Continental Philosophy

Our BA Continental Philosophy is for you, if you want to take philosophy back to its roots in lived experience and everyday existential, social and political problems; it is for you if you want to rigorously examine the fundamental questions of human life and embark with others on a journey that will transform how you understand yourself and the world you live in. The BA Continental Philosophy is for you, if you are not content with understanding the challenges that we are facing as individuals and societies, but want to be part of a community that creatively explores ways of thinking and living differently in response to these challenges. We offer the only BA in Continental Philosophy in the entire UK.

Philosophy at Essex has an international reputation for being an outstanding centre for Continental Philosophy because we have leading expertise in:

• Existentialism (e.g., Kierkegaard, Nietzsche)

• Phenomenology (e.g., Husserl, Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty)

• Critical Theory (e.g., Marx or Frankfurt School theorists like Adorno, Habermas, Honneth)

• German Idealism (e.g., Kant and Hegel)

• Contemporary French Thought (e.g., Foucault, Derrida, Rancière)

In addition to the areas mentioned above, students on our BA Continental Philosophy can study a wide range of topics (from the meaning of life to capitalism and its critics, from ancient philosophy to current debates about gender and sustainability) and modules (from ethics to political philosophy, from philosophy of religion to philosophy of mind). In short, at Essex we give you the flexibility to design a curriculum the suits your interests and passions.

At Essex, we are involved in many exciting and interdisciplinary research projects, and have active links with other areas including Political Science, Law, Sociology, Psychoanalysis, and Art History. We are 7th in the UK for research impact in philosophy (Grade Point Average, REF2021).