Perspectives on Beauty in Art
UndergraduateCUR-VIS3302025
Course information for 2025 intake View information for 2024 course intake
Engage with what beauty can mean in relation to philosophy and aesthetics. Look back on historical conceptions of beauty. Examine landscapes, religion and the body. Tie these thoughts back to how the art world has represented beauty across the ages.
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Enrol by
- 25 May 2025
- Entry requirements
- Prior study needed
- Duration
- 13 weeks
- Price from
- $1,286
- Upfront cost
- $0
- Loan available
- HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP available
Perspectives on Beauty in Art
About this subject
At the completion of this subject students will be able to:
- demonstrate a sound knowledge of the philosophical and aesthetic underpinnings of the notion of beauty
- review, assess and critique a range of theories and issues
- develop written communication skills to enable the analysis of visual culture in relation to relevant theory.
- Historical theories of beauty 1
- Biological beauty
- Beauty and the sublime
- Abstraction and psychoanalytical theories of beauty
- Religious beauty
- The beautiful landscape
- Being beautiful
- Commercial beauty
- Body beautiful
- Practicing beauty
This subject will examine the concept of beauty as it operates in visual culture from a range of historical and contemporary perspectives. The subject explores the idea of 'beauty' in the everyday sense of the word and also in relation to philosophy and aesthetics. The subject will cover such topics as biological beauty, the beautiful landscape and the Sublime.
Please Note: If it’s your first time studying a Curtin University subject you’ll need to complete their compulsory ‘Academic Integrity Program’. It only takes two hours to complete online, and provides you with vital information about studying with Curtin University. The Academic Integrity Program is compulsory, so if it’s not completed your subject grades will be withheld.
Find out more about the Academic Integrity module.
- Essay 1 (40%)
- Essay 2 (45%)
- Test (15%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
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Entry requirements
Prior study
To help set you up for success before you start this subject, we suggest completing or having equivalent knowledge in:
Additional requirements
No additional requirements
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.
Find out more information on Commonwealth Loans to understand what this means to your eligibility for financial support.
Student feedback
9 student respondents between 26 Feb - 28 Aug 2024.
100%of students felt the study load was manageable
100%of students felt this subject helped them gain relevant skills
What to study next?
Once you’ve completed this subject it can be credited towards one of the following courses
Bachelor of Arts (Digital and Social Media) (Visual Culture)
UndergraduateCUR-ICV-DEG
Bachelor of Arts (Digital Experience and Interaction Design) (Visual Culture)
UndergraduateCUR-DDV-DEG
Bachelor of Arts (Fine Art) (Visual Culture)
UndergraduateCUR-FAV-DEG
Bachelor of Arts (Professional Writing and Publishing) (Visual Culture)
UndergraduateCUR-PVC-DEG
Bachelor of Arts (Visual Culture)
UndergraduateCUR-VLC-DEG
UndergraduateGRF-ART-DEG
Bachelor of Arts (Digital and Social Media)
UndergraduateCUR-NET-DEG
Bachelor of Arts (Professional Writing and Publishing)
UndergraduateCUR-PWP-DEG
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