The University of Essex has been excelling in both education and research for more than fifty years. Essex is gold rated in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF 2017), top 15 in England for student satisfaction (NSS 2017, overall student satisfaction, mainstream universities), and top 25 for research quality in The Times and the Sunday Times Good University Guide.
Founded to be daring and different, the University continues to challenge convention and conduct pioneering research which informs policy and changes lives. We are an international community for original thinkers.
In 2013 we were awarded the only Regius Professorship for political science by HM The Queen. Research informs our teaching, providing a transformational living and learning experience which equips our students with the skills, knowledge and curiosity to build successful careers and lead fulfilling lives. With more than 13,000 students from 140 countries, Essex graduates develop a genuine world view.
Even before its second reading in the House of Lords, Lord Falconer’s assisted dying bill has been stirring up controversy. High level support for the bill from important religious leaders such as former…
When the Tour de France comes to town, it’s a chance to get your gladrags on. This year’s Grand Depart in Yorkshire saw Leeds decked out with yellow flowers, bikes placed in coffee bar windows, statues…
The 2014 World Cup in Brazil is over. It brought much joy, and huge disappointment for the hosts – perhaps even worse than the Maracanazo in 1950. Now attention in Brazil will turn to hosting the next…
It was a fearsome blow. It was the first World Cup after World War II, on home soil, and the country was desperate for international recognition. Brazil reached the final, only to lose 2-1 in a shock defeat…
Most people reading this article will have also read their horoscope at least once. Even though scientific studies have never found evidence for the claims astrologers make, some people still think astrology…
Protest and dissent are the foundation stones of modern societies and have helped secure a measure of democracy and human rights. Against all the odds, ordinary people have struggled to secure universal…
The playing field may not be level for school sports due to physical differences between children born in different months. Our research measured 8,550 children’s stamina, muscle strength and power. Those…
The World Cup has highlighted Brazil’s dissatisfaction with the mega-development involved in building the tournament’s infrastructure. But the football stadiums are just the latest in a long line of Brazilian…
People can raze mountains, divert rivers, clear forests and give subsidies, grants and preferential loans as a welcome to corporations, but the companies themselves don’t have any loyalty to communities…
A group of prominent disability campaigners has argued that legalising assisted suicide would make the lives of elderly and vulnerable disabled people worth less than the lives of ordinary people. However…
When US soldier Bowe Bergdahl was released after being held captive by the Afghan Taliban for five years, his father said his son was “having trouble speaking English”. Many will find this statement incredible…
Should the descendants of slaves receive compensatory payment? This idea has returned to the US since the publication of a major essay in The Atlantic setting out the case for reparations. Here in the…
You may write me down in history With your bitter twisted lies, You may trod me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I’ll rise. So begins one of Maya Angelou’s poems, written in 1978. One of her most…
Coldplay has barred music streaming service Spotify from adding their latest album Ghost Stories to its database, sparking a debate about the sustainability of the streaming model. Coldplay signed an exclusivity…
The furore over US pharmaceuticals giant Pfizer’s attempted takeover of UK rival AstraZeneca continues. AstraZeneca has now rejected Pfizer’s “final” offer, as it says the proposed deal “undervalues the…
It is a commonplace for children to be taller than their parents, but four generations ago this wasn’t the case. A recent study of soldiers around the age of 20 who enlisted in the army during World War…
“In capitalist countries, the bank robs you.” Rightly or wrongly, this phrase – a reversal of an internet meme – sums up many Europeans’ reactions to the bank bailouts and austerity of the last few years…
In the industrial era, economic growth has become equated with human progress, with a fundamental assumption that material growth and consumption inevitably leads to improvements in our well-being. Over…
Business secretary Vince Cable has announced his intention to create a public register of UK company ownership in a bid to tackle tax evasion and money laundering by shady corporate bodies. But don’t believe…
What should we do with producers who routinely deliver faulty goods and services? Producers of cars, food, medicines, aeroplanes and even financial products are forced to compensate injured parties, recall…