Write a 4-5 page paper (12 point font, double-spaced, 1-inch margins, with a thesis statement and specific textual references), on one of the following topics:1.Friedrich Schiller suggests that an aesthetic education and the experience of art is key to humanity’s being able to be free and just. What is the basic argument he presents? Are there potential counterarguments you can think of?2.Both Friedrich Schiller and Ernst Fischer suggest that art is a way to restore a lost wholeness and harmony in a fragmented age. Present the basic argument each of them presents for this view. How much of this wholeness can be found in the artwork itself? How much would the whole world need to change? (You may also consider Zadie Smith’s essay in this regard.)3.Many artists have gotten involved in social movement activity. We’ve considered the labor movement, the anti-fascist movement, the civil rights movement, the gay rights movement, and others. Pick one of these movements and analyze how one or several artists got involved in the movement. What was the movement’s cause? Why did artists get involved? How did they contribute? How did the movement shape their art?4.What is the relationship between art and freedom? Does the experience of art underlie our ability to be free? What is the relationship between freedom of speech and the development of art? And what does your answer to these questions suggest about the relationship of art and justice?5.Should art be critical of its times? How should it do this? Can you think of an example of a serious and critical work of art? If so, discuss it; if not, what does that mean for your argument?
