PHIL 6687 Back to Earth: Towards a Symbiotic Ecology

Name: Back to Earth: Towards a Symbiotic Ecology
Rating: 4.38 (21 reviews)

The seminar will discuss key readings in the contemporary philosophy of nature as it relates to ecological questions of earth, climate, elemental imagination and interspecies belonging. The readings will run from the seminal writings of Husserl, Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty and Bachelard to a new generation of eco-philosophers including David Abram, Edward Casey, Erazim Kohak, Catherine Keller and Brian Treanor. The seminar will involve lectures, close readings, class discussions and a final paper.

Course overview

Department: Philosophy
School: MCAS
Credits: 3
Level: Both
Offered: Periodically

Catalog details

Prerequisites: This course is open to graduate students and senior philosophy majors only.

Catalog text is imported from the reviewed Boston College course snapshot. Confirm eligibility in EagleApps.

Requirements fulfilled

Philosophy: Free Philosophy electives (five courses, 15 credits); up to two approved cognate courses in other departments may also count (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)

Requirement eligibility can vary by school, cohort, and section. Confirm the selected section in EagleApps or with an advisor.

Course evaluations

Response-weighted averages from Boston College’s official course evaluations (Avalanche/Blue).

Course rating: 4.38 / 5 · Very Good
21 responses
Instructor rating: 4.67 / 5 · Excellent
21 responses
Terms evaluated: 1
Most recent: Spring 2025

Scales: overall ratings run from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent); agreement questions from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree); weekly effort from 1 (up to 1 hour) to 5 (10 or more hours).

Evaluations by term and instructor
Term	Instructor	Course overall	Instructor overall	Well organized	Clear learning objectives	Intellectually challenging	Helpful assignments	Applicable beyond course	Attendance necessary	Weekly effort	Responses
Spring 2025	Richard Kearney	4.4	4.7	4.6	4.7	4.8	4.8	4.8	4.8	1–3 hrs/week	21 of 23

Data freshness

Course and evaluation data last updated 2026-10-09. Source details and limitations are documented in Data Sources and Methodology.

Instructors

Richard Kearney
Spring 2027, Spring 2025 · Official rating 4.67/5

Sections

Section 01
Spring 2027 · Richard Kearney · Stokes Hall 228N W 04:30PM-07:00PM · Offered