Hegel to Heidegger



Overview

After Kant's transcendental idealism heralded a new approach to philosophical thinking which considered the role of the subject in objective knowledge, a consciousness-centred view of the world emerged. With the backdrop of Enlightenment thought and the development of Romanticism, German philosophy embarked on an engaging project which would transform the way people thought about human nature, art, religion, history and political science.

After Hegel's monumental contributions, German philosophy then found new ways to explore anthropology, psychology and scepticism – amongst other areas – before challenging assumptions about language, morality and even the concept of human nature itself.

This course provides an accessible study of weighty philosophical concepts like, transcendental idealism, phenomenology, aesthetics, personalism and existentialism in this period of German thought.

Programme details

Course starts Thursday 2 October 2025

This is an in-person course which requires your attendance at the weekly meetings in Oxford on Thursdays, 7-9pm.

Week 1: An introduction to German Idealism

Week 2: Hegel

Week 3: Romanticism and philosophy

Week 4: Feuerbach

Week 5: Marx

Week 6: Schopenhauer

Week 7: Nietzsche

Week 8: Analytic philosophy

Week 9: Brentano and Husserl

Week 10: Heidegger

Certification

Academic credit

Credit Accumulation Transfer Scheme (CATS Points)

Please note, students who do not register for assessment and accreditation during the enrolment process will not be able to do so after the course has begun. If you wish to gain credit from completing this course you must register to do so before the course starts.

Only those who have registered for assessment and accreditation will be awarded CATS points for completing work to the required standard. Please note that assignments are not graded but are marked either pass or fail.

Learn more about the Credit Accumulation Transfer Scheme.

If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education at the Department you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee for assessment and accreditation.

Digital certificate of completion 

Students who are registered for assessment and accreditation and pass their final assignment will also be eligible for a digital Certificate of Completion. Information on how to access the digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course attended. You will be able to download the certificate and share it on social media if you choose to do so.

Fees

Description Costs
Course fee (with no assessment) £300.00
Assessment and Accreditation fee £60.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. See details of our concessionary fees for short courses.

Tutor

Dr Magnus Moar

Magnus Moar is a graduate of Oxford and Sussex Universities with a doctoral thesis focussing on the work of Kierkegaard.  Magnus has a published article on Kierkegaard and Levinas and has been teaching undergraduates for fifteen years.

Course aims

To enable students to develop a keen appreciation of key philosophical concepts in German philosophy from the late eighteenth to the early twentieth century.

Course objectives

  • Examine a range of contributions to philosophy made by German philosophers from the period of German Idealism through to Heidegger's early work.
  • Explore philosophy's engagement with ethics, religion, politics and aesthetics.
  • Identify the significance of the works of these thinkers.

Teaching methods

This course will combine lecture-based content with seminar discussions based on weekly readings.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course, students will have been given the opportunity to understand:

  • The contributions made by the thinkers studied during the course.
  • The impact these thinkers have had upon the history of philosophical thought.
  • How much of an influence the historical context has on these ideas.
  • Advice on how to improve one's critical writing.

Assessment methods

Only those students who have registered for assessment and accreditation, in advance of the course start date, can submit coursework/assignments for assessment.

Assessment

Students can either submit two or more pieces of work or a single piece totalling 1,500 words. Students will also have the opportunity to submit an essay proposal or plan as a formative assignment during the course.

Application

How to enrol

Please use the 'Book now' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an enrolment form.

How to register for accreditation and assessment

To be able to submit coursework and to earn credit (CATS points) for this course, if you wish to do so, you will need to register and pay an additional £60 fee. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. 

Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process will not be able to do so after the course has begun.

If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education at the Department you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.

Level and demands

The Department's Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, ie first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support