Out of the Ordinary: Aesthetics, Power · English And Comparative Literature
So, so much. This course explored a broad range of topics in gender, race, sexuality, aesthetics, power structures, etc, etc, and every topic was incredibly interesting and explored in a way that I hadn't seen it tackled in a class before.
I learned how most of the foundations that America is built upon are inherently racist. This includes the way the US is governed, the education system, the justice system, and capitalism in general. So the country that my grandparents fled to, to get away from the evils of socialism and communism, is actually somehow evil and dangerous because it isn't communist enough.
How to interpret media in its role to inform and regulate bodies and representations of bodies.
New perspective on art and english language looking at art and beauty not through the classical/"ordinary" lense which has been instructed to me before in class. It is a good class to take to think outside the stereotypicala box.
Besides a thorough introduction to aesthetic theory, the class focuses on the role of art and beauty in answering questions of belonging, self-determination and identity. The course not only strengthens one's critical thinking skills but also one's perception of reality and role in society, especially for those with minoritized identities and political ideologies.
I learned how expressions of self are both a consequences of societal power structures and a subversion of them.
Aesthetic theories, especially as they relate to Blackness; the intersection between the ordinary and the extraordinary -- and how this convergence affects everyone differently.
I learned about queer and black aesthetics.
I would not recommend this course to anyone hoping to learn things of value besides how to pick find
It is a good class, the grading is fair and you learn a lot from it.