Scottish Ethnology and Celtic

Uncover Scotland’s past and help shape its future, while gaining skills that you can apply to any culture.

This joint honours programme gives you the opportunity to study the languages, literatures and cultures of Scotland alongside the wider Celtic world, past and present.

A highlight of the programme is the chance to work with the rich range of materials in the School of Scottish Studies Archives. These include thousands of recordings in Scots, Gaelic, English, and dialects now extinct.

As well as our fantastic teaching staff, you will benefit from the expertise of our Traditional Artist and Gaelic Writer in Residence.

Graduating in this programme shows an openness to ideas and perspectives other than your own, an essential attribute in many careers and a global marketplace.

Scottish Ethnology

Ethnology is the study of the culture and traditions of developed societies. It is sometimes described as being at the intersection where history and anthropology meet.

While ethnology is commonly offered in universities across Europe, this is the only full undergraduate programme of its kind in the UK.

Focusing on Scotland, but also looking at comparative material from elsewhere, you will study the varying ways in which a modern European nation expresses itself culturally.

The programme explores questions such as:

• How do customs, beliefs, social organisation, language, music and song help to create and shape identity in the modern world?

• How do we use and make sense of the past from within our present?

• How can this understanding help us to shape our future?

Celtic

Study Celtic at the University of Edinburgh and you will learn about extraordinarily rich cultures from the Middle Ages to the 21st century.

At all levels of study on our four-year joint honours programme, we offer courses in the languages, literatures, histories, and cultures of the Celtic world. This allows you to specialise in particular areas, periods and disciplines.

You have the option to study Scottish Gaelic and build up to advanced competency in the language. It does not matter if you are a complete beginner; we stream our Year 1 classes to suit learners at a range of levels. This gives you the skills to directly engage with primary sources, developing a deeper understanding of Scottish literature and culture.

At honours level, you can also learn a medieval Celtic language - Old Irish or Middle Welsh.

How long it takes to complete this degree programme

This programme is studied over 4 years. This enables us to build choice and flexibility into your studies, giving you time to explore options, find what you like and build your skills.

Your first two years will be your pre-honours years. You will take courses on conceptualising, creating and visualising Scotland, and be introduced to the study of oral material from our archives. You can study the Scottish Gaelic language, learn about Celtic civilisation and literature, or combine the two.

In addition to your core courses, you will broaden your education and skill set by choosing option courses from a range of disciplines. This gives you the chance to build your intercultural awareness in other areas of the arts, humanities, social sciences and beyond.

Your final two years will be your honours years. They will be tailored to your interests in specific topics or approaches to Scottish Ethnology and Celtic Studies. If you have chosen to study Scottish Gaelic, you'll progress to advanced language study in these years.

Programme benefits

• Take the only programme of its kind in the world.

• Learn in the heart of Scotland's capital city.

• Be inspired by traditional musicians, composers and storytellers.

• Delve into fantastic libraries, archives and collections.

• Try out different subjects in your first two years.

• Join societies related to what you are studying.