Film and Visual Culture and Gaelic Studies

Film and visual culture combined with Gaelic studies is an intellectually distinctive pairing that brings together training in the history and theory of cinema with deep engagement with Scotland's oldest living language. Film and visual culture examines the moving image as an art form, cultural phenomenon and social force, developing the critical vocabulary and theoretical frameworks needed to analyse cinema and screen media in their historical, political and aesthetic dimensions. Gaelic studies adds a linguistic and cultural dimension rooted in the specific traditions and contemporary life of Scottish Gaelic, from its classical literary heritage to its role in contemporary broadcasting and cultural politics.

At the University of Aberdeen you will study across four years of full-time study, including a year abroad that deepens both your engagement with Gaelic-speaking contexts and your broader cultural and intellectual horizons. You will develop rigorous skills in film analysis and visual theory alongside language skills in Gaelic and knowledge of its origins and cultural significance. The combination gives you an unusual and valuable perspective on Scottish visual culture, where the Gaelic-language film tradition and MG Alba's broadcasting output represent important contexts for the intersection of the two disciplines.

Graduates in film and visual culture and Gaelic studies are well placed for careers in broadcasting, particularly with organisations with a Gaelic remit, in arts administration, film exhibition and programming, cultural journalism, education, heritage organisations and the wider arts and media sector. The Gaelic language skills are valued by local authorities and public bodies with Gaelic responsibilities, while the film and visual culture training opens pathways in the broader screen industries. Many graduates pursue postgraduate study in film studies, Gaelic and Celtic studies, media, or arts and cultural management, developing specialist expertise in areas where their unusual combination of knowledge is a genuine asset.