Scandinavian Studies and English Literature, MA (Hons)

Course summary

For centuries, English-speaking and Scandinavian cultures have had a profound international influence on literature and drama. This joint honours programme aims to develop your critical, analytic, linguistic and creative skills by engaging with a broad range of texts and a variety of approaches to reading. You do not currently need to know a Scandinavian language, as courses are available for beginners. Over the course of your four-year programme, you will learn to read, write and speak either Danish, Norwegian or Swedish to a high standard. You will specialise in the modern language of Denmark, Norway or Sweden but, whichever you choose, you will also gain an understanding of the other two we teach to degree level, and the skills to spend a year abroad in Scandinavia. In English Literature, you will hone the essential skills needed for the critical close reading of poetry, drama and prose. You will explore the cultural contexts of writing in English from the late Middle Ages to the present. As you progress through the programme, you will also study courses selected on the basis of your own interests, developing a detailed knowledge of specific literary topics, periods or genres. Why EdinburghEdinburgh is the only university in Scotland, and one of only two in the UK, to offer undergraduate honours programmes in Scandinavian Studies.As well as being distinctive in our subject offering, we are also unique in Scotland in offering students a full academic year abroad within the four-year honours programme, regardless of whether you spend the year studying or working.Based in the heart of the first UNESCO World City of Literature, we are the oldest department of English Literature in the UK, one of the longest established in the world. We are also the proud home of the Northern Scholars programme which fosters co-operation between the Nordic and Baltic countries and Scotland. Our flexible programme gives you the blend of specialist skills and Intercultural Competence valued by graduate employers around the globe.