The aim of this project is to explore the belief that music can work as a healing or soothing mechanism for people suffering from cases of mental illness, bereavement, and any other personal problems. Music as a form of therapy • Although a relatively new form of practised therapy, music has been used as a way of helping people for hundreds of years; whether it be in calming physical disabilities, helping people to express repressed emotions, dealing with unconscious fears. • The British Society for Music Therapy was founded in 1958 by Juliette Alvin. It now treats a number of people, from adults to children, suffering from bereavement to illnesses such as cerebral palsy. Even though some illnesses are incurable, music is used as a way of providing joy and creating bonds between patient and client, and also between clients. Historical value • In Ancient Greece, it was commonly believed that music providing a form of communication with the gods. • The belief was still held in the Middle Ages, that music also symbolised a link with Satan, often being associated with the work of witches. Expressionism • Expressionism saw the emergence of pieces of music composed through unconscious emotions, rather than like previous decades of music which conformed to forms, strict melodies, rhythms and timbres. Aspects of Nietzsche’s theory of dualism emerged in many expressionist works. • Key figure was Schoenberg, who wished to see the elimination of the conscious will in expressionism. • Leads to exploring Freud and Hegel’s theories on consciousness and unconscious; overcoming problems which lie in the unconscious by realising and thus being able to treat them. The Enlightenment • The avant-garde movement had key figure Andre Breton, who developed his theory of automatism; this can be related to the way music is now used to help release emotions without the interference of thought processing. Foucault • Studies in madness; Foucault recognised the effects music could have on those suffering from forms of madness.
Category: Stage 2
CONCEPT: We live in uncertain and chaotic times. As globalisation propels us forward, it is undoubtedly provoking a unique identity crisis, at the level of both the individual and the society. The vast displacements of persons during the twentieth century has demographically revolutionised the Western nation-state; multiculturalism and diversity have already been engrained into the social fabric. Concurrently, technology is creating the framework for a new culture, firmly rooted in aesthetic ideals, quickly dismantling traditional borders while subtly performing an institutionalisation of the individual. Marcuse’s “One-Dimensional Man” has come about. METHOD: The project aims to investigate such factors as the erosion of the nation-state, the “deterritorialization of culture” and the technologies of alienation in order to demonstrate how an extreme individualism, bred in Nietzsche’s shadow, is engulfing our society into new degrees of superficiality. MAIN TEXTS: Various works of Friedrich Nietzsche, Culture and Imperialism, by Edward Said, Civilisation and its Discontents, by Sigmund Freud, Culture, Globalisation and the World-System, edited by Anthony King, and One-Dimensional Man, by Herbert Marcuse.
Territory: I have chosen to investigate the ways in which capitalism and modern consumerism have changed and shaped our concept of moral values. I will focus on the way in which consumerism manipulates and controls our society and whether the values of modern Britain are gradually being eroded. Questions that need addressing: I wish to discover why there has been a shift in the material condition of humanity in the west and how the post-modern power structures have changed us. This shift to a capitalist world with the significance of materialistic values is a model that I wish to dissect with the purpose of unveiling the mechanism of change that brought it about. The outcome of this will be the ability to grasp the shift from the old centralised ideology of value systems to the material values which are fashionable and sought after today. Additionally, I hope to discover whether the decline in religious belief in Britain is associated with the erosion of moral values. Key thinkers and sources: The main sources of my research will lie within the philosophical thought of Max Weber and Friedrich Schiller. I will also be drawing upon the ideas of Karl Marx and the modern sociologist Mike Featherstone.
Territory: This project will focus on the development of surfing from its roots in Hawaiian culture to the position we find it in today. The key points in this progression will provide indications of the motivating factors behind the world’s top surfers. Object: • Kelly Slater – 8 Time world champion and arguably the greatest competitive surfer of all time • Laird Hamilton – Big wave pioneer who helped develop tow-in surfing Philosophy: The work of Hobbes and Hegel will form the foundation of the philosophical content. Hobbes’ social theory will help to place surfing in context with the ever changing situations that are a result of the cultures we experience. However, his concept of the state of nature in which we find humans stripped down to their most primitive form provides a strong argument to suggest extreme sports such as surfing are irrational and unnecessarily dangerous. The analysis of Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit will provide an alternative approach to nature of risk taking.
In August of 2006 I noticed a Headline on a copy of The Sun newspaper, the most popular newspaper in the United Kingdom. Accompanying a full page picture of the celebrated reality television star Jade Goody, the headline read: “THE FACE OF EVIL” This headline inspired me to focus my second year project on celebrity culture. Specifically I am interested in this modern phenomena present within our culture of individuals gaining celebrity seemingly for merely the fact that they are available to us to observe on a mass scale, at peak times, the ratings for the T.V. show on which Jade Goody found her fame, Big Brother reached to over seven million. Following the notorious incident of alleged racial abuse committed by Jade onto another contestant, our chancellor of the exchequer and soon to be Prime Minister Gordon Brown made a public apology in concerns to the incident. This led me to ask several questions. Is Jade Goody seen as a public representative of British culture and standards? For what reason specifically do we ‘celebrate’ people who have gained fame in this manner? On what basis could we reasonably suggest that jade is evil personified? My suspicion is that this culture is an element of a grand illusion, a mere spectacle. Exploring this subject I have drawn on the writings of the situationist Guy Debord, and various publications concerning modern mythology.
Roy Keane is one of the greatest players of his generation and one of the most controversial. This essay aims to come to a conclusion as to whether Roy Keane is an Egoist or an Existentialist. Aims and objectives: To critically assess the philosophical ideas of Egoism and Existentialism; To relate these philosophical ideas to football and Roy Keane’s actions and what he has said; To look at the evidence put forward and come to a conclusion as to whether Roy Keane is an egoist or an existentialist
In recent times the body has regained value, the body is now used to sell, and we see massive amounts of advertising projecting the ‘perfect body’ causing the individual to strive for the ‘ideal’ self. “‘Looking good’ not only becomes necessary to achieve social acceptability but can become the key to a more exciting lifestyle.” Featherstone (1992) The body regaining value shows a shift away from the valuation of soul over body, and the religious connotation which that implies. Popular society has caught up with the shift we saw in philosophy with Nietzsche’s innovative views. In this project I have taken the work of Descartes who professed the ‘I think therefore I am’ maxim, devalued the material world and even our own bodies through his belief that everything could be doubted except the thinking thing. I have then compared this theory to Nietzsche’s valuation of the body and the actual world, through his belief that the soul is a function of the body. I have taken the work of a Modern artist, Helen Chadwick into account to show a contemporary viewpoint on how the body and soul argument has developed outside the realms of philosophy, she expresses through various, sometimes shocking pieces of art that the combined nature of the human body and soul. Through various cultural advancements we have moved away from our quest to spiritual enlightenment and have began our quest for bodily perfection and satisfaction of our desires.
Can one consider the ethical viewpoint of both sides of terrorism? If terrorists believe their actions cause the greater overall good, would J.S. Mill condone them? Can the media be held responsible for the growth in terrorism? The growth in the media is consistent with the growth of terrorism, is this significant? The intention of terrorists is to reach a wide audience, does the media aid them in achieving their ends? What implications would censoring the media cause for us? Could it be considered to limit our freedom?
The conception of the revolutionary vanguard has been pertinent in political thought since Plato’s Philosopher Kings. Indeed this notion has informed the superstructure of political and revolutionary theory and practice ever since its genesis. That is to say that there are a minority of elite, the ‘vanguard’, whom harbour superior sociological insight and who thus possess the intellectual capabilities to lead others to overcome their contextual peril. My central intention was thus to investigate the change in this very notion of the revolutionary vanguard. There have been a number of post-ideological reformulations regarding such a conception. However, placing such an exploration within the theoretical studies of my second year, I decided to examine several philosophers and protagonists of the vanguard, whom belong to the Marxist tradition, these being: Marx, Lenin and Gramsci. I then juxtaposed such theoretical assertions parallel to the post-ideological views of Zapatismo, which are the revolutionary views of the Mexican resistance movement known as the Zapatistas/EZLN. Territory & Change. My project thus traced the development of my central concept, being that of the vanguard, in revolutionary thought. Marx himself spoke little of the notion, yet the necessity of examining his thought derived from the work of Lenin and Gramsci whom pertain to the Marxist tradition. Both Lenin and Gramsci spoke of the notion of the Party, in which the dichotomy of the elite and the masses is both inherent and necessary for the revolution. Although Gramsci attempted to overcome its inherent elitism, he still necessitated the need of the leaders. However, within the contemporary thought of the Zapatistas, one can document an absolute abolition of the vanguard. One in which necessitates a ‘non-philosophy’ of listening-Zapatismo. These masked revolutionaries show that revolution does not have a face, but is a mirror in which greed is forced to see itself. They show us that we do not need a leader, but that we all may put on the mask of revolution and pertain with all those who dare say YA BASTA! (ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!)
Territory: In my project I have chosen to focus on MTV as a producer of identity in contemporary society. I intend to focus mainly on the issues of identity in contemporary western culture and the possibilities of its manipulation for greater gains than mere financial profit through focusing on MTV. Objectives and questions: Can a coherent and stable sense of identity exist without a sense of history, and particularly a collective history and a feeling of belonging to a larger group, be it a nation, race, or more contemporary forms of groups (e.g. social groups defined by musical taste, class, political dispositions, etc.) Can there be such a thing as an “authentic” identity? One that isn’t shaped in any way by outside influences, even if we choose not to follow any parochial notions? Is there any possibility of such an endeavour being pursued by the majority of the population? And if not, what does this mean for an age fraught with identity crises and in which anyone with the know-how can take advantage of this fact? Key concepts: Identity, Alienation, Division of Labour, Authenticity, Myth, Identity Production, Synaesthesia. Main sources: Andrew Goodwin’s Dancing in the Factory of Distraction, Sartre’s Being and Nothingness, Burroughs, Erik Erikson’s work on identity and more.
Aims and Objectives ▪ To begin by establishing the Modern and Postmodern styles and characteristics of Architecture and more importantly, how and why they came about. ▪ To Show how Ouseburn Valley has been affected by the changing styles of Architecture. ▪ To illustrate how and why society’s view of the world has changed with the regeneration of Ouseburn Valley. Intentions. I will progress to evaluate the effects of this change by considering the following questions: ▪ Material change results in special change. Thus, how do our interpretations of space and time alter with the shift from modernism to postmodernism? ▪ Furthermore, how does this affect the way we act with respect to the world? ▪ How does our view of knowledge and reality change as a consequence of Postmodernism? Sources. The key source for my investigation will be David Harvey’s Condition of Postmodernity. In addition to this, I will refer to: Fredric Jameson – Postmodernism, or, the cultural logic of late capitalism. Perry Anderson – The Origins of Postmodernity. Jean-Francois Lyotard – The postmodern condition.
Territory: The Jimi Hendrix song Voodoo Chile (Slight Return). Aims and Objective: To analyse 1960’s culture and counterculture movements in terms of their aesthetical and ethical values with reference to Nietzsche’s philosophies. I intend to demonstrate that with the aid of music and the arts people at this time began to turn away from traditional pre-war values and began to experiment with more subjective, postmodern views of the world and humanity’s relation to it. Concepts: The underlying concept of my project is: ‘Ethical redemption through the means of aesthetical values’; this is closely related to Nietzsche’s conception of art as being ‘the highest dignity of mankind’. I am also investigating the concept of ‘slave and master moralities’ as theorised by Nietzsche to analyse the shift away from pre-war traditional values (for example, Christian doctrines) towards a more individual style of ethics, as can be witnessed in hippy communes and in relation to the civil rights movements and the sexual revolution. The ‘will to power’ in relation to these concepts will be the basis of my conclusion as to what extent this era can be said to be one of the defining periods of the shift of humanity towards post-modernism, especially within western culture and society. Sources: I will reference a wide variety of sources both on the structure of 1960’s culture and on Nietzsche’s philosophy as well as on post-modern philosophy. My main texts, however, will be: • Friedrich Nietzsche, The Birth of Tragedy, • Friedrich Nietzsche, On the Genealogy of Morals, • David Henderson, ‘Scuse Me While I Kiss the Sky: The Life of Jimi Hendrix, • John Morton Blum, Years of Discord. American Politics and Society, 1961-1974.
CHANGE Photography as the creation of a new language and form of representation and documentation. The change in the relationship between individuals and their immediate world as a result of the globalisation of communications and the media. The rise of iconography and the celebrity and the duality of image versus reality which this entails. Photographic images start off their existence as a means of mediation between the external world and human beings. They are meant to aid our comprehension of the world in some way; however, there is a danger that instead of representing the reality of the world, they can obscure it. Like all images, they are encoded with a cultural significance which it is easy to overlook. Photographs, especially those featured in the media and in advertising, represent not the world itself, but merely an eidolon – an idealised, and therefore fictional image of the world. A division between reality and unreality is therefore created when, neglecting to decode these images, we project them back into society: it is at this point of reflection that we allow the fiction contained within the images to become a reality. In this project I will be looking at the implications of the ‘fiction versus reality’ dualism which photography brings about. I will begin by looking at the political and cultural uses of photography by four key public figures (Queen Victoria, Adolf Hitler, J F Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe) in order to track the evolution of photography and its integration into society. I will be looking at the works of Vilem Flusser, Roland Barthes, Jean Baudrillard and E H Gombrich to look at photography itself, and then at the works of J G Ballard, Guy Debord and Alison Jackson in order to explore the deeper, psychological implications of photography and the ‘image’ within society.
Object: My experience as a toddler of being punished for adding paint to the water pot rather than paper • Want to research into educational psychology—Piaget • Begin by looking at Philosophical concepts—The concept of the individual in Postmodern and Modern society • I will look at thinkers such as Descartes and Gilbert Ryle • How do children think and learn? • How does the change in ideas of identity affect the educational system today? Relate to the recent changes in education—coming into force in September, focusing on skills rather than a curriculum based system and Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning • Relate to Every Child Matters
The aim of this project is to define such concepts as “art” and “the avant- garde”. Having outlined the rise of Liberalism and explained its position as having influenced the beginnings of avant- garde, I will look at key avant- garde movements, namely Abstract Expressionism, Dada and the Situationists, linking society in each time period to the reasons behind each movement, as well as the concepts and issues raised by key artists and philosophers. I will explain the meaning of “the avant- garde” in each case, as well as the impact each had on it’s culture. I will then investigate modern avant- garde art, including some of the new media used. I will briefly consider the controversial concept of the death of the avant- garde, issues raised by modern artists and whether the shock factor of art has gone. I will conclude by looking at what can actually be considered “art”, as all the movements studied have had doubts and criticisms thrust upon them due to supposed lack of context, meaning or skill. Key artists and philosophers I will be looking at include Immanuel Kant, Jean- Francois Lyotard, Jackson Pollock and Robert Motherwell among others. As well as visiting art galleries and travelling exhibitions, I have been volunteering at the Hatton Art Gallery in Newcastle, which is an excellent source for information, including public opinions on various different exhibitions.
Territory: The works of Marc Chagall. Change: The progression of Chagall’s work from The Holy Family to The White Crucifixion. Philosophy: Mikhail Bakhtin’s Rabelais and His World, particularly the notion of the carnivalesque. The aim of this project will be to examine the way in which art (such as Rabelais’ writing and Chagall’s paintings) can undermine the status quo of a particular time even without an explicitly political message. I will explore the works of Chagall in terms what they represent, by means of a detailed analysis of five paintings, The Holy Family, I and the Village, The Birthday, Dedicated to My Fiancee and The White Crucifixion. I will look at them both stylistically and symbolically, and then apply them to Bakhtin’s philosophical framework. My main agenda will be to look at the duality and unity of things, as explored by both Bakhtin and Chagall as well as symbols of rebirth, renewal and immortality. I will do so by considering the parallels between what Bakhtin/Rabelais and Chagall were trying to achieve and their differing methods of doing so. My main sources will be: Rabelais and His World by Mikhail Bakhtin, biographies of Chagall, and secondary literature.
How has art changed since the era of modernity (late 19th century to 1970s)? What evidence is there for these changes in the work of artists like Antony Gormley and Damien Hirst? What is it about contemporary art that makes it ‘postmodern’? Is the postmodern era really a complete break from modernity, or just another state of it? Modern art: broke away from traditional methods and began to experiment. No longer having to paint of draw objects exactly as they appear. More emotion through art. Postmodern art: celebrates and demonstrates chaos of modern life; even more inventive; anything goes; no distinction between higher and lower art; uses features from the past (eg Grayson Perry’s vases). De Duve: nowadays the important question in art is ‘What can be considered art?’. Baudrillard: fashion is what motivates change in art; we want things to be more shocking. Lyotard: importance of profit making when deciding the ‘value’ of a piece of art; idea of ‘the sublime’ coming back into importance in contemporary art. Postmodernity just another state of modernity? From modernity to postmodernity: materials used; methods of presentation; relationship between artist and viewer; media influence; ‘anything goes’; competitive element; purpose/message; historic narratives; concern with current events.
Objectives: The main objective for this project is to look at counselling. With the main focus upon University counselling services, particularly focusing on Durham, Newcastle and Northumbria University counselling services. Looking at what the need for counselling is and how the service functions. Concepts: looking at the advances in technology, and how these advancements may affect the masses. The focus is upon the change that has occurred in the formation of identity, with advertising being entwined into peoples lives, with television, internet etc. my intention is also to look at how things could work out, focusing on a children’s novel entitled Feed, which is set far into the future when technology is integral to life, and all people are fitted with a chip in their brains which enables them to connect to the internet at all times. I will be focusing on the implications of such a society, with such integral technology. Key Terms: • Subject/object distinction • Counselling • Reality as indefinable • Existentialist autonomy • Causality • Technological evolution • Social Positivism • Transcendence • Reality and Hyper reality
Objectives + My objective for this project is to look at the role that religion plays in our society and examine its positive and negative aspects. + I am going to concentrate on the effect that Christianity in particular has on the West, especially in politics. + I will look at religion with regards to social policy, including controversial issues such as: * Abortion *Contraception *American aid to developing countries ridden by HIV. + I am going to use as a basis for my enquiry the ideas of Bertrand Russell, arguably the 20th century’s greatest philosopher and a prominent social critic who is famous for his atheism and views on religion + I aim to critically examine his arguments in the light of other disciplines including sociology, psychology and anthropology to see if his ideas are reinforced by other leading thinkers. + I am then going to apply his ideas to the contemporary world to examine if they are still valid 50 or so years on and to finally conclude whether I believe religion in the form it takes today is overall a positive or negative social force.
Territory. I firstly looked into the fashion industry and how the use of fake fur was apparent within this industry. However, this lead me on to the enquiry of animal rights within today’s society and how this view has progressed or changed throughout time. Therefore my search extended to the implications of animal rights and how these rights are philosophically perceived through time, up until the present day. Aim My aim for this project is to understand how we, through time, have got to the age where real fur is being used within the fashion industry and how this choice has been affected by past philosophical thinkers and their influence on society. I will be looking at the relationship between humans and animals. I aim to introduce ethical thoughts and philosophical ideas and implement these into a comprehensible understanding of the change in attitude towards animal rights. Philosophers and sources. I am going to use Peter Singers All animals are equal, Mills’ Utilitarianism and Animal rights and Human Obligation by Tom Regan and Peter Singer. These will be my main texts. I will also use History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell.