MA Scottish Literature/Sociology
About this course
Scottish literature combined with sociology is a pairing that brings together the study of a distinctive national literary tradition and the analytical tools needed to understand the social world in which that tradition is embedded. Scottish literature is a richly varied and historically deep field, encompassing Gaelic poetry, Scots ballads, the Enlightenment, the Romantic period, the twentieth-century Renaissance, and contemporary writing in English, Scots, and Gaelic. Sociology provides the frameworks to understand how social structures, inequalities, institutions, and cultural forces shape human experience and behaviour. At the University of Glasgow, which is home to the only academic unit in the UK exclusively dedicated to the teaching of and research into Scottish literature, this four-year full-time programme gives you access to unrivalled specialist expertise. The university is home to the Centre for Robert Burns Studies, which is engaged in a major scholarly edition of Scotland's national poet, and the depth of scholarly engagement with Scottish writing that this implies runs through the curriculum. You will also study sociology with Glasgow's characteristic breadth and rigour, engaging with both classical social theory and contemporary debates about inequality, culture, and social change. The degree includes a year abroad, broadening your perspective on both literature and social analysis. The typical entry tariff of 200 points reflects the competitive nature of entry to a programme of this calibre. You will develop close-reading and critical writing skills alongside sociological research abilities and the capacity to analyse social texts with intellectual precision. Graduates pursue careers in education, journalism, publishing, the arts, heritage and museums, social research, policy, and the voluntary sector. Postgraduate study in Scottish literature, sociology, cultural studies, or social research methods is a natural and common continuation.
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