Ugly: Aesthetics, Ethics, History [6-weeks, $200 Suggested]
Instructor: Hollis | Mondays November 1-December 6 | 7:00-9:00 PM ET
What does it mean to be ugly? Is it a feeling? An aesthetic? Are ugliness and beauty opposites? Etymologically, the word “ugly” means to dread. Is ugliness frightening or terrifying? Or is it awful in the original meaning of the word: that which is full of awe? In her book Ugliness: A Cultural History, Gretchen E. Henderson describes ugliness as “relational.” She argues that ugliness “constantly rework[s] the space between subject and object” and “resists static figuration and helps us to re-evaluate our shifting perceptions.” Ugliness, then, challenges us to reconsider our views on aesthetics, feelings, even ethics.
In this class, we will explore a variety of depictions and experiences of ugliness. Beginning by looking at ugliness in terms of appearance, we will examine how the aesthetics of ugliness have shifted over time. We will explore well-known depictions of ugliness, such as the mythical Medusa or Frankenstein’s creature. We will also examine how ugliness has been used to discriminate against people because of their race, gender, sexuality, or disability. The so-called “ugly laws,” for example, were created to keep those with physical disfigurements out of public spaces. Lastly, we’ll look at “ugly” feelings such as anger or sadness.
Texts may include: various myths and fairy tales, critical discussions of the history of ugliness, contemporary discussions of beauty and ugliness, including Tressie McMillan Cottom’s essay “In the Name of Beauty” and excerpts from Roxane Gay’s Hunger, and stories by Flannery O’Connor, Virginia Woolf, James Joyce, and Octavia Butler.
We depend on a mix of direct student donations and supplemental donations to make all classes pay-what-you-can. Please pick the pricing tier that corresponds with your needs and that you are able to pay now. If you would like to pay in installments, make your first payment now and make a note on your check-out form. If you would like to donate more later in the term, you can always come back and use the “Make a One Time Donation” button! To use a full scholarship, just pick the $3 tier to cover site/processor fees.
If at any point up to 48 hours before your first class session you realize you will be unable to take the class, we will work with you to reallocate your funds to a future class, to another student’s scholarship, or refund it. After classes begin, we are only able to make partial refunds and adjustments.