Schedule, syllabus and examination date

Course content

Problems in philosophical aesthetics, both historical and contemporary, are treated in this course. They may be approached as purely philosophical questions or as questions that arise in the meeting of philosophy with the arts. For example: What is beauty and what is its place among other things in the world? What is art and what is its place among other things and other activities? How is aesthetic quality judged? Texts and focus will vary.

Learning outcome

After having completed this unit you will be expected to:

  • have a good understanding of the most important concepts and questions within central aesthetical theories
  • to be able to account for selected views within aesthetics in a way that clearly brings out connections with other philosophical disciplines (such as epistemology, ethics, and metaphysics)
  • to be able to understand and assess central aesthetical theories in their historical context and development, as well as be familiar with contemporary debates about these theories
  • to be able to give an independent presentation of a selected aesthetical theory and critically to discuss this in light of other views on aesthetics

Admission to the course

Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.

Students enrolled in other Master`s Degree Programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.

If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.

Requires admission to Philosophy (master).

Overlapping courses