Skip navigation
Search
Search
Social and Political Thought at University of Sussex - UCAS

Course options

2023 - 20242024 - 2025
Apply

There are other course options available which may have a different vacancy status or entry requirements – view the full list of options

Chat with students at this uni

Chat with students, ask questions and share experiences
Chat with students

Course summary

Our MA brings together social theory, political theory and philosophy. You learn about the history of social and political thought and study political and social movements. You’ll cover both historical traditions and contemporary developments. This is an interdisciplinary course. We bridge subject boundaries and use both empirical and normative analysis. You’ll learn from our faculty’s specialised knowledge of selected areas in contemporary thought and the major European historical tradition. Our research strengths include:

  • social theory (especially Hegel, Marx and Frankfurt School critical theory)
  • recent democratic, socialist and environmentalist thought and practice
  • the history of political, social and economic thought
  • the philosophy of social science and the sociology of knowledge
  • Marx, Hegel and Marxism
  • Kant and German Idealism
  • philosophy of race and racialisation.
You can also take the opportunity to get involved with our in-house journal Studies in Social and Political Thought. Core modules Core modules are taken by all students on the course. They give you a solid grounding in your chosen subject and prepare you to explore the topics that interest you most. Text and Critique in Social and Political Thought Theorizing the Social Dissertation - SPT Options Alongside your core modules, you can choose options to broaden your horizons and tailor your course to your interests. Careers Our graduates are well prepared for research degrees or careers in: law the media non-governmental organisations government and administration teaching. Over the last 30 years, a substantial number of leading academics in the UK and elsewhere have graduated from the course. Among our alumni we count professors of sociology, philosophy and politics, working at universities in the UK and beyond. Entry requirements You should normally have an upper second-class (2.1) undergraduate honours degree or above.

Modules

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2032/24. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to COVID-19, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum. We’ll make sure to let our applicants know of material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity. Core modules Core modules are taken by all students on the course. They give you a solid grounding in your chosen subject and prepare you to explore the topics that interest you most.

  • Text and Critique in Social and Political Thought
  • Theorizing the Social
  • Dissertation - SPT
Options Alongside your core modules, you can choose options to broaden your horizons and tailor your course to your interests. This list gives you a flavour of our options, which are kept under review and may change, for example in response to student feedback or the latest research. While it’s our aim for students to take their preferred combinations of options, this can’t be guaranteed and will be subject to timetabling. Options may be grouped and if so, students will be able to choose a set number of options from the selection available in any particular group.
  • Ethics and Normativity
  • Hegel and Marx
  • Living and Dying in the Premodern World
  • Sex, Work and Reproduction
  • The Frankfurt School and Critical Theory
  • War, Terror, Violence and International Law
- Women and Human Rights

Entry requirements

Degree requirements: You should normally have an upper second-class (2.1) undergraduate honours degree or above. Subject-specific requirements: Your qualification should be in a humanities or social sciences subject. You may also be considered for the course if you have other professional qualifications or experience of equivalent standing. For more information about our entry requirements and English language requirements, please visit our website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

Additional fee information

More information on our tuition fees, funding options and scholarships for UK and international students is available on our website. Find out more here: https://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/fees-funding

Sponsorship information

More information on our tuition fees, funding options and scholarships for both UK and international students is available on our website. Please click on the course URL to see up-to-date information.

Social and Political Thought at University of Sussex - UCAS