Philosophy of Art
The master’s program of “Philosophy of Art” is a comprehensive educational package in line with the regulations and decisions made by the Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology of Iran. As an interdisciplinary field of study, it benefits from the two areas of art and philosophy and offers efficient topics which are different from both fields, in order to enrich the art disciplines with philosophical views. The program tries to provide the artist and his works with a perspective or a worldview through presenting fundamental topics in art. In this program, the students find the opportunity to gain the ability of interpreting artistic works along with directing the practical skills to step by step develop artistic creativity through familiarity with philosophical schools and intellectual foundations. Considering the cultural, intellectual nature of Islamic Iran, the program of Philosophy of Art is an effective measure to revive the traditional arts based on Islamic worldview.
Art disciplines, emerged in the context of Iranian Islamic culture, represent the intellectual currents and religious foundations to be studied. Besides, these intellectual currents behind the disciplines should be compared with Western cultural and artistic currents. The theoretical foundations of most artistic disciplines are based on Western aesthetic principles and thoughts. Iranian Islamic art disciplines are inefficient and failed to face these foreign disciplines; they are far from the rapid changes of Islamic society. These disciplines must be flexible enough about the changes, being up-to-date, practical aspects, planning and needs assessment, richness of the content, and national, regional, and international changes, in order to preserve themselves from extinction. Consequently, the prominent approach of “Philosophy of Art” is focus on knowledge based on creativity with emphasis on strengthening skills and scholarly abilities, focus on religion and priority of culture and moral values in art, and focus on economics based on management and entrepreneurship in art.
A main goal of this discipline is to train students who benefit from a philosophical approach in art in order to enrich their artistic abilities through thinking. It is tried to organize this program, considering 4 characteristics of being up-to-date, richness of the content, central need, and value-orientation in the framework of vision document of the art disciplines. The aim is to train researchers who can strengthen the Islamic thought and concepts, while benefiting from a creative spirit in cultural areas. These researchers are supposed to strengthen the effective relation between the national universities and research centers along with connecting to the international education and research institutes.
The graduates of this program obtain the ability to analyze artistic concepts and to conduct basic research in art. In addition, they also acquire the ability to teach the philosophical foundations of art and to promote judgment and criticism in the field of art based on Islamic principles and indigenous needs. They can also be influential in the localization and Iranization of art based on the model of Iranian-Islamic culture.
Holding a bachelor’s degree or an equivalent is sufficient for enrollment in this program. The previous degree of the applicant must be verified by the consulate of Iran in the issuing country. Also, matching the applicants’ previous field of study with the current program is not necessary. Upon establishing the applicants’ scholarly competency and the committee’s agreement, the applicants are eligible to study in this program regardless of their previous field of study. Previous publications including books, research papers, and journal articles can positively influence the committee’s judgment.
The master’s degree in “Philosophy of Art” takes 2 years and is accomplished in 4 academic semesters; each semester lasts for 16 weeks. Every one-unit class requires one hour of instruction per week. In case the department decides that extra time is needed for a student to pass the prerequisites or finish the thesis, at most 2 extra semesters will be added.
The MA program of “Philosophy of Art” includes 42 credits; 32 credits of core courses, 6 credits of prerequisites, and 4 credits of the thesis. The students are required to pass all the core courses and the thesis. However, the department will decide on the number of prerequisites to be taken, depending on the student’s undergraduate field of study.
“Theoretical mysticism”, “philosophical foundations of aesthetics from Plato to the Renaissance”, “rational foundations of Islamic art”, “philosophical foundations of aesthetics from Kant to Heidegger”, “art and beauty in the eyes of the Traditionalists “, “art and beauty in the Peripatetic school and Illuminationism”, and “hermeneutics or the art of interpretation” are among the core courses of “Philosophy of Art”. Also, “history of philosophy”, “art in history”, and “analysis of artistic works” are included in the prerequisite courses.
- Total cost of the course for Iranian students who are admitted through the national entrance exam or internal university exam (2021-2022): 18 million tomans (The fee covers the student’s educational costs and does not include living expenses such as food and accommodations.
- Total cost of the course for Iranian students who are admitted through the national entrance exam or internal university exam (2021-2022): 4 thousand dollars (The fee covers the student’s educational costs and does not include living expenses such as food and accommodations.
The applicants must submit the following items to apply to the on-campus master’s programs of the University of Religions and Denominations:
- A completed application form.
- An electronic copy of the passport or a valid residence permit.
- An electronic copy of the high school diploma and bachelor’s degree or their equivalent and a certified Persian, English, or Arabic translation of the transcripts.
- The original high school diploma and bachelor’s degree or their equivalent and a certified Persian, English, or Arabic translation of the transcripts.
- One recently taken photo of the applicant, size 30x40mm.
- Applicant’s CV indicating education and work experience (optional).
By clicking on the “Apply now” button next to each program, you will be transferred to the registration portal, where you can upload and submit your application documents. Your application will not be complete until all the required items are submitted.