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Philosophy of Art and Beauty

Assignments

Short Paper I

DUE: Tuesday, February 17, 8:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time

LENGTH: 600-1000 words (ordinarily, this would print out to 3-5 pages, double-spaced, with normal margins and type sizes)

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR PAPER: Please submit your paper as a file attached to an e-mail message. Step-by-step instructions are available on-line by clicking here.

If you have never done this before, send me a test file as an attachment to an e-mail message several days ahead of the deadline, so we can verify that it worked and troubleshoot until you are comfortable doing this. As soon as possible after you have sent your paper, I will send you an e-mail message to let you know it arrived safely; please check back on your e-mail to verify that it was transmitted successfully, in case you need to re-send it.

When you name the file on your paper, please give it a name distinctive to you: e.g., smith.wp or jones.doc Please do not name it Paper or 361 or a name others in the class are likely to use. The extension on your file name (the last three letters to the right of the period) should indicate the word-processing program you are using (.wp = WordPerfect, .doc = Word, .txt = text, etc.)

CONTENT: Please pick one (and only one) of the following things on the list below (#1-7). For the one you pick, include all of the following in your essay:

  • Begin with a brief verbal description of the object (1-2 paragraphs). Try to give your reader a sense of what it is like to see/hear/experience the "thing" you selected. Use descriptive terms and metaphors, and try to avoid technical jargon understood only by artists or philosophers.
  • Present arguments/reasons why it should be considered "art"
  • Present arguments/reasons why it should not be considered "art"
Use ideas you have developed from the class readings and discussions in Unit I, as well as any additional factors you think are relevant in developing your arguments. Consider the information about the object that you find on the web site for that object, given below (visual, audio, text). Include both stronger arguments and weaker ones - do not limit yourself only to the one reason you think is "best" or "strongest." Please do not do any additional research on the object or on the philosophical issue of what constitutes "art." Be sure to fully discuss both "sides" (both that it should and that it should not be considered "art").

Your essay should adhere to good standards for composition. Check spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Grading will consider the comprehensiveness of your discussion, the range of reasons discussed, your demonstrated understanding of the material in Unit I, and the variety of properties of the thing in question that you explore.

1. "Bicycle Wheel" by Marcel Duchamp
2. Poetry by W.H. Auden
3. "Pieta II" by Andres Serrano
NOTE: This work by Serrano has been called "offensive" and "blasphemous" by some. You are not required to look at it and should not do so if you think it might upset you.
4. Egyptian Pyramids
5. Patagonia, Argentina
6. Roaratorio, by John Cage
NOTE: To listen to the Cage audio clip, you need to use a computer equipped with a sound card and speakers. To hear this on campus, please go to the North Library computer lab and ask the attendant for help. They have earphones so you can listen to the audio.
7. Pairs Figure Skating at the 1998 Olympics
NOTE: In addition to using the material in these two Web sites, you also must watch the Olympic broadcast of this event, Sunday, February 8th (short program: CBS, 8-11 p.m.) and Tuesday, February 10th (long program: CBS, 8-11 p.m.)

GRADING: This paper is worth up to 12 points

ASSIGNMENT OF POINTS:

  • A+: 12 points
  • A: 11 points
  • A-: 10 points
  • B+: 9 points
  • B: 8 points
  • B-: 7 points
  • C+: 6 points
  • C: 5 points
  • C-: 4 points
  • D+: 3 points
  • D: 2 points
  • D-: 1 point

LATE PAPERS: Late papers will be accepted for up to 48 hours after the deadline, but will receive an automatic 4 point deduction. As I will be posting excerpts from some of the papers (without names!) for our class discussion, no papers will be accepted after February 19, 8:00 p.m. PST.

TECHNICAL EMERGENCIES: Please plan ahead. The Internet is full of surprises, not all of them happy ones.

  • Don't wait until the last minute to look at the Web sites for the assignment - they might be off-line just when you need to see them.
  • Please don't wait until the last minute to figure out how to send the paper as an e-mail attachment. If you want to, you can send me a near-final draft a few days ahead, just to be sure it's in on time, and send me your final version by the deadline.
  • If you have a technical emergency beyond your control on the day of the deadline, you can meet the deadline by faxing a print-out of your paper to the department fax: (562) 985-7135, but you must still send me your paper as an e-mail attachment as soon as possible - preferably the next day. This option should be reserved for extraordinary emergencies.
  • If we have a major disaster on the Long Beach campus that knocks out the entire computer system or electrical power (El Nino flooding? 7.0 earthquake?), I will obviously extend the deadline until we're back on line.

CAMPUS LABS: The entire campus will be closed on Monday, February 16 for President's day, including the library and all computer labs. Campus facilities will be open on Saturday and Sunday that weekend. The campus computers will still be running on the holiday, so you can send and receive e-mail and get Internet access from home, but the campus telephone help lines won't be available.

Questions?

e-mail: jvancamp@csulb.edu

Julie Van Camp

Copyright Julie C. Van Camp 1997

Last updated: February 2, 1998