Scottish Ethnology and English Language

This innovative joint honours programme combines two complementary approaches to the study of human culture and expression.

Ethnology explores the culture and traditions of developed societies, while English Language looks at how English has changed over time, including in an international context.

This is the only full undergraduate programme of its kind in the UK. In your ethnological work, you will study Scotland in a comparative context, and gain skills that you can apply to any culture.

A highlight of the programme is the opportunity to work with thousands of hours of recordings in Scots, Gaelic, English, and dialects now extinct. You will gain in-depth experience handling traditional resources, modern media, digital data and some of the best linguistics and phonetics equipment in the world.

Scottish Ethnology

Ethnology is sometimes described as being at the intersection where history and anthropology meet.

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

We ask 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?

Follow in the footsteps of fieldworkers

Studying Scottish Ethnology is your chance to work with the rich range of materials in the School of Scottish Studies Archives and Scottish Studies Library.

You will explore the work of former staff and students who, since 1951, have been capturing elements of life in Scotland: over 33,000 recordings, thousands of photographs, and rarely-seen historic documents.

These materials are kept alive through our teaching, our undergraduate and postgraduate research, and through the work of our Traditional Artist and Gaelic Writer in Residence.

English Language

Using techniques from modern linguistics, you will analyse the structure of written and spoken English and explore how the language has changed in the course of its history.

As well as the study of change in English, we have a strong tradition of investigating variations of the language, including:

• Scots

• distinct dialects of English

• international variations

You will study modern-day English and Scots and identify the similarities and differences between English and other languages.

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. They will give you a good grounding in your subjects. 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. You can, for example, learn one or more languages (including Scottish Gaelic), or explore other world cultures.

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 English Language. Towards the end of your studies, you will complete a dissertation.

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.