PHL 285:

Introduction to Aesthetics
Prof. Peter King
Winter 2024
Brennan Hall 200
T/Th 12–1:30 pm

Description. This course is an introduction to aesthetics with an emphasis on philosophical questions

that are posed by the particular arts: in addition to general questions about, say, what counts as an
artwork and whether aesthetic judgments are objective, we’ll look at some issues pertaining to the
visual arts, primarily about representationality, and then at issues pertaining primarily to some of the
performing arts, in particular drama and dance. Along the way we’ll consider what makes something
an artwork, canons for evaluating artworks, imitation and representation, formalism, the distinctions
between high and low art as well as between popular/mass art and ‘elite’ art, the intentional fallacy,
performance and participation, and the relation between composition and improvisation. Readings
are drawn largely from contemporary sources and are all available through the resources of the
University of Toronto.
Course Texts. All the readings for this course are available online for free, most through the University
of Toronto library. I have provided live links to each of the readings (sometimes to a chapter and
sometimes to the whole book). There are six books from which several readings are drawn; links
and bibliographical details for these are as follows:

• Cynthia Freeland, Art Theory: A Very Short Introduction. Cambridge University Press 2003.
(Also published in 2002 under the title But is it Art?)

• Gordon Graham, Philosophy of the Arts: An Introduction to Aesthetics. London: Routledge

Press 2005 (third edition).

• Berys Gaut & Dominic McIver Lopes, The Routledge Companion to Aesthetics. London: Rout-
ledge Press 2013 (third edition).

• James Hamilton, The Art of Theater. London: Blackwell and Sons Press 2007.

• Paul Woodruff, The Necessity of Theater. Oxford University Press 2008.

• Graham McFee, Understanding Dance. London: Routledge Press 1992.

Bibliographical references for other items are provided below.

Requirements. Each week, you are expected to read the assigned material and to attend the lectures.
Each of these activities, namely reading the assignments and listening to the lectures, is important to
learning about aesthetics. It’s better if you do the readings for each week before the lectures, since I
will assume you have done so and you’ll be lost if you haven’t. I will try to post summary lecture
notes in a timely fashion.

Peter King • JHB 521 • office hours Th 1:30–3:00pm and by appointment • peter.king@utoronto.ca
PHL 285: Introduction to Aesthetics Page 2

This is a WIT course, so there is more than the ordinary amount of writing and re-writing involved.
Students will write three essays: each about 1000 words and worth 20� of your final mark, to be
turned in online before midnight on the following dates: 28 January, 25 February, and 17 March.
Topics and instructions for each of the papers will be given out in advance, and expectations will be
discussed. The first paper will involve critique and revision of an LLM-generated paper. The second
and third papers will each have brief follow-ups: minor revisions of each paper in light of comments
from the markers, to be done fairly quickly after you are given those comments (no more than a
week later); the revised papers will each count for 5� more. There will also be an in-person written
final examination at a time scheduled by the University, which will be worth 30� of your final mark;
the examination will cover the material on dance. We will discuss the format and expectations for
the final exam later in the course.

READINGS

general aesthetics
Jan. 09/11 Philosophy and the Artworld
Read: Freeland [see above] Ch. 1; Graham [see above] Ch. 1
Recommended: Freeland Chs. 2–3
Jan. 16/18 Aesthetics, Art Criticism, Evaluation
Read: Graham Ch. 2–3; Jonathan Gilmore, “Criticism” in Gaut & Lopes [see above] Ch. 36
Recommended: Freeland Chs. 5–6
Jan. 23/25 Arts and Audiences
Read: Freeland Ch. 4 and Ch. 7; John Fisher, “High Art vs. Low Art” in Gaut & Lopes Ch. 46

visual arts
Jan. 30/Feb. 01 Static Images I: Painting and Drawing
Read: Graham Ch. 6; Dominic Lopes, “Painting” in Gaut & Lopes Ch. 57; Michael Newell,
“Painting and Philosophy” [Philosophy Compass 9 (2014) 225–237]
Feb. 06/08 Static Images II: Photography
Read: Dawn Wilson, “Photography” in Gaut & Lopes Ch. 56; Roger Scruton, “Photography
and Representation” and Kendall Walton, “Transparent Pictures,” both in Scott Walden (ed.),
Photography and Philosophy [Blackwell Publishing 2008: 138–166 and 14–48]
Feb. 13/15 Dynamic Images: Film
Read: Berys Gaut, A Philosophy of Cinematic Art (Cambridge 2010) Ch. 06; Murray Smith,
“Film” in Gaut & Lopes Ch. 53; Thomas Wartenberg, “Philosophy of Film” in the Stanford
Encyclopedia of Philosophy

performing arts: drama

Feb. 27/29 Puzzles about Performance
Read: Graham, Ch. 08; James Young, “Authenticity in Performance” in Gaut & Lopes Ch. 44;
James Hamilton, “Theater” in Gaut & Lopes, Ch. 52; Tom Stern, Philosophy and Theatre
[Routledge Press 2013] Ch. 1

Peter King • JHB 521 • office hours Th 1:30–3:00pm and by appointment • peter.king@utoronto.ca
PHL 285: Introduction to Aesthetics Page 3

Mar. 05/07 Drama as a Performing Art

Read: James Hamilton, The Art of Theater [see above] Ch. 02 and Chs. 05–06; Paul Woodruff,
The Necessity of Theater [see above], Chs. 01–02 and Ch. 05
Mar. 12/14 Engaging with Performance
Read: Hamilton Ch. 04; Woodruff Chs. 08–09

performing arts: dance

Mar. 19/21 Thinking About Dancing
Read: McFee [see above] Chs. 2–4; Greg Scott, “Banes and Carroll on Defining Dance” [Dance
Research 29 (2014) 7–22]
Mar. 26/28 Movement and Understanding
Read: McFee Ch. 10; Barbara Montero, “Dance as Embodied Aesthetics” in The Bloomsbury
Handbook of Dance and Philosophy [Methuen Press 2021 82–96]; David Davies, “Dancing
Around the Issues” [Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 71 (2013) 195–202]
Apr. 02/04 The Language of Dance
Read: McFee Ch. 5; Henrietta Bannerman, “Is Dance a Language? Movement, Meaning, and
Communication” [Dance Research 32 (2014) 65–80]

COURSE POLICIES
Website. There is an official website for this course, available through Quercus; you are responsible
for checking it periodically for announcements, course material, lecture notes, and so on.
Etiquette. Classes are for the benefit of everyone in the course and should not be disrupted; please
be sure your cellphone is turned off and your attention directed to the front of the room. Please do
not engage in other activities that are likely to be distracting to others (websurfing, playing games,
checking email, texting, and so on). Otherwise don’t come. Remember that while we are engaged in
lively and critical discussion of ideas and positions, be mindful that others may neither share nor
views nor your reasons for them; always be respectful and open-minded.
Accessibility. The University of Toronto is committed to accessibility. If you require accommodations
for a disability, or have any accessibility concerns about the course, the classroom, or course materials,
contact Accessibility Services as soon as possible.
Email. Please use email to discuss formal matters pertaining to the course (extensions, make-up
exams, scheduling appointments, and the like); if you want to raise philosophical questions, that’s
what our office hours are for. Please put ‘[PHL 285]’ in the subject line of your email with a concise
and clear subject entry. We will try to respond to email promptly within 48 hours of receiving it.
Lateness. Late papers will be subject to the penalty of 5� per day of lateness.
Plagiarism (and AI). According to the University of Toronto Code of Behaviour in Academic Matters,
“It shall be an offence for a student knowingly…to represent as one’s own any idea or expression of an
idea or work of another in any academic examination or term test or in connection with any other
form of academic work, i. e. to commit plagiarism…Wherever in the Code an offence is described as
depending on ‘knowing’, the offence shall likewise be deemed to have been committed if the person
ought reasonably to have known.” In particular, you should note that the use of generative artificial

Peter King • JHB 521 • office hours Th 1:30–3:00pm and by appointment • peter.king@utoronto.ca
PHL 285: Introduction to Aesthetics Page 4

intelligence tools or apps for the completion of, or to support the completion of, an examination,
term test, assignment, or any other form of academic assessment, is permitted in this course only as
specifically directed; otherwise such use may be considered an academic offense. This is because
one of the goals of this course is for you to develop your own skills for reading, understanding,
analyzing, and writing philosophical prose. You should be familiar with the Code of Behaviour in
Academic Matters. For more on what constitutes plagiarism, including the common form known
as unreferenced paraphrase (together with tips about how to avoid it), see this advice from the
University Writing Centre. We will be on the watch for plagiarism. This is your only warning.

Peter King • JHB 521 • office hours Th 1:30–3:00pm and by appointment • peter.king@utoronto.ca