ESA215 Aesthetics in XXth Century

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2025
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 4 credit(s). Recommended Type of Completion: zk (examination). Other types of completion: k (colloquium).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
doc. Mgr. Rostislav Niederle, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. Mgr. Rostislav Niederle, Ph.D.
Department of Aesthetics – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: doc. Mgr. Rostislav Niederle, Ph.D.
Supplier department: Department of Aesthetics – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Mon 14:00–15:40 K24, except Mon 17. 11. to Sun 23. 11.
Prerequisites
An Introduction to Philosophy An Introduction to Aesthetics
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 9 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Abstract
Interpretation of selected aesthetic theories of the period. An overview of the most important directions of aesthetic thinking in the twentieth century, an awareness of the connections between the various philosophical theories, their aesthetic pandanas, and the historical and artistic context. Emphasis on key concepts characteristic of the movement. Framework: all movements interpreted as in terms of semiotics, the goal of all movements as the search for hidden meaning through special methods and concepts.
Learning outcomes
Students are able to independently navigate the complex tangle of 20th century aesthetic theories.
Key topics
1. Henri Bergson: aesthetic intuition. 2. Avant-garde: Valéry, Pound, Benn, Dali, Beuys, Kossuth. 3. Axiological aesthetics: beauty as a social factor, Dewey, Marx. 4. Aesthetic intuition: Benedetto Croce 5. Structuralist aesthetics: Peirce, Saussure, Bakhtin, Eco. 6. Phenomenological aesthetics: Husserl, Sartre, Ingarden. 7. Psychological aesthetics: Freud, Jung, Vygotsky. 8. Existentialist aesthetics: Heidegger, Marcel, Jaspers, Camus. 9. Fascist/nazi aesthetics and/or socialist realism. 10.Postmodern vs. modern: Lyotard, Welsch, Baudrillard et al. 11.Analytic aesthetics: Wittgenstein, Beardsley, Sibley. 12.Aesthetics of authorship: authors' reflections on their own or others' works. 13.Czech aesthetics: Masaryk, Nejedlý, Mukařovský, Zich.
Study resources and literature
    recommended literature
  • Aesthetics and the philosophy of art : the analytic tradition : an anthology. Edited by Peter Lamarque - Stein Haugom Olsen. 1st pub. Malden: Blackwell, 2004, xii, 571. ISBN 9781405105828. info
  • PERNIOLA, Mario. Estetika 20. století : L'estetica del novecento (Orig.). Vyd. 1. V Praze: Karolinum, 2000, 169 s. ISBN 80-246-0213-X. info
  • A companion to aesthetics. Edited by David Cooper. 1st pub. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 1995, xiii, 466. ISBN 0-631-19659-5. info
  • MORPURGO-TAGLIABUE, Guido. Současná estetika. Edited by Miloš Jůzl, Translated by Zdena Plošková. 1. vyd. Praha: Odeon, 1985, 552 s. URL info
    not specified
  • PECHAR, Jiří. Dvacáté století v zrcadle literatury. Praha: Filosofia, 1999, 582 s. ISBN 80-7007-124-9. info
  • Encyclopedia of aesthetics. Edited by Michael Kelly. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998, xvii, 521. ISBN 0195126459. info
  • JOHNSON, Paul. Dějiny 20. století. Praha: Rozmluvy, 1991, 845 s. ISBN 80-85336-07-3. info
  • LAMAČ, Miroslav. Myšlenky moderních malířů. 3., v NČVU 1, vyd. Praha: Nakladatelství československých výtvarných umělců, 1968. info
Approaches, practices, and methods used in teaching
After the expert explanation, students are encouraged to interpret the problems independently. Discussion follows.
Method of verifying learning outcomes and course completion requirements
Examination: a written test on the topics presented and an interview; the test consists of multiple-choice questions drawn from the topics presented; graded credit: written test on the topics presented; credit: submission of an essay on a topic specified by the lecturer of at least 3 pages of text and an interview; colloquium: submission of an essay on a topic specified by the lecturer, comprising at least 5 pages of text and an interview on the text.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
General note: Předmět je vhodný pro všechny oboru MU !.
Information on course enrolment limitations: Studenti bc. programu Estetika, kteří byli imatrikulováni do roku 2018 včetně, mají povinnost splnit postupovou zkoušku (ESAPZE), jinak si tento předmět nemohou zapsat. Pro ostatní obory není zápis omezen.
Teacher's information
http://plato.stanford.edu/
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2005, Autumn 2006, Autumn 2007, Autumn 2008, Autumn 2009, Autumn 2010, Autumn 2011, Autumn 2012, Autumn 2013, Autumn 2014, Autumn 2015, Autumn 2016, Autumn 2017, Autumn 2018, Autumn 2019, Autumn 2020, Autumn 2021, Autumn 2022, Autumn 2023, Autumn 2024, Autumn 2026.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2025, recent)
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