Philosophy of art assignment
PHL317-001—PHILOSOPHY OF ART
ASSIGNMENT #1
Instructions:
· Answer one question. Concentrate on a providing clear and complete answer to the question. Don’t worry about writing an engaging or literary introduction. Just get right to the point. It is important to answer every part of each question; each question should be thought of as leading the essay writer step-by-step through the writing of a satisfactory essay. Note that, because of the relations among the parts of each question, it may be difficult or impossible at times to answer a later part of a question adequately without having accurately answered an earlier part of that question.
· The reasoned evaluation in the final part of your essay is not expected to be comprehensive or all-inclusive; it is sufficient either (i) to press one or two clear and relevant objections to the philosopher’s position or argument(s), (ii) to defend the philosopher’s position or argument against one or two clear and relevant objections, or (iii) to propose a clear and relevant additional argument for or against the philosopher’s position.
· Please defend your interpretation of a thinker by citing passages that support it. But don’t quote passage after passage. Instead, put the thinker’s points into your own words and indicate the page on which he or she makes them.
· There is no specific length requirement, just concentrate on providing a clear and complete answer to the question. Around 2 pages would be certainly sufficient.
· Grading is based on the accuracy, completeness, and philosophical acuity of the essay considered as a response to the question posed.
· Answers must be typed and double-spaced. Answers must also be typed in a normal sized font (12 x Times New Roman is usually a good size), and in an acceptable format. Leave margins of your essay at the top, bottom, left and right sides of each and every page. One-inch margins all around the page are standard. Separate cover sheets are unnecessary. A word document or a pdf file is fine.
· Please keep a copy of your answer as insurance against loss.
· Your answer must be your own work. You must take care not to incorporate others’ ideas without explicit acknowledgment. If you draw on any external sources, you should do both of the following. First, provide, at the end of your essay or in a footnote, a full bibliographic entry for the source (including the author’s name, the title, the journal, book or other location in which it was published, the year of publication, and the beginning and ending page numbers). Second, every time your ideas rely on that source, credit the additional reading by giving the author’s last name, the year of publication, and the page number in parentheses. Please note that any material taken from the writings of another person must be placed in quotation marks, with the source explicitly cited.
· Your answer is to be handed in D2L by Friday, July 26th by 11:00p.m.
1. Explain Tolstoy’s expressionist theory of art as presented in the work What is Art? [note that an important part of answering this question involves explaining how he defines art, the aim and special importance of art, in addition to the condition of infectiousness]. In the final part of your answer, provide a reasoned evaluation of Tolstoy’s expressionist theory of art.
2. Explain Collingwood expressionist approach to art in Principles of Art [note that an important part of answering this question involves explaining how the relation between art, emotion, and the imagination]. In the final part of your answer, provide a reasoned evaluation of Collingwood’s approach to art.
3. Compare and contrast what Tolstoy and Collingwood have to say on the relation between art and expression. In the final part of your answer, provide a comparative reasoned evaluation of Tolstoy and Collingwood on art, including some discussion as to whether or not Collingwood’s discussion of art is an improvement on Tolstoy’s theory.
4. Explain how Weitz applies Wittgenstein’s analysis of games to the concept of art and what Weitz means by the “open” concept of art. In the final part of your answer, provide a reasoned evaluation of some aspect of Weitz’s approach to art.
5. Explain how Weitz analyzes the “open” concept of art. How does Mandelbaum criticize Weitz’s analysis of art? In the final part of your essay, provide a reasoned evaluation of Mandelbaum’s critique of Weitz’s approach to art.
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