This is an introduction to phenomenology for students of philosophy and the social sciences. The authors explain what is distinctive about the phenomenological tradition, and how its major proponents connect and diverge, and where to look for lines of fruitful and positive criticism. Through a close reading of the major works of Husserl, Merleau-Ponty and Sartre, the authors show how their debates have become part of modern thinking and how they can shed light on questions of intentionality and experience, consciousness and freedom, and realism.