Scandinavian Studies and Linguistics, MA (Hons)

Course summary

The languages of the Scandinavian countries have long had a considerable impact beyond the Nordic region. This flexible programme gives you the opportunity to learn Danish, Norwegian or Swedish while developing your social scientific understanding of language. Scandinavian Studies and Linguistics make an excellent joint honours choice by combining the study of:

• a modern language in its cultural context

• the expression and creation of meaning

Linguistics courses of particular relevance to language students cover:

• the speech sounds of the world's languages

• variation in the languages of the world

• the structure and history of world languages

Lots of our graduates started as complete beginners in a Scandinavian language, leaving with the blend of broad cultural education and specialist knowledge valued by employers. Scandinavian StudiesScandinavian languages and cultures are increasingly popular. The region's television, film and literature attract global critical acclaim, and the socio-economic concept of the Nordic Model is widely studied. On our programme, you have the opportunity to develop advanced spoken and written language skills in modern Danish, Norwegian or Swedish while exploring Scandinavian culture, past and present. You do not currently need to know a Scandinavian language, as courses are available for beginners. By Year 3, you will have the skills to spend the year abroad in Denmark, Norway or Sweden. While you will specialise in one Scandinavian language over the course of your four years, you will also develop an understanding of the other two we teach to degree level. In Year 2, for example, you can choose to study the similarities and differences between Danish, Swedish and Norwegian. LinguisticsLinguistics examines how language works, describing how sounds, words, sentences and conversations combine to express and create meaning.You will also study:

• the uses of language in everyday life

• the ways in which it varies across society and evolves over time

• how it is mastered by children

As you progress through the programme, you will have the opportunity to formulate and test scientific hypotheses about linguistic phenomena using specialist linguistics and phonetics equipment. 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 integrating a full academic year abroad into the four-year honours programme, regardless of whether you spend the year studying or working.We are the proud home of the Northern Scholars Scheme which fosters co-operation between the Nordic and Baltic countries and Scotland. Studying over four years enables you to choose courses, including from other disciplines, that match your own interests, expertise and employability needs.

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