French and Scandinavian Studies

French and Scandinavian studies at the University of Edinburgh is a combination that opens two distinct but equally rewarding windows onto European culture and society. French needs little introduction as one of the world's major languages and literary traditions: the language of Proust, Sartre, and Beauvoir, of Enlightenment philosophy and the cinema of Godard and Truffaut, of a continuing tradition of thought and creative production that has shaped global intellectual and artistic life. Scandinavian studies, encompassing the languages and cultures of the Nordic countries, introduces you to a tradition that is distinctive, influential, and often underrepresented in UK higher education: the literature of Ibsen, Strindberg, and Knut Hamsun, the social democratic political model that has shaped governance across the region, and the contemporary cultural output that has achieved international recognition across crime fiction, cinema, and television.

At Edinburgh, you will study French and one or more Scandinavian languages over four years of full-time study, developing linguistic proficiency alongside a broad engagement with the literatures, histories, and cultures of the French-speaking and Nordic worlds. Edinburgh has a distinguished tradition in modern languages and area studies, and the programme benefits from expert teaching in both areas. You will read widely in both traditions, develop your language skills in French and a Scandinavian language, and engage with questions of cultural comparison, translation, and the relationship between language and identity that studying two distinct traditions raises in particularly interesting ways.

Graduates with French and Scandinavian studies have a valuable combination of language skills that opens opportunities in diplomacy, international organisations, journalism, translation, publishing, and business roles connecting the UK with French-speaking and Nordic markets. The Scandinavian countries have an outsized presence in international organisations, particularly in areas of environmental, security, and human rights policy, and Swedish is an official EU language. Academic research in French, Scandinavian, or comparative literature is a path for those who want to pursue the intellectual dimensions of the degree.

The analytical, critical, and communication skills developed through serious language and literary study are valued across many professional contexts.