Students in the Aesthetics and Critical Theory class include anthropology, humanities, and visual art students of quite diverse backgrounds and technical experience.  Each student was assigned a reading from A Critical and Cultural Theory Reader, ed. Antony Easthope and Kate McGowan (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1993).  The rather difficult 'postmodern' readings served as prompts for "reviews", with the form, extent, and purpose of the 'review' being left entirely open.  Indeed, this class works through very general assignments (a 'self-portrait', a 'review') through which they students must create work for class presentation and critique.  Much of the creative thrust of the class develops out of the synergy of personalities running across the term.

I have found that art students do not typically receive assignments that are totally open to any materials, forms, or processes; as such, the 'open' assignment is very difficult at first.  The students from other disciplines are not used to assignments that move beying writing in fairly standard 'term paper' or 'essay' formats.  The interaction of students of different backgrounds produces substantial writing, conceptual art, concrete poetry, installation art, and performance art, as well as more standard media projects.  The student work then opens discussion on the conceptual grounding of semiotics, aesthetics, ethics, and other forms of cultural criticism.  Linked here are a few of the projects presented by students this term.

Vive la Differance!  by Violet Nicklen   -   This project consisted of 14 cards with haiku representing different aspects of  Jacques Derrida's concept of Differance (1968), offered as a review of the Derrida reading in Easthope and McGowan. The original haiku were printed on 3x5 cards and offered in sets for men (even) and women (odd) to take at the beginning of class.  The projects also included visual works related to the concept of "trace" and the contrast of "differ" and "defer".  The classroom participation opened a very nice discussion of differance.  I think the minimal representation necessitated by the haiku form aided in keeping the construct from getting away from the class.  Go to Vive la Differance