Aesthetic and Interpretive Inquiry (AII)

What

Aesthetic and Interpretive Inquiry (AII) courses provide a significant experience in the use of interpretive or philosophical modes of inquiry to explore and understand cultural objects (e.g., art, literature, theatrical works, etc.) or the means of their apprehension (e.g., the mind, beliefs, etc.) as appropriate.

Why

Every reflective person needs to confront the variety of cultural and artistic efforts to express and understand the human condition.

Through the study of history, philosophy, literature, the arts, and other cultural practices, you will develop the analytic and interpretive skills to understand both concrete and abstract achievements of human cultures – thereby nurturing a deeper conception of your own place in the universe.

How

You might gain knowledge in the AII Way by taking courses in the humanities or in arts classes that stress interpretation and analysis. AII courses focus on the interpretive understanding of cultural practices and products, rather than the empirical explanation of how social structures produced them.

In many cases AII courses will take up works (or genres, ritual practices, etc.) as objects of interpretation one by one, rather than focusing on the importance of certain practices in wider social and historical processes.

Choose

You'll find many courses that will allow you to explore Aesthetic and Interpretive Inquiry, but here are just a few:

• A.I.-Activism-Art
• Philosophy and Literature
• Media and Mediums 
• Jazz History: Bebop to Present, 1940-Present
• Contemporary Women Writers
• Literature and the Brain
• Engineering the Roman Empire

See Aesthetic and Interpretive Inquiry Courses in Explore Courses.