Central & East European Studies/English Literature
Central and East European studies with English literature brings together a regionally focused area studies programme with one of the oldest and most established literary disciplines. Central and Eastern Europe encompasses some of the most politically consequential and culturally rich societies in the world, regions that have experienced revolution, war, the rise and fall of communism, and the complex transitions to democracy and market economies that have shaped the post-Cold War era. English literature, meanwhile, develops your capacity to read, analyse and interpret a vast range of texts, from medieval poetry to contemporary fiction, across the full breadth of the anglophone tradition.
At the University of Glasgow, this part-time programme includes a year abroad, giving you an immersive experience in a Central or East European context that is essential for developing real understanding of the region. You will trace the dramatic changes of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries across the countries of the region, from the Baltic to the Balkans and from Berlin to the Caucasus, engaging with the rise of populism, the Russo-Ukrainian war and the ongoing instability that characterises much of the area. In the English literature component, you will develop your skills of close reading, literary analysis and critical writing across a wide range of periods, genres and traditions.
Graduates from Central and East European studies with English literature programmes pursue careers in journalism, the diplomatic service, international organisations, NGOs, publishing, academia, education and the cultural sector. The combination of regional expertise, language skills and literary sensitivity is particularly valued in contexts that require sophisticated engagement with a historically complex and politically significant part of the world. Postgraduate study in Slavic studies, European studies, political science, international relations or English literature is a natural next step.