Spanish and English Literature, MA (Hons)

Course summary

Spanish is the official language in 20 countries and is widely spoken in four more territories, including the United States. For centuries, alongside English-speaking cultures, these countries have had a profound international influence on literature.This joint honours programme aims to develop your critical, analytic, linguistic and creative skills. As well as language learning, you will engage with a broad range of texts in both English and Spanish, and a variety of approaches to reading. Spanish Spanish at Edinburgh celebrated its centenary in 2019, and our wide-ranging courses are taught by leading experts in their field, inviting you to explore the diverse and rich cultures of Spain, Latin America and the Caribbean. Intensive language training, including a year abroad, gives you the opportunity to develop advanced speaking, writing, reading and translating skills in Spanish. You will be immersed in an extraordinary range of literature, film, poetry and theatre from around the world, explored in its historical context. You will learn how to discern different varieties and registers of Spanish, and gain crucial intercultural competencies. English Literature Based in the first UNESCO World City of Literature, you will study in the oldest department of English Literature in the UK, one of the longest-established in the world. You will gain the essential skills needed for the critical close reading of poetry, drama and prose and explore the cultural contexts of writing in English from the late Middle Ages to the present. At honours level, you will select courses on the basis of your own interests in specific topics, periods or literary genres. Combining literature with a language shows an openness to ideas and perspectives other than your own, an essential attribute in many careers and a global marketplace. Why Edinburgh We are 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. Our programme is also flexible. In Years 1 and 2, as well as your core courses, you will choose option courses from a wide range of disciplines. You will then specialise as you progress through your honours years, the first of which is spent abroad. You can choose to take option courses in other schools, or broaden your linguistic portfolio with another language such as Portuguese, Basque or Catalan. When you graduate, you will have the combination of a broad cultural education and the specialist knowledge which employers worldwide value.