As mandated by the Commission on Higher Education, this course aims to provide students the opportunity to observe or otherwise experience works of art in order to appreciate their role and purpose in life.  Students will be exposed to various works of art, ranging from the classical art forms to modern art installations, performance art, indie films, enhanced e-books, and multimedia aesthetics.  These works of art will be examined from an aesthetic point of view and also as reflections or critiques of the societies that produced them.  The course will this build upon and hone the skill of understanding, critical appreciation, and expression of one’s views.

 

At the end of the course, students should be able to approach a work of art from a perspective informed by the history and tradition of art and the social milieu in which it was produced as well as the perspective of aesthetics. Such an approach would require a written appraisal of the meaning and value of the works of art taken up in class and possibly some within the immediate vicinity of the student’s experience. The written essays must clearly demonstrate not only understanding and appreciation of a specified work of art, but also a sense of the work’s importance in life and history.