Module manager: Víctor Durà-Vilà
Email: V.Dura-Vila@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
| PHIL3322 | Aesthetics & Phil of Art |
This module is not approved as an Elective
In this module, you will examine philosophical issues concerning the nature and values of art, aesthetic appreciation, and the nature of aesthetic knowledge and justification. It is a mark of civilisation that you cultivate and promote the arts. The presumption is that art educates and ennobles your mind. Imagine how much less you would know if you lived in a world without literature, films, paintings, and music. In this module, you will investigate, in philosophical terms, what such claims amount to and how, if at all, you can justify them. What does it mean for you to evaluate a work as art? Can your taste be objective? Can you justify your aesthetic claims? Can you learn from art? Should immoral artworks repel you? What does it mean for you to be artistically creative? You will explore philosophical approaches to these questions, from historical figures such as Hume and Kant to more contemporary thinkers. This module will help you cultivate a deeper philosophical understanding and reflection on the nature of art, critical judgment, appreciation, and the values of art. Please note this is an optional module and runs subject to enrolments. If a low number of students choose this module, then the module may not run and you may be asked to choose another module.
The purpose of this module is to introduce you to philosophical approaches to thinking about aesthetics, including the nature of art, beauty, and aesthetic experience. You will explore contemporary issues related to aesthetics appreciation, while learning to critically and independently apply these philosophical approaches to real and current debates about art and value.
You will achieve these goals through lectures that introduce you to key theories, issues, and thinkers, as well as through seminar preparation and participation. In seminars, you will work with your peers to apply philosophical ideas to aesthetic questions, developing and refining your own independent understanding of art and aesthetic judgment. You will also have supervision from the module leader who will advise on how to develop your knowledge of and views about the module topics, to enable you to develop and defend your own view in detail.
On successful completion of the module students will be able to:
1) Critically analyse major theories, debates, and problems in aesthetics and the philosophy of art.
2) Coherently connect different theoretical approaches within aesthetics and the philosophy of art.
3) Critically assess the validity and contemporary relevance of aesthetic theories when applied to current debates in literature, visual art, film, digital media, and other artistic practices.
4) Develop and articulate sophisticated, independent, and well-defended positions on key issues in aesthetics and the philosophy of art.
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will be able to:
5) Communicate complex insights coherently and concisely (Academic and Work Ready Skill)
6) Synthesise and critically appraise diverse sources of information, identify key insights and situate them within wider academic, professional, or digital contexts. (Academic, Work Ready and Digital Skill)
Topics may vary each year but example topics are:
- Aesthetic experience
- Art and morality
- Art and knowledge/understanding
- Interpretation and authorial intention
- Art and the emotions
- Art and objectivity/subjectivity
- Humour: ethics and aesthetics
- Feminist art
- Music and dance: rhythm
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supervision | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Lectures | 10 | 1 | 10 |
| Seminars | 9 | 1 | 9 |
| Private study hours | 280 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 20 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 300 | ||
Each student is invited to complete ONE piece of formative work which will receive written feedback.
Students are given a choice of: essay plan, literature review or exposition of an argument.
Students should read and reflect on (i) the feedback they received in previous summative assessments, (ii) the PRHS marking criteria and (iii) the specific guidance provided on the summative assessment in this module and identify for themselves the type of formative feedback that will be most beneficial for them.
In addition, supervision from the module leader will provide feedback on how to develop and defend a personal view on the material.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Essay | Essay | 100 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Resit will be by the same methodology as the first attempt. Students will select a different essay question from the list provided.
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 30/04/2026
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