Ugly: Aesthetics, Ethics, History [Online]
Full Tuition: $320 — Scholarship options are available in the drop-down enrollment menu for you to self-select.
Instructor: Erin Hollis | 5 Weeks | Mondays | April 15 - May 13 | 7:00 - 9:00 PM ET | ONLINE
“When I say that I am unattractive or ugly, I am not internalizing the dominant culture's assessment of me. I am naming what has been done to me. And signaling who did it.”
— Tressie McMillan Cottom, “In the Name of Beauty” from Thick: And Other Essay
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.
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Recordings may be provided upon request for missed classes.
Sliding Scale: Night School Bar pays instructors and staff a living wage, and your tuition goes toward supporting this practice. Please pick the payment tier that corresponds to your needs, and consider our commitment to fair labor practices when doing so. We will never request or require proof of need, and do not use an income-based sliding scale; we trust you to decide what payment tier is right for you. If you would like additional support deciding or would like to learn more about the practice of using a sliding scale, we recommend this resource from Embracing Equity.
Scholarships: We are currently able to offer three full scholarships per class. Our full scholarship tier is a nonrefundable offering, limited to one per student per month. Because our scholarship funding is limited, selecting multiple full scholarships in a single month will result in disenrollment from all classes. If the scholarship tier you need is sold out please email us directly, and we will add you to a waitlist and notify you if additional scholarships become available. Please see our FAQ for more information, including installment plans and refund policy.
Asynchronous Auditing: Classes are discussion-based and designed to be taken synchronously. However, we do offer an asynchronous audit option for most online classes if you need to follow along at your own pace. You must choose the audit option to receive all course recordings; please do not register using a scholarship if you do not plan to attend the majority of class sessions as you will not receive the recording materials to follow along. We do not automatically offer scholarships for auditors, but if you need one, you may request one by filling out this form.
Full Tuition: $320 — Scholarship options are available in the drop-down enrollment menu for you to self-select.
Instructor: Erin Hollis | 5 Weeks | Mondays | April 15 - May 13 | 7:00 - 9:00 PM ET | ONLINE
“When I say that I am unattractive or ugly, I am not internalizing the dominant culture's assessment of me. I am naming what has been done to me. And signaling who did it.”
— Tressie McMillan Cottom, “In the Name of Beauty” from Thick: And Other Essay
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.
—
Recordings may be provided upon request for missed classes.
Sliding Scale: Night School Bar pays instructors and staff a living wage, and your tuition goes toward supporting this practice. Please pick the payment tier that corresponds to your needs, and consider our commitment to fair labor practices when doing so. We will never request or require proof of need, and do not use an income-based sliding scale; we trust you to decide what payment tier is right for you. If you would like additional support deciding or would like to learn more about the practice of using a sliding scale, we recommend this resource from Embracing Equity.
Scholarships: We are currently able to offer three full scholarships per class. Our full scholarship tier is a nonrefundable offering, limited to one per student per month. Because our scholarship funding is limited, selecting multiple full scholarships in a single month will result in disenrollment from all classes. If the scholarship tier you need is sold out please email us directly, and we will add you to a waitlist and notify you if additional scholarships become available. Please see our FAQ for more information, including installment plans and refund policy.
Asynchronous Auditing: Classes are discussion-based and designed to be taken synchronously. However, we do offer an asynchronous audit option for most online classes if you need to follow along at your own pace. You must choose the audit option to receive all course recordings; please do not register using a scholarship if you do not plan to attend the majority of class sessions as you will not receive the recording materials to follow along. We do not automatically offer scholarships for auditors, but if you need one, you may request one by filling out this form.
Full Tuition: $320 — Scholarship options are available in the drop-down enrollment menu for you to self-select.
Instructor: Erin Hollis | 5 Weeks | Mondays | April 15 - May 13 | 7:00 - 9:00 PM ET | ONLINE
“When I say that I am unattractive or ugly, I am not internalizing the dominant culture's assessment of me. I am naming what has been done to me. And signaling who did it.”
— Tressie McMillan Cottom, “In the Name of Beauty” from Thick: And Other Essay
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.
—
Recordings may be provided upon request for missed classes.
Sliding Scale: Night School Bar pays instructors and staff a living wage, and your tuition goes toward supporting this practice. Please pick the payment tier that corresponds to your needs, and consider our commitment to fair labor practices when doing so. We will never request or require proof of need, and do not use an income-based sliding scale; we trust you to decide what payment tier is right for you. If you would like additional support deciding or would like to learn more about the practice of using a sliding scale, we recommend this resource from Embracing Equity.
Scholarships: We are currently able to offer three full scholarships per class. Our full scholarship tier is a nonrefundable offering, limited to one per student per month. Because our scholarship funding is limited, selecting multiple full scholarships in a single month will result in disenrollment from all classes. If the scholarship tier you need is sold out please email us directly, and we will add you to a waitlist and notify you if additional scholarships become available. Please see our FAQ for more information, including installment plans and refund policy.
Asynchronous Auditing: Classes are discussion-based and designed to be taken synchronously. However, we do offer an asynchronous audit option for most online classes if you need to follow along at your own pace. You must choose the audit option to receive all course recordings; please do not register using a scholarship if you do not plan to attend the majority of class sessions as you will not receive the recording materials to follow along. We do not automatically offer scholarships for auditors, but if you need one, you may request one by filling out this form.