PY954-7-AU-CO:
Philosophy and Aesthetics
2026/27
Philosophical, Historical, and Interdisciplinary Studies (School of)
Colchester Campus
Autumn
Postgraduate: Level 7
Current
Thursday 08 October 2026
Friday 18 December 2026
20
07 March 2025
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
Reflections on art and the aesthetic more generally play an important role in modern and contemporary thought, especially in the continental tradition from Kant and Hegel to Adorno and Rancière. In this module, we will consider key positions and themes in the philosophy/theory of art and aesthetics to develop a better understanding of the (existential, social, and political) significance of artistic and aesthetic practices.
The aims of this module are:
- To introduce students to key themes in philosophy and aesthetics.
- To be able to identify and critically reflect on the philosophical and political issues that are at stake in different accounts of the aesthetic.
- To be able to identify and critically reflect on the aesthetic dimensions of socio-political life and artistic practices.
By the end of this module the student will be expected to be able to:
- Summarise in their own words and critically assess the principal theories and aesthetic perspectives examined in this course.
- Compare and evaluate conflicting accounts of the aesthetics.
- Offer detailed philosophical analysis and critique of journal articles published in the field.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the relation between aesthetics and political life.
Skills for your Professional Life (Transferable Skills)
By the end of the module, students should also have acquired a set of transferable skills, and in particular be able to:
- Define the task in which they are engaged and exclude what is irrelevant.
- Seek and organise the most relevant discussions and sources of information.
- Process a large volume of diverse and sometimes conflicting arguments.
- Compare and evaluate different arguments and assess the limitations of their own position or procedure.
- Write and present verbally a succinct and precise account of positions, arguments, and their presuppositions and implications.
- Be sensitive to the positions of others and communicate their own views in ways that are accessible to them.
- Think 'laterally' and creatively - see interesting connections and possibilities and present these clearly rather than as vague hunches.
- Maintain intellectual flexibility and revise their own position if shown wrong.
- Think critically and constructively.
No additional information available.
This module will be delivered via:
- One 2-hour seminar per week.
- One Reading Week with no seminars.
Discussion will be encouraged throughout.
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Guyer, P. (2014)
A history of modern aesthetics. New York , NY: Cambridge University Press. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107110342.
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Reckwitz, A. and Black, S. (2018)
Invention of Creativity. John Wiley and Sons Ltd. Available at:
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/detail.action?docID=4875216.
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Danto, A.C. (2014)
What Art Is. Yale University Press. Available at:
https://www-jstor-org.uniessexlib.idm.oclc.org/stable/j.ctt32bfhx.
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Danto, A.C. and Goehr, L. (2014) After the End of Art. Updated Edition. New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
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Osborne, P. (2018) Postconceptual Condition. London: Verso Books.
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Osborne, P. (2013) Anywhere or not at all: philosophy of contemporary art. Brooklyn, N.Y.: Verso Books.
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Ranciere, J. (2013)
Politics of Aesthetics. Edited by G. Rockhill. London: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC. Available at:
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5309787.
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Miller, J. (2021)
Politics of Perception and the Aesthetics of Social Change. Columbia University Press. Available at:
https://www-degruyter-com.uniessexlib.idm.oclc.org/doi/book/10.7312/mill20142.
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Honneth, A. and Ranciere, J. (2016)
Recognition or Disagreement. NY: Columbia University Press. Available at:
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/detail.action?docID=4471743.
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Schaub, J. (2019) 'Aesthetic freedom and democratic ethical life: A Hegelian account of the relationship between aesthetics and democratic politics',
European Journal of Philosophy, 27(1), pp. 75–97. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1111/ejop.12403.
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Chiapello, E. (2004) 'Evolution and Co-optation: The "Artist Critique” of Management and Capitalism',
Third Text, 18(6), pp. 585–594. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1080/0952882042000284998.
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Boltanski, L. and Chiapello, E. (2017)
New Spirit of Capitalism. London: Verso Books. Available at:
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5703794.
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Lopes, D.M., Nanay, B. and Riggle, N. (2023)
Aesthetic Life and Why It Matters. New York: Oxford University Press Inc. Available at:
https://academic.oup.com/book/38761?login=true.
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Lopes, D.M. et al. (2024) Geography of Taste. New York: Oxford University Press Inc.
The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's
reading list.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
Essay (4000 words) |
21/01/2027 |
100% |
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Joerg Schaub, email: jschaub@essex.ac.uk.
PHAIS PG Queries: phaispg@essex.ac.uk
Yes
Yes
Yes
Prof Mark Wrathall
University of Oxford, Corpus Christi College
Professor & Tutor
Available via Moodle
Of 18 hours, 18 (100%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).
* Please note: due to differing publication schedules, items marked with an asterisk (*) base their information upon the previous academic year.
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