This course will explore the role of aesthetics in the study of art history and visual culture. Beginning with Kant, it will trace the route of aesthetic theory through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Its primary focus, however, will be on challenges to the notion of the aesthetic in late-twentieth-century visual studies, such as those found in deconstruction and gender studies. At the same time, it will consider questions posed by traditional aesthetics to the development of this new field. Individual works of art will play a major part in these deliberations. Requirements: seminar reports, final essay.

HOLLY