Currents of criticism

Judgement and choice are inescapable, no matter how painstakingly we construct our dogmas and disciplines. The ability to make informed judgements is a vital attribute of managers, be they programmers, policy makers or educators.

In this module you will consider some central debates in current art theory and criticism and a snapshot of some of the main strands of thought that inform interpretations of modern and contemporary culture will be provided.

A workout with the above should leave one more nimble and more sure-footed in the exercise of best judgements. In place of a craving for certainty or confusion, participants should develop a new respect for what the poet Thomas A. Clarke called negotiating "that lovely difficulty".

Indicative content

This module introduces you to the Enlightenment, with key issues of enlightenment being addressed, most notably, the birth of the modern subject, recondite and reflexive knowledge. It enables you to explore:

• aesthetic theory - key issues in aesthetics from the Enlightenment to the present day
• the administrative culture: from the cultural to the creative industries
• notions of High art versus popular culture and the occurrence of this theme in art criticism and cultural management
• issues of authenticity, originality and technicality in contemporary visual culture
• aesthetics and ethics - highlighting the fierce debates and definitions of realism and commitment in which the roles of intellectuals and critics are at stake
• serious art or taking art seriously - the challenges of film making currently through the lens of Adorno's notions of the cultural industry and commitment
• Americanisation, globalisation and pop culture
• the future of art when political culture has surrendered to cultural politics.

Recommended reading

• Appignanesi, R. and Garratt, C. (1995). Postmodernism for Beginners. Cambridge, Icon Books
• Bindé, J. ed. (2004). The Future of Values, 21st Century Talks. UNESCO and Oxford/New York, Berghan Books
• Costello,D and Vickery, J. eds. (2007). Key Contemporary Thinkers. Oxford, Berg Publishers
• Forster, H. ed. (1985). The Post Modern Condition.  London & Sydney, Pluto Press
• Horrocks, C. (1997). Introducing Foucault. Cambridge, Icon Books Ltd
• Foster, H. ed. (1985). Post-Modern Culture. London, Pluto Press
• Preziosi, D. (2003). Brain of the Earth's Body: Art, Museums and the Phantasms of the Modern. Minneapolis, University of Minneapolis Press
• Rancière, J. (2006). The Politics of Aesthetics, (trans. G. Rockhill). London, Continuum
• Said, E. (1984.) Orientalism. Harmondsworth, Penguin
• Sim, S. and Van Loon, B. (2001). Introducing Critical Theory. Cambridge, Icon Books Ltd