This course will focus on contemporary debates in philosophy of art and aesthetics. It will cover three main areas. First, students will read (selections from) two recent books on beauty and its role in our lives, as well as some reviews and commentaries on these books. Second, students will explore various ethical and political dimensions to art, such as the ‘funniness’ of ethically problematic humour, bodily aesthetics, and the idea of aesthetic disinterest. Finally, we will turn to meta-aesthetics and some debates surrounding aesthetic realism and the possibility of aesthetic demands.