"I am that gadfly which God has attached to the state"
Undergraduate Studies
Philosophy can be a
demanding and challenging discipline, stretching intellect and
imagination in new ways, while dealing with many of the
deepest problems and questions that we encounter in our
everyday lives. These aspects of the discipline make the
study of philosophy particularly exciting and rewarding, quite
apart from the rigour and precision of thought that the study
of philosophy develops.
In the Essex Philosophy
Department we aim to introduce you to a range of philosophical
traditions and approaches, and allow you the flexibility to
pursue your own developing interests. The Department is
very well-positioned to do this. In the last assessment of
teaching across all philosophy departments in the UK, the
Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education awarded our
Department a maximum score of 24/24; in the recent assessment of
research activity (RAE) 20% of our research was
ranked as 'world-leading' and a further 55% as 'internationally
excellent', placing us in 10th position of philosophy research
departments in the UK and confirming Essex as the top UK
university for Continental philosophy.
National Student Satisfaction Surveys: The department came
joint first, scoring 100%, for overall student satisfaction in
the 2010 survey of philosophy departments in the UK. In
2009 it came second, with a score of 98%.
For further information on undergraduate study within the
department please visit the links under the menu above, depending
upon whether you are a current or prospective student.