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| Semester | fall semester 2018 |
| Course frequency | Irregular |
| Lecturers |
Moniek Kuijpers (moniek.kuijpers@unibas.ch, Assessor)
Gerhard Lauer (gerhard.lauer@unibas.ch) |
| Content | Empirical aesthetics is a field of research on the border between the Humanities and the Social Sciences: it uses scientific methods to investigate the causes, nature, and effects of aesthetic experiences and behavior. This course gives an overview of the history and development of the field of empirical aesthetics in general and empirical literary studies in particular. It will also go into the practicalities of doing empirical work in the Humanities. In the past decades interest has grown in scientific approached to aesthetic artefacts, may they be literary texts, visual artworks, films or even performances. This interest stems from a desire to investigate these aesthetic objects in a more rigorous, scientific way. The results of such investigations help us cultivate a deeper understanding of aesthetic phenomena and, perhaps more importantly, what they mean to individuals and societies. This course will give a historical overview of the field of empirical aesthetics and relate to more traditional Humanities as well as other emerging fields, such as the Digital Humanities. We will also discuss a number of recent models of aesthetic appreciation, to provide you with an overview of the current state of the art in empirical aesthetics. Together we will discuss some of the most seminal theoretical and empirical research papers of the field and discuss questions such as: what are the merits and pitfalls of using empirical approaches to capture subjective experience; and how to evaluate the validity of empirical research? After this more theoretical overview, we will continue with a more practical, hands-on look at conducting empirical research, culminating in group presentations and reports on a self-chosen and developed mock-up empirical research project. This block seminar is open for and aimed at students from literary studies (or any specific language studies), theatre and film studies, visual arts, musicology and media and communication studies at both the BA and the MA level. Be advised that the course will be in English and that you will be asked to present in English and write a brief report in English. The course comprises two blocks. 1/ First block: 24, 25 and 26 October First day (14:00-17:00): - 14:00-15:30 Introduction Lecture (What is empirical aesthetics? How is it related to the traditional humanities? + Historical overview of the field) + Q&A - 15:30-16:30 Discussion of overview papers - 16:30 What are we going to do in this seminar? Second day (10:00-17:00): - 10:00-11:00 Lecture on “Current models of empirical aesthetics” - 11:00-12:00 Discussion of papers - 13:00-14:00 Make groups and brainstorm on a research topic and question - 14:00-15:00 Lecture on “Doing empirical research: conceptual models and variables” - 15:00-17:00 Spend time on developing a conceptual model in groups Assignment: Look up example empirical studies on your topic and be prepared to give the rest of the class a brief overview Third day (10:00-13:00): - 10:00-11:00 Lecture on “Experimental designs and measures” - 11:00-13:00 Discuss examples of empirical papers brought in by students (zoom in on method sections) - 14:00-15:00 Lecture on “The practicalities of doing empirical research” (Research ethics, working with participants, data management, collaboration, validity) - 15:00-17:00 Work on experiment design in groups + Q&A Assignment: Prepare with your group a presentation of 20 minutes on your research project > introduce the topic and question, embed it in a theoretical framework and provide empirical studies it draws from/is based on, then explain how you would investigate this question empirically (conceptual model, experimental design, measures, validity). In between the two blocks you can make an appointment to come in during office hours (Monday and Tuesday between 13:00 and 16:00 or Thursday and Friday between 10:00 and 13:00) to discuss your research project. 2/ Second block: 21, 22 and 23 November First day (14:00-17:00): - 14:00-15:00 Lecture on “Empirical Literary studies: The case of Absorption” - 15:30-16:30 Discussion of example papers on absorption - 16:30-17:00 Q&A Second day (10:00-17:00): - 10:00-13:00 First three student presentations - 14:00-17:00 Second three student presentations Third day (10:00-13:00): - 10:00-11:00 Lecture on “The Fundamentals of Statistics” - 11:00-12:00 Discuss results sections of example papers - 12:00-13:00 Lecture on “The future of empirical aesthetics” () For anyone who would be interested in actually conducting their designed project, I am interested in and available to supervise BA and MA theses that use empirical methodologies. |
| Learning objectives | The overarching learning objective is to get acquainted with the field of empirical aesthetics and arrive at an understanding of how to set up and develop and empirical research project within the Humanities. To achieve this aim, students will read empirical papers and discuss them in class, prepare and give a presentation on a mock-up empirical research project they developed themselves, and write a brief report on their project. |
| Bibliography | The reading list for this course will be made available 2 to 3 weeks before class. Be advised that you need to read papers before the first class in order to prepare yourself for participation in the class discussion. The maximum number of participants is 12. The first 12 students who registered in MoNa will be entered in the course. The language of the course is English. Students need to be aware that they will have to give a presentation in English and write a short report in English. |
| Admission requirements | Die Teilnehmerzahl ist auf 12 begrenzt. Es gilt die Reihenfolge der Anmeldung auf MOnA. |
| Course application | Die Teilnehmerzahl ist auf 12 begrenzt. Es gilt die Reihenfolge der Anmeldung auf MOnA. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|
No dates available. Please contact the lecturer.
| Modules |
Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Slavic Studies) Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: French Language and Literature) Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Latin Philology) Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Italian Language and Literature) Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: English) Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: German Literature) Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: German Language and Literature) Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Nordic Philology) Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Spanish Language and Literature) Modul Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: German Language and Literature) Modul Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Spanish Language and Literature) Modul Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Nordic Philology) Modul Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Latin Philology) Modul Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Italian Language and Literature) Modul Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: English) Modul Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Slavic Studies) Modul Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: French Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: French Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Ancient Civilizations) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: German Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree program: Ancient Civilizations) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Spanish Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Italian Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Nordic Philology) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: English) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: English) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Nordic Philology) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Italian Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Spanish Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: German Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: French Language and Literature) Modul: Probleme der Praktischen Philosophie (Bachelor's degree subject: Philosophy) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Present a mock-up experiment (40%), write a brief report (30%), participation in class discussions (30%). Each of these components will be assessed with either a pass or a fail; students need at least two passes, to pass the overall course. |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | as often as necessary |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Departement Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaften |