- Explain what the vulgar is, and articulate in what way culture determines what counts as ugly, in order to properly assess statements regarding aesthetics, the beautiful, and the vulgar;
- Clarify the role of vulgarity in contemporary culture, and thereby problematize in a productive manner the presupposition concerning the status of beauty, harmony, and “good taste” as aesthetic and cultural goals;
- Create a multimedia project in order to illuminate and problematize a topic from the course. The student will be able to reflect on the form and content of the multimedia project in a written evaluation of the process.
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Ugliness and vulgarity are complex and multi-faceted phenomena. Though these concepts seem to be distant from the goals of cultural production and artistic creation, in reality, they often shape our taste and imagination. In contemporary culture, ugliness plays a crucial aesthetic role, and vulgarity can be a privileged starting point for creation. This course is dedicated to discussing the presence of ugliness in different media and genres, the theories surrounding it, as well as the role of the vulgar in art and culture.
Each week, we will address a topic in the form of a lecture (hoorcollege) and a seminar (werkcollege). During the lecture, the instructor will present the concepts and problematics of the week illustrating them in selected case studies. During the seminar students are expected to take the lead by creating group presentations selecting case studies based on prompts given out by the instructor.
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Note for exchange students: you cannot take this course if your English proficiency level is not at least B2 (TOEFL, IELTS, TOEIC or Cambridge). A statement from your home university won't be accepted.
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