Scottish Ethnology MA (Hons)

Uncover Scotlands past and help shape its future, while gaining skills that you can apply to any culture. <br/><br/>Ethnology is the study of the culture and traditions of developed societies. It is sometimes described as being at the intersection where history and anthropology meet. <br/><br/>While ethnology is commonly offered in universities across Europe, this is the only full undergraduate programme of its kind in the UK. <br/><br/>Focusing on Scotland, but also looking at comparative material from elsewhere, you will study the varying ways in which a modern European nation expresses itself culturally.<br/><br/>The programme explores questions like: <br/><br/><br/>* how do customs, beliefs, social organisation, language, music and song help to create and shape identity in the modern world? <br/><br/><br/>* how do we use and make sense of the past from within our present? <br/><br/><br/>* how can this understanding help us to shape our future? <br/><br/><br/>**Follow in the footsteps of fieldworkers**<br/><br/>A highlight of our programme is the chance to work with the rich range of materials in the School of Scottish Studies Archives and Scottish Studies Library.<br/><br/>You will explore the work of former staff and students who, since 1951, have been capturing elements of life in Scotlands farming and fishing communities, towns and cities.<br/><br/>Today, the Archives run to:<br/><br/><br/>* 33,000 recordings of songs, music, stories, rhyme and verse in Scots, Gaelic and English, as well as in dialects now extinct<br/><br/><br/>* thousands of photographs and rarely-seen historic documents which capture exceptional and everyday aspects of Scottish culture and heritage<br/><br/><br/>These materials are kept alive through our teaching, undergraduate and postgraduate research, and through the work of our Traditional Artist and Gaelic Writer in Residence. <br/><br/>Being encouraged to undertake independent fieldwork from very early on in the undergraduate programme had a massive impact. The sense of being thought capable of making a valuable contribution to the Archives, even as early as second year, was very empowering. I also valued the freedom we were given to explore the Archives, and come up with our own essay topics and projects. It gave me a real excitement about the subject area and all the possibilities for research.<br/><br/><br/>- Ella, Scottish Ethnology MA Hons, MSc by Research, and PhD graduate<br/><br/><br/>**Develop skills for a range of careers**<br/><br/>Scottish Ethnology gives you a nuanced understanding of culture and society, and how these shape our world. <br/><br/>Graduating in this programme shows an openness to ideas and perspectives other than your own, an essential attribute in many careers and a global marketplace.<br/><br/>Over the course of your four years with us, you will gain the practical and intellectual tools to handle and interpret traditional resources, modern media and digital data. <br/><br/>As our pre-honours years are very flexible, you will also gain intercultural competencies in other areas of the arts, humanities and social sciences.