"...Auburn has emerged as one of a small handful of the best [aesthetics] programs in the world in this important area of philosophy.”
With our nine aesthetics specialists, we are recognized as one of the best aesthetics programs in the world. We are leaders in terms of our research quantity and quality. Our specialists publish in some of the top journals and lecture at prestigious institutions. In fact, in the past year Keren Gorodeisky, Eric Marcus and Nil-Hennes Stear have won major awards for their work in aesthetics.
Six of our faculty rank in the top 3% nationally in number of citations in aesthetics over the past five years. Three of them rank in the top 1%.
Contact the Department of Philosophy at 334-844-4344 for more information about our research in aesthetics.
American Society for Aesthetics Workshop
"On Seeking a Community of Taste"
April 17-18, 2026
Auburn University
Invited speakers from the University of Warwick include Diarmuid Costello, Eileen John, and Eliza Starbuck Little.
For more information, contact Keren Gorodeisky at kzg0003@auburn.edu.
Workshop Program
"On Seeking Communities of Taste"
An ASA-Supported Workshop
Location: 310 Tichenor Hall, Dean’s Conference Room
Auburn University
Friday April 17
9:00-9:30 Welcome and Breakfast
9:30-11:00
"The Beautiful and the Agreeable" Eric Marcus, Auburn
Commentator, James Shelley, Auburn
11:05-12:05
"On the Experiential Foundation of Schiller’s ‘Aesthetic State’ (ästhetische Staat)" Joseph Kassman-Todd, CSU, Fullerton
Commentator, Tyler Olsson, Auburn
12:10-13:10
"Intimacy, community, and criticism in aesthetic discourse" Noam Tiran, UCSD
Commentator: Arata Hamawaki, Auburn
13:10-14:15 Lunch
14:15-15:45
“Friendship and the Erotic" Melissa Retkwa
Commentator, Eliza Starbuck Little, Warwick
15:45-16:00 Coffee Break
16:00-17:30
"Self-Presentation and External Validation: Vulnerability and Trust in Rineke Dijksta’s Portraiture" Diarmuid Costello, Warwick
Commentator, Zach Weinstein, Auburn
Drinks and Dinner at The Hound (7:30)
Saturday, April 18
9:00-9:30 Coffee/Breakfast/Chatting
9:30-11:00
“Kant and Riggle on Aesthetic Community" Clara Gomez Campuzano, Murcia, and Lukas Myers, Auburn
Commentator: Alexandra Hayes, Auburn
11:05-12:05
"We’re a 45rpm Community! Defending Good Gatekeeping in Subcultural Aesthetics" Tony Chackal, Augusta University
Commentator: Aaron Meskin, UGA
12:10-13:10
"Values in Video Game Communities: An Experimental Study" Christopher Bartel and Macy Sutton, Appalachian State University
Commentator: Rissa Willis, UGA
13:10-14:15 Lunch
14:15-15:45
"Ambivalence and Moral Attention in the Brontë Sisters’ Fiction" Gözde Yıldırım, Auburn
Commentator, Kirk Surgener, Warwick
15:45-16:00 Coffee Break
16:00-17:30
“Disagreement about Art" Eileen John, Warwick
Commentator: Guy Rohrbaugh, Auburn
Drinks and Dinner at Zazu, Opelika (7:30)