Program Overview

Why choose this course?

On this Philosophy and Contemporary Critical Theory MA course you'll study key works of critical theory in relation to the social and political problems of the present. It allows you to combine study of the two main traditions of critical theory, the Frankfurt School and French structuralism and anti-humanism, as well as engage with work by thinkers who have become influential only in the last two decades, e.g. Agamben, Spivak, Badiou, Butler and Deleuze. While addressing contemporaries around questions like social justice, political power, class, identity, representation, and so on, this MA in critical theory grounds its problems and concepts in their specific philosophical context, with particular reference to the foundational work of Kant, Hegel and Marx. It will prepare you for a wide range of careers in education, the arts, politics and public policy, and it also provides ideal preparation for doctoral research in philosophy or related disciplines.

What you will study

You will study the two main traditions of critical theory – the Frankfurt School and French structuralism and post-structuralism – and their background in Kant, Hegel, Marx and in 19th-century European philosophy more generally.

Teaching and assessment

The course is delivered through relatively small seminars, which involve a mixture of structured lectures or presentations, textual analysis, and group discussion.

After you graduate

Our graduates often progress to research degrees in European philosophy and critical theory, or to careers in media/journalism, publishing, the arts, education, and public policy.