PHIL5518 · Philosophy

Philosophy of Imagination

Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences

Numerical ratings

4.5 / 5Course rating

From 4 rating records
Across 1 instructor

Older rating records summarize course sections and may have no written feedback. New reviews add ratings and a comment. How scores work

Written reviews 0

Write a review

No written reviews yet

Numerical ratings and written feedback are separate. Be the first to share what you wish you’d known before taking this course.

Who teaches this? 1

Both ratings are out of 5, for each instructor’s sections of PHIL5518.

Richard Kearney

Professor, Charles B. Seelig Chair, Philosophy Department

4 evaluations for this course

Instructor: 4.6
Course: 4.5

All 1 instructors · Sort & filter

1 of 1 instructors

Richard Kearney

Professor, Charles B. Seelig Chair, Philosophy Department

4 evaluations for this course

Instructor: 4.6
Course: 4.5

About this course

Readings in the philosophy of imagination from ancient myth to post-modernity. Beginning with Biblical and Greek accounts of images and image-making, this course will explore three main paradigm shifts in the Western history of imagination: (1) the ancient paradigm of the Mirror (Plato to Augustine); (2) the modern paradigm of the Lamp (Kant to Sartre); and (3) the postmodern paradigm of the circular Looking Glass (Lacan to Derrida). The course will conclude with a critical evaluation of the political and ethical functions of imagination in our contemporary civilization of cyber fantasy, simulation, and spectacle.

All evaluation ratings

Averages use numerical 1–5 ratings, including the ratings submitted with new anonymous reviews.

OrganizationHow well the course was organized: 4.62 / 5
ChallengeHow intellectually challenging students found it: 4.54 / 5
AttendanceHow necessary attendance was: 4.62 / 5
AssignmentsHow helpful assignments were: 4.65 / 5

Weekly effort: ~3 hours

Estimated from the original workload response buckets. Individual sections may differ.

Evaluation history Browse all evaluations

Evaluation history 4 terms

All available terms for PHIL5518. Numerical averages use the five-point scale.
Term	Evaluations	Course rating	Instructor rating
Spring 2025	1	4.7	4.8
Spring 2024	1	4.5	4.5
Spring 2021	1	4.2	4.6
Spring 2020	1	4.4	4.6