Professor Michael Hand

Professor Michael Hand

School of Education
Professor of Philosophy of Education

Contact details

Telephone
+44 (0)121 415 8277
Email
m.hand@bham.ac.uk
Address
School of Education
University 麻豆精选
Edgbaston, Birmingham
B15 2TT, United Kingdom

Michael Hand is Professor of Philosophy of Education and Director of Postgraduate Research in the School of Education. He is Vice-Chair of the , Series Editor of  and Co-Editor of the . He is Adjunct Professor at the .

Michael's research interests are in the areas of moral, political, religious and philosophical education. His books include  (Routledge, 2018), (Routledge, 2015), (Wiley, 2011), (Bloomsbury, 2008) and (Bloomsbury, 2006). Further details can be found on his .

Michael coordinates the School’s philosophy of education seminar series.

Qualifications

  • DPhil in Philosophy of Education, University of Oxford
  • MSc in Educational Research Methodology, University of Manchester
  • PGCE in Primary Education, Open University
  • BA Hons in Theology and Religious Studies, University of Cambridge

Biography

  • Professor of Philosophy of Education at the University 麻豆精选
  • Adjunct Professor at the Education University of Hong Kong
  • Vice-Chair of the Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain
  • Editor of the Bloomsbury Philosophy of Education book series.

Teaching

Postgraduate supervision

Michael supervises doctoral students working in the field of philosophy of education, primarily in the areas of moral, political, religious and philosophical education. He is currently supervising doctoral theses on the place of philosophy on the school curriculum, the ethics of belief in the classroom, existential thinking in religious education, and tackling extremism through philosophy in schools.

Research

Michael works on a range of topics in philosophy of education, including:

  • the nature and aims of moral education
  • teaching controversial issues
  • education for patriotism
  • philosophy in schools
  • the nature and aims of religious education
  • the justifiability of faith schools
  • relationships and sex education
  • autonomy as an educational aim
  • punishment in schools
  • education against extremism

Publications

Highlight publications

Hand, M 2017, . Routledge, London.

Recent publications

Article

Hand, M 2025, '', Educational Theory.

Hand, M 2025, '', Educational Philosophy and Theory.

Hand, M 2024, '', Journal of Philosophy of Education, vol. 58, no. 1, pp. 104-107.

Hand, M 2023, '', Educational Theory, vol. 73, no. 3, pp. 341-354.

Hand, M 2023, '', Journal of Philosophy of Education, vol. 57, no. 1, pp. 308-322.

Hand, M 2022, '', Journal of Philosophy of Education, vol. 56, no. 5, pp. 677-684.

Chapter (peer-reviewed)

Hand, M 2024, in J Drerup, D Gronostay & D Yacek (eds), Teaching Controversy: The Politics and Ethics of Classroom Conflict. Oxford University Press.

Hand, M 2024, . in L Nucci, T Krettenauer & WC Thompson (eds), Handbook of Moral and Character Education. 3rd edn, Educational Psychology Handbook, Routledge, London, pp. 26-42.

Hand, M 2024, . in J Gatley & C Norefalk (eds), Conceptual Engineering in Education: Philosophical Analysis for Educational Problems. Philosophy of Education. Debates and Constellations, Brill, pp. 32-45.

Hand, M 2023, . in J Beale & C Easton (eds), The Future of Education: Reimagining Its Aims and Responsibilities. Oxford University Press.

Hand, M 2023, . in J Culp, J Drerup & D Yacek (eds), The Cambridge Handbook of Democratic Education. Cambridge Handbooks in Education, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 146-159.

Editorial

Hand, M & Burbules, N 2025, '', Educational Theory, vol. 75, no. 2, pp. 188-191.

D'Olimpio, L & Hand, M 2023, '', Educational Theory, vol. 73, no. 3, pp. 337-340.

Hand, M 2022, '', Impact, vol. 2022, no. 27, pp. 2-4.

Hand, M & Parker, SG 2022, '', Journal of Philosophy of Education, vol. 56, no. 5, pp. 641-644.

Expertise

philosophy of education; moral education; political education; religious education; sex and relationships education; teaching controversial issues; education for patriotism; faith schools; philosophy in schools

Expertise

Philosophy of education; moral, political, religious and philosophical education; education for patriotism, teaching sexuality; the aims of religious education; faith schools; philosophy for children; teaching of controversial issues.