Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Aesthetics
Other languages of instruction: Catalan, English
Teaching staff
Introduction
Aesthetics is presented as the reflection on beauty and its relationship to love, morality, and truth. The Pythagorean school, and especially Plato, are pioneers in Western culture in proposing an idea of what beauty is; and they do so based on the development of a discourse that includes both reason and feeling, thought and passion.
From this solid foundation, which includes reading Plato's dialogues "The Symposium" and "Phaedrus," we will explore the evolution of Western thought regarding reflections on beauty, culminating in a proposed definition of the meaning of the concept of "aesthetics" in contemporary society.
Likewise, in this regard, students may find it useful to read my "Preliminary Lessons in Aesthetics," a text that will be read and discussed in class and will be provided in PDF format to those students who request it.
Cinema, as can be assumed in a subject of the degree in Audiovisual Communication, will be the guiding thread that accompanies this historical-philosophical inquiry about Beauty.
Pre-course requirements
No.
Objectives
Essentially, the subject aims to teach the student to use some basic concepts of Aesthetics. The subject also aims to offer the student the most complete overview possible of the historical and philosophical reflection on the concept of Beauty, whether that which has been motivated by new artistic movements or those generated by new theoretical and philosophical analyses. The intention, therefore, is not only to provide the student with critical analysis skills in new languages, but also to help him or her to position themselves professionally by understanding the aesthetic and historical foundations of creative culture work.
In this sense, the use of concepts and tools developed by the aesthetic tradition will allow the student a more detailed and richer knowledge of audiovisual discourse and will help him understand the relationships that exist between current exchanges of information and traditional ones, that is, to see the continuity and ruptures that new languages and new technologies imply in symbolic and cognitive production.
Regarding its current context, the course provides the student with tools to update his cultural background while nourishing him with a critical reflection on the aesthetic culture of postmodernity.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
- CN02 - Identify the various stakeholders in the contemporary audiovisual sector, their roles and the operational dynamics of a digital and globalised environment.
- CN03 - Identify emerging trends and developments within the global audiovisual ecosystem, including new formats and production technologies.
- CN04 - Explain the current legal and ethical framework governing the creation and distribution of audiovisual products, taking into account the sector's regulatory requirements.
- CN05 - Identify the key factors involved in assessing the economic, technical and creative viability of an audiovisual product in the current market.
- CN06 - Recognise the funding systems used by media groups and companies to support the production of audiovisual projects.
- CN07 - Recognise the main contemporary artificial intelligence tools with applications in the audiovisual sector.
- CN08 - Identify themes and styles that make audiovisual projects appealing to different audiences and markets.
- CP02 - Critically examine contemporary social developments and contextualise audiovisual works appropriately.
- CP03 - Communicate information and original ideas effectively, both orally and in writing, in Spanish, Catalan and English.
- CP04 - Apply professional ethical principles and standards of academic rigour in the audiovisual field, respecting the fundamental right to equality between women and men, promoting human rights, a culture of peace and democratic values, including the use of inclusive, non-discriminatory and stereotype-free language.
- CP05 - Develop multi-platform scripts that take into account the specific characteristics of different audiovisual genres and formats.
- CP07 - Create audiovisual content for commercial purposes, making full use of the expressive possibilities of multimedia environments and maximising creative potential through emerging digital technologies.
- HB01 - Use a range of media research and documentation resources.
- HB02 - Apply professional techniques in body language and voice presentation to create impactful audiovisual content.
- HB03 - Critically analyse contemporary audiovisual genres and formats using professional aesthetic and narrative criteria.
- HB04 - Use bibliographic resources, specialised terminology and linguistic structures in English effectively for professional communication in the audiovisual field.
Learning outcomes of the subject
Students will be able to:
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To analyse the behaviour and characteristics of audiences in the contemporary audiovisual environment.
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To contextualise the main audiovisual products from the time of their creation in order to recognise their influence on the moral values of societies in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
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To explain the aesthetic evolution of audiovisual artworks throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
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To recognise the dynamics and influences of a globalised world, including the impact of the Internet on society, in order to create engaging audiovisual content for different publics and heterogeneous audiences.
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To understand the economic dimension of their professional field, as well as the management of companies in the audiovisual sector.
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To recognise the legal and institutional framework within which they will carry out their professional activities.
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To identify the laws governing the production and distribution of information and audiovisual content, including aspects of intellectual property and image rights.
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To keep up to date with the contemporary radio and television landscape and streaming platforms in order to identify how they adapt to audience demands.
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To identify the main contemporary content creators and their target audiences in order to recognise their influence on different generations.
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To recognise the social phenomenon resulting from the diversification of the range of series available on streaming platforms, as well as their influence on the values and subcultures of the twenty-first century.
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To apply aesthetic criteria to understand, evaluate and relate audiovisual works, developing taste and sensitivity in artistic contexts.
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To analyse contemporary and digital culture, identifying artistic avant-gardes and their historical evolution, detecting emerging trends and recognising the main references and styles in audiovisual language in order to understand their impact on human communication.
Syllabus
TOPIC 1: Introduction: Aesthetics as an academic discipline
1. Aesthetics and university studies
2. Sense of Aesthetics in the Audiovisual Communication degree
3. Aesthetics and cinematographic art design
TOPIC 2: Aesthetics in Antiquity
1. The Pythagorean School: beauty as a proportion between the parts and the whole
2. Plato: relationship between beauty and love in "The Symposium"
3. Aristotle's "Poetics" and Hellenistic Aesthetics
TOPIC 3: Aesthetics in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance
1. Medieval Aesthetics: Augustine of Hippo and Thomas Aquinas
2. "The Divine Comedy", an aesthetic and moral reference
3. Platonism and Marsilio Ficino's theory of love
TOPIC 4: Aesthetics in the Modern Age
1. René Descartes and rationalist Aesthetics
2. David Hume and subjectivism
3. Immanuel Kant: the "Critique of Judgment" and "The Beautiful and the Sublime"
TOPIC 5: Contemporary Aesthetics
1. Hegel: the idea of progress and the "Death of Art"
2. Nietzsche and the eternal struggle between Apollo and Dionysus
3. Postmodern Aesthetics
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
- Continuous assessment (weekly worksheets and midterm exam): 40%
- Final project: 60%
For the second call, the pending part (or parts) must be made up, either the continuous assessment, the final project, or both parts
Bibliography and resources
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ARGULLOL, R. Tres miradas sobre el arte. Barcelona: Icaria 1985
AUMONT, J. La estética hoy. Madrid: Cátedra 1997
BAUDRILLARD, J. El complot del arte: ilusión y desilusión estéticas. Amorrortu 2006
BAZIN, A. ¿Qué es el cine? Madrid: Rialp 1990
CARROLL, N. Una filosofía del arte de masas. Madrid: Machado libros 2002
CASTRO, S. J. En teoría es arte. Una introducción a la estética. Salamanca: Edibesa 2005
ESTRADA, D. Estética. Barcelona: Herder 1988
FOSTER, H. The Anti-aesthetic: essays on postmodern culture. New York: The New Press 1998
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PLAZAOLA, J. Introducción a la estética. Madrid: BAC 1973
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TARKOVSKI, A. Esculpir en el tiempo. Barcelona: Rialp 1990
VALVERDE, J.M. Breve historia y antología de la estética. Barcelona: Ariel 2000
VILAR. G. Las razones del arte. Madrid: Antonio Machado 2005
VILAR, G. Desartización. Paradojas de un arte sin fin. Salamanca: Universidad de Salamanca 2010
XIRAU, R. i SOBREVILLA, D. Estética. Madrid: Trotta 2003
ZUNZUNEGUI, Santos. Pensar la imagen. Madrid: Cátedra 1992
VETESSE, A. El arte contemporáneo. Madrid: Rialp 2013.