Spanish and Philosophy

Spanish is the official language in 20 countries and widely spoken in four more territories, including the United States.

Philosophy has been at the core of Western intellectual life for at least 2,500 years. Studying Spanish and Philosophy together helps us understand the contemporary world, and also sheds light on the past.

Spanish

Our flexible programme invites you to explore the diverse and rich cultures of Spain, Latin America and the Caribbean in historical context. You will be immersed in an extraordinary range of literature, film, poetry and theatre from around the world.

Complete beginners start their language learning by taking our Spanish 1A course; students with substantially more experience of learning the language typically take Spanish 1B. By Year 3, you will have the skills to spend the year in a country where Spanish is spoken.

You will learn how to discern different varieties and registers of Spanish, and gain an intercultural awareness.

By your final year, you will have developed critical and analytical skills to the standard of completing a dissertation or long essay.

Philosophy

Studying philosophy will:

• allow you to think about some of the great philosophical questions in a clear, disciplined and systematic manner

• introduce you to the thinking of some of the great philosophers of the past and present

• illuminate the connections between diverse areas of human experience

• make you more aware of the assumptions that form the basis of your beliefs

Why Edinburgh

As a world-leading historic, festival and capital city, Edinburgh is the ideal place to study a modern language in its cultural context.

Philosophy has been taught at the University since its foundation in 1583, and Spanish since the early years of the 20th century, celebrating its centenary in 2019.

Studying over four years enables you to choose courses, including from other disciplines, that match your own interests, expertise and employability needs. You can, for example, opt to learn Catalan or Basque as part of your programme, or take pre-honours classes in politics or economics.

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.

How long it takes to complete this degree programme

This programme is studied over 4 years, including a year abroad. 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. They will give you a good grounding in your subjects. In addition to studying core courses, you will broaden your education and skill set by choosing option courses from a range of subjects and disciplines. This may enable you to change the focus of your programme.

Your final two years will be your honours years. You will spend Year 3 studying abroad, gaining lived experience of Spanish-speaking culture. Year 4 will be tailored to your interests in specific topics or approaches to Spanish and Philosophy.

Programme benefits

• Learn in an historic capital city where Spanish has been taught for over a century.

• Study over four years, including one abroad.

• Become fluent in one of the world's most widely spoken languages.

• Try out different subjects in your first two years.

• Join societies related to what you are studying.

• Delve into fantastic libraries and collections.