Scottish Literature and History, MA (Hons)

Course summary

Through the critical reading of texts of all kinds, our joint honours programme in Scottish Literature and History helps you understand the world in which we live now while shedding light on the past. Studying a combination of literature and history shows an openness to ideas and perspectives other than your own, an essential attribute in many careers and a global marketplace. Scottish LiteratureOur 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. After an introduction to the essential skills needed for critical close reading, you will specialise in Scottish Literature as you move through the literary side of your studies.You will explore the cultural contexts of all major periods of Scottish literature from the late Middle Ages to the present.In your honours years, you will select courses on the basis of your own interests in specific topics, periods or genres of Scottish Literature.HistoryThe Edinburgh experience is distinctive for its range of historical themes, chronological periods and geographical areas. You can choose from courses covering:

• the early Middle Ages to the most recent past

• Britain and Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas

Further, our courses offer a rich variety of approaches to the past, including:

• political history

• cultural history

• social history

• economic history

• intellectual history

• gender history

• global and transnational history

Why EdinburghEdinburgh is the first UNESCO World City of Literature, a fantastic historic and literary city which many greats of Scottish literature have called home. From the University's Special Collections to the National Library of Scotland, the city's resources for studying literature and history are exceptional. We are the oldest department of English and Scottish Literature in the UK, and one of the longest-established in the world. Our Writers-in-Residence have included:

• Jenni Fagan

• Liz Lochhead

• Sorley Maclean

• Norman MacCaig

• Michael Pedersen

• Alan Warner

This programme is very flexible. In your pre-honours years (Years 1 and 2), you will choose option courses from a broad list of disciplines in addition to your core subjects of Scottish Literature and History. In your honours years (Year 3 and 4), you will select courses on the basis of your own literary and historical interests, developing a detailed knowledge of a topic or set of texts.

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