we have real emotional reactions to characters and plots that we know are fictional, and if so, how?  Do emotions require objects? If they do, are there musical emotions?  Can music express cognitively complex emotions?  Are emotional responses to art universal in any sense?Are emotional responses to art universal in any sense?

Classic issues in the philosophy of art and beauty, illustrated from the fine arts and contemporary media: literature, drama, music, painting, film, and television. 

This course will consider some of the answers given in the Western philosophical tradition to questions about the nature of art and beauty, as well as offering a brief overview of some perspectives from Japan.  Particular attention will be given to the distinction between art and reality, and to the nature of the aesthetic experience from the standpoint of both the artist and the observer.

This course will consider Nietzsche as both a critic of the moral tradition and a positive ethical thinker.  Among the issues to be considered are the following: 1) What is Nietzsche’s immoralism? 2) What implications does genealogy have for morality? 3) What is the point of revaluation of values, and what should come in its wake? 4) What are the implications of the theory of will to power for ethical life? 5) What is Nietzsche’s positive ethical vision? 6) Does Nietzsche think his ethical ideals are humanly attainable? 7) Is Nietzsche a virtue ethicist?

This course will consider basic issue in philosophy of emotion and their application to issues in philosophy of the arts, with special (but not exclusive) emphasis on music.  Among the issues to be considered are the following:  What mechanisms are involved in emotional responses to the various arts?  How does art express emotion?  How does emotion contribute to meaning in art?  Should moral considerations restrict our emotional responses to art?  What can we learn from our emotional responses to art?  Why do we enjoy “negative” emotions (horror, sadness) in art?  How does emotional expression relate to emotional arousal?  Can we have real emotional reactions to characters and plots that we know are fictional, and if so, how?  Do emotions require objects? If they do, are there musical emotions?  Can music express cognitively complex emotions?  Are emotional responses to art universal in any sense?

This course will consider Nietzsche as both a critic of the moral tradition and a positive ethical thinker.  Among the issues to be considered are the following: 1) What is Nietzsche’s immoralism? 2) What implications does genealogy have for morality? 3) What is the point of revaluation of values, and what should come in its wake? 4) What are the implications of the theory of will to power for ethical life? 5) What is Nietzsche’s positive ethical vision? 6) Does Nietzsche think his ethical ideals are humanly attainable? 7) Is Nietzsche a virtue ethicist?

This course will consider some of the answers given in the Western philosophical tradition to questions about the nature of art and beauty, with some comparison with perspectives from Japan (and perhaps other societies).  Particular attention will be given to the nature of the aesthetic experience from the standpoint of both the artist and the observer.

This course will consider major ethical theories in the Western and Chinese philosophical traditions as guides to practical living.  The primary question to be addressed is:  What is the good life for human beings, in theory and in practice?

This goal of this course is for students to participate in a debate that has engaged philosophers and social critics for at least 2,500 years regarding the social benefits and successes, as well as the risks and moral failures of commercial life.  The focus will be the role of business and the modern corporation in American life and the role of the individual (worker, manager, executive, consumer, citizen) in commercial life. We will consider not just the moral challenges and obstacles of modern commercial life, but also its moral opportunities. We will examine the diverse moral complexity of commercial life by exploring topics such as the relationship between market equilibrium and social optimality, the myth of homo economicus, the connection between freedom and capitalism, and the role of business in the attainment of the good life. Some of the philosophical issues will also include some general concerns of ethics with specific application to business, questions of justice, and the virtues and vices of capitalism. Some of the practical business issues will include the concept of corporate social responsibility, the ethical implications of mergers and takeovers, business ethics and the environment, and the ethical role of the consumer.  Theoretical considerations will be augmented by presentations from professionals in the Austin business community whose business practices and social entrepreneurship projects engage and respond to the moral and social issues covered during the course.  The discussion section will be an essential part of the class. The course will try to strike a balance between the practical and the theoretical. 

 “Existentialism” was hardly a philosophical movement in the traditional sense, for few of its major figures would have described themselves as existentialists.  And yet the existentialists do represent a movement in the sense that they sharing certain concerns, such as emphasis on how reflective thought relates to our actual lives, skepticism regarding reason, reevaluation of traditional approaches to ethics, and insistence on passionate engagement as essential for a meaningful life.  Among the figures we will consider are Søren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, Martin Heidegger, and Simone de Beauvoir.

This course will consider some of the answers given in the Western philosophical tradition to questions about the nature of art and beauty, with some comparison with perspectives from other societies.  Particular attention will be given to the nature of the aesthetic experience from the standpoint of both the artist and the observer.

This course will consider major ethical theories in the Western and Chinese philosophical traditions as guides to practical living.  The primary question to be addressed is:  What is the good life for human beings, in theory and in practice?

Topic 1: Philosophy and Feminism

This course will consider some of the answers given in the Western philosophical tradition to questions about the nature of art and beauty, with some comparison with perspectives from other societies.  Particular attention will be given to the distinction between art and reality, and the nature of the aesthetic experience from the standpoint of both the artist and the observer.

This course will consider several major ethical theories in the Western and Chinese philosophical traditions as guides to practical living.  The primary question to be addressed is:  What is the good life for human beings, in theory and in practice?

Past topics include major figures and movements in ancient, medieval, early modern, and nineteenth- and twentieth - century philosophy. 

Study of basic principles of the moral life, with critical examination of traditional and contemporary theories of the nature of goodness, happiness, duty, and freedom.

Topic 1: Philosophy and Feminism

Study of basic principles of the moral life, with critical examination of traditional and contemporary theories of the nature of goodness, happiness, duty, and freedom.

Study of basic principles of the moral life, with critical examination of traditional and contemporary theories of the nature of goodness, happiness, duty, and freedom.

A survey of principal topics and problems in areas such as ethics, theory of knowledge, and philosophy of religion. 

Topic 1: Philosophy and Feminism

Topic 1: Philosophy and Feminism

Past topics include major figures and movements in ancient, medieval, early modern, and nineteenth- and twentieth - century philosophy. 

Classic issues in the philosophy of art and beauty, illustrated from the fine arts and contemporary media: literature, drama, music, painting, film, and television. 

Topic 1: Philosophy and Feminism

Study of basic principles of the moral life, with critical examination of traditional and contemporary theories of the nature of goodness, happiness, duty, and freedom.

Topic 1: Philosophy and Feminism

A survey of principal topics and problems in areas such as ethics, theory of knowledge, and philosophy of religion. 

Study of basic principles of the moral life, with critical examination of traditional and contemporary theories of the nature of goodness, happiness, duty, and freedom.

Topic 1: Philosophy and Feminism

A survey of principal topics and problems in areas such as ethics, theory of knowledge, and philosophy of religion. 

Classic issues in the philosophy of art and beauty, illustrated from the fine arts and contemporary media: literature, drama, music, painting, film, and television. 

Individual instruction in a topic approved by the instructor and the humanities adviser.

Prerequisite: Upper-division standing and consent of the humanities adviser.

Hour(s) to be arranged. May be repeated for credit.

A survey of principal topics and problems in areas such as ethics, theory of knowledge, and philosophy of religion. 

Critical study of the philosophical implications of the works of selected modern thinkers from the nineteenth century to the present day. 

Study of basic principles of the moral life, with critical examination of traditional and contemporary theories of the nature of goodness, happiness, duty, and freedom.

Past topics include major figures and movements in ancient, medieval, early modern, and nineteenth- and twentieth - century philosophy. 

Basic issues of philosophy in Western and non-Western traditions, such as the nature of philosophy, its relation to religion and science, the self, knowledge, and virtue. 

Basic issues of philosophy in Western and non-Western traditions, such as the nature of philosophy, its relation to religion and science, the self, knowledge, and virtue. 

Past topics include major figures and movements in ancient, medieval, early modern, and nineteenth- and twentieth - century philosophy.