Political Theory – (M.A.)

The University of Essex is one of the UK's leading academic institutions, ranked ninth nationally for research excellence following the most recent Research Assessment Exercise (RAE).

How are we to understand political life – as the expression of violence, tradition, domination, the search for freedom, the struggle for equality? How should we think about democracy – as the participation of citizens, the contest of representatives or the search for a common good through deliberation? What is justice – equality for all human beings, solidarity among some human beings or the free play of personal choice?

These questions have exercised minds since ancient Athens and, in recent years, received new interpretations in political theory, one of the most intellectually fertile sub-disciplines of politics. Our MA Political Theory examines texts of political theory in the modern period, dealing with major writers and themes in democracy and justice, so our graduates gain key skills of interpretative analysis.