Aesthetic Cognition

3 Credits · Level: Graduate

In this course, we will consider some of the ways that engagements with film, music, and fashion can reveal significant features of human cognition. This will lead us through a diverse range of theoretical perspectives, ranging from ones that highlight communicative intentions to ones that center on phenomenological and embodied engagements. Just as importantly, we will consider the possibility of shifting patterns of attention in ways that reveal the aesthetic structure of everyday experience. Along the way, we will also discuss the importance of history, culture, affective atmosphere, and mindful engagement in organizing aesthetic cognition.