Scottish Language & Literature

Scottish language and literature is a discipline that takes seriously the linguistic and literary heritage of Scotland as a subject of academic study in its own right. Scotland has produced some of the most distinctive writing in European literature, in Scots, Scottish Gaelic and English, from the medieval makars and the ballad tradition to Robert Burns, Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson and the twentieth-century Scottish Renaissance, and continuing into the vibrant contemporary scene. Scots and Gaelic are not dialects or minor variations of English but languages with their own literary traditions, grammars and histories.

At the University of Glasgow, this four-year full-time programme includes a year abroad and is taught at the only academic unit in the UK exclusively dedicated to Scottish literature, home to the Centre for Robert Burns Studies. This depth and specialisation means you will engage with the field at the level of genuine scholarly expertise, with access to primary archives, specialist research collections and researchers at the forefront of the discipline.

You will study Scottish poetry, fiction, drama and non-fiction across periods and languages, examining how writers have engaged with Scottish history, landscape, identity, politics and culture, and how Scottish writing relates to other national and international literary traditions. Language study and literary analysis are both developed, alongside research skills, critical writing and the historical knowledge to contextualise what you read.

Graduates go on to careers in education, publishing, broadcasting, journalism, the cultural sector, archives and heritage, and community and creative work associated with Scottish language and culture. Scottish literature expertise is valued by institutions including the Scottish Government, cultural organisations and universities. Many go on to postgraduate study or doctoral research in Scottish literature, Scots language, Gaelic or literary studies.