Culture, Heritage and Literature BA (Hons)

What is special about this course?

Most of our humanities subjects can be studied as joint honours as well as single honours. Joint honours programmes give you the opportunity to combine two subjects, which complement your interests or career goals. You will usually concentrate on both subjects equally. It can be possible to transfer between single and joint honours options, usually during your first or second year, and advice will be available from your personal academic tutor.

This course is aimed at anyone who wishes to study in a rapidly growing interdisciplinary field. You can set your own research agendas, choosing your topics for study at all levels and bringing together the multi-disciplinary teaching and learning you will experience throughout your studies.   

You will have the unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the wealth of the fascinating and varied culture and heritage of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland and, using a wide range of authors and texts, from classic to contemporary, explore literature in a global context, looking in-depth at language and literary history.

Please see our FAQ sheet for further information on this course.

Special features

• Gain a unique understanding of Scotland and the communities of the Highlands and Islands: the customs, traditions and values
• Choose from a range of interdisciplinary subjects to suit your own interests and career path
• Study full-time or part-time to suit your personal circumstances
• Individual modules can be studied for personal and professional development
   

Accommodation

We offer modern student accommodation at a number of our locations.

Entry requirements

Entry to year one:

• 3 Scottish Highers at grade BBC or above OR
• 2 A levels at grade BC or above
• At least two should be from the list of relevant academic subjects
• Applicants with other relevant qualifications or experience will be considered on an individual basis

Advanced entry to year two:

• HNC Social Sciences (12 SQA credits) with 3 additional SQA credits at level 7, which is equivalent to 120 degree credit points, and at least grade C in the Graded Unit will be considered for direct entry to year two

Access routes

SWAP Access courses
If you are eligible to undertake Scottish Wider Access Programmes (SWAP), please visit our SWAP access list for further information on grade profiles and available subjects.

Year 1 - CertHE

You will study the following modules.

Culture and Heritage

• Scotland the brand OR What is culture? (S1)
• Culture. Heritage. What? OR Scotland's music (S2)

Literature

• Travellers in the wilderness: literature and exile
• Theories of literature: an introduction

You will also study two option modules from across the university's humanities portfolio.

Year 2 - DipHE

You will study the following modules.

Culture and Heritage

• Tradition, custom and belief OR Folklore (S1)

You will also choose one of the following (S2):

• Golden mead and burning hearts
• Languages on the edge
• Displaying the past: museum studies

Literature
You will choose two of the following:

• Mediaeval literature: texts and contexts
• An introduction to Gaelic poetry
• Heroic literature: epic from classical to contemporary
• Theatrical powerplay: classical and modern tragedy

You will also choose two option modules from across the university's humanities portfolio.

Year 3 - BA

You will study one core module:

• Interdisciplinary project (S1)

Culture and Heritage

Plus two options which may include:

• Perceptions of heritage (S2)
• Scotland in film (S1)
• The Scottish Enlightenment and Highland society (S2)*
• People and the natural environment (S2)*

* modules run on alternate years

Literature
You will study three modules, which may include:

• Imagining new worlds: renaissance literature and thought
• Nature writing and ecology
• Continental philosophy
• Romantic genius: Scottish and European literature, 1750–1830
• Risk anything! The modernist short story
• Literary borrowings: adaptations and appropriations

Year 4 - BA (Hons)

You will complete a dissertation in either Culture and Heritage or Literature. You will also study one option module from your chosen dissertation subject, plus three option modules from the other subject.

Culture and Heritage

• Scottish tradition in philosophy
• Faeries and fables: the story of Gaelic literature
• Visual research methods
• Highland journeys
• Vikings and Valkyries

Literature

• Avant-garde literature
• Apocalyptic fictions
• Metafiction: self-referential texts
• Satire: the art of attack
• Past and present: historiography

Fees

Find out more about fees, fee waivers and funding options.

Funding

UHI has a number of scholarships, bursaries, awards, and discretionary fund opportunities available to new and current students. Please use the A-Z of funds or use the filter to see which ones may be relevant to you. All students are welcome to apply.

Further information on funding your studies is also available, please see the attached link or contact the relevant UHI partner.