Classical German philosophy
Undergraduate study
Undergraduate study in philosophy at Essex offers a unique combination of analytic Anglo-American and European continental
philosophical traditions.
Classical German philosophy is a major area of research and teaching at Essex. Many of our academic staff are experts on Kant
and the post-Kantian tradition including Fichte, Schelling and Hegel, as well as later nineteenth-century philosophers, such as Kierkegaard, Marx and Nietzsche.
- Professor Peter Dews is an expert on Kant and post-Kantian German idealism. He has also published on Fichte,
Hegel, Schopenhauer and Nietzsche.
- Professor Béatrice Han-Pile has written extensively on Nietzsche.
- Dr Fiona Hughes is the author of Kant’s Aesthetic Epistemology
(Edinburgh University Press, 2007) and has published widely on Kant.
- Professor Wayne Martin has published Idealism and Objectivity: Understanding Fichte’s Jena
Project (Stanford University Press, 1997) and numerous articles on Fichte.
- Dr David McNeill is an expert on Nietzsche and has published several articles on his work.
- Dr Dan Watts has written and published extensively on Kierkegaard.
Postgraduate teaching and research
MA modules on Kant and Hegel are usually among our postgraduate offering, in addition to modules on other eighteenth- and nineteenth-century
philosophical topics.
Many PhD theses currently being carried out at Essex are concerned with key thinkers such as Kant, Kierkegaard, Marx and
Nietzsche, as well as German idealism and other aspects of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century philosophical tradition.
Postgraduate study
We are internationally recognised as a leading centre of postgraduate study in philosophy, both at Masters and PhD level.
PhD study
By undertaking PhD study at Essex, you will become a member of an exciting and active research community, and benefit from the expert supervision of
our internationally recognised staff.
Phenomenology
Phenomenology is a central concern in our School. Each year we offer at least one MA module in phenomenology and many
current PhD students are exploring phenomenological approaches to subjects such as perception and ethics.
Critical theory
We are the largest centre of research on Frankfurt School critical theory in the UK with many of our staff and students
actively researching philosophers
such as Adorno, Habermas and Honneth.