Do museum shop magnets, t-shirts, and totes depicting famous works of art represent a deplorable commodification of art or, on the contrary, a refreshing democratization of a realm once reserved for a select few? Should we scoff or celebrate? What is at stake in the “demotion” of works of art to the everyday? Conversely, what is at stake in the elevation of everyday objects (e.g. Marcel Duchamp’s readymades) into works of art? What is art anyway? Who gets to decide, and why? Further, can art, especially as literature, teach us how to live? In this course, we will study a range of responses to these kinds of questions. Texts will be largely literary, but also philosophical, sociological, and art-historical in nature. In addition to providing an occasion to think about the relationship of art to everyday living, one of the main goals of this course is to introduce the concept of the seminar: every student will be expected to come to class having read each assignment closely and thought of comments and questions to contribute to a rigorous discussion. This course offers the opportunity to strengthen academic writing skills. Objectives include producing evidence-based arguments about complex texts and developing strategies for organizing, revising, editing, and proofreading.