Masaryk University
Faculty of Arts
Department of Art History
Autumn Semester 2020
DU2345: ANGLO-AMERICAN PHILOSOPHY OF ART
Essay Questions
For this course will be assessed on the basis of an essay of 7-10 pages on one of a list of set questions.
The submission deadline for the essay is 21 January 2021. The essay must be written in English. You are asked
to answer one of the following:
1. In what sense is the role of empirical experience in aesthetic judgement open to question?
2. Is it self-indulgent to be moved to tears by art?
3. Do animals have a sense of beauty?
4. What is questionable about talk of the ‘art’ of ancient Greece or tribal Africa? Can it be defended?
5. What is the difference, if any, between a sexually explicit work of art and a work of pornography?
6. Is the moral worth of a work of art relevant to its artistic value?
7. Is it possible to define what art is?
8. Is there such a thing as an objective interpretation?
The essay will be assessed on the basis of the following criteria:
The course will be marked on a pass / fail basis. However, you will be also be given a grade from A to E, to
indicate how well your essay met the following criteria:
1. Research: is the essay well researched and are its claims based on appropriate use of sources?
2. Analysis: does the essay undertake an appropriate critical appraisal of the written primary and
secondary source material?
3. Argument: does the essay present a clearly constructed argument, with a conclusion?
4. Relevance: are the material selected and the arguments used relevant to the topic of the essay
question and to the course as a whole?
5. Language: is the essay written in clear and correct English?