Gaelic/Scottish Literature

Scottish Gaelic is one of the oldest languages in Scotland, carrying a literary, cultural, and historical tradition that stretches back more than a millennium. Scottish literature in English and Scots offers a rich and distinctive body of work that ranges from the medieval flyting traditions and the poetry of Burns and MacDiarmid to the contemporary fiction of writers who are reshaping how Scotland understands itself. Studying Gaelic alongside Scottish literature creates a degree with a deep investment in the literary and cultural life of a specific place, while also developing the linguistic and analytical skills that both disciplines demand.

At the University of Glasgow, this four-year full-time degree gives you the opportunity to develop your Gaelic language skills to a high level alongside rigorous engagement with Scottish literature in Gaelic, English, and Scots. You will trace Gaelic language and culture from their earliest recorded forms through to the present day, examining poetry, prose, and oral tradition alongside the linguistic development of the language and its social and political contexts. In Scottish literature you will engage with the full breadth of the tradition, developing close reading, critical analysis, and the capacity to situate texts in their historical and cultural context.

A year abroad provides additional breadth and depth to your academic experience.

You will develop both fluency in Gaelic and the critical and analytical skills that literary study demands, alongside a deep understanding of Scottish cultural identity and history that is rarely available through other academic routes.

Graduates from Gaelic and Scottish literature programmes work in Gaelic-medium education, broadcasting, publishing, cultural organisations, heritage, community development, and translation. The degree is also relevant to postgraduate teacher education for those who want to teach Gaelic in schools. Postgraduate study in Gaelic, Scottish literature, or Celtic studies is a natural continuation for those drawn to research or further specialisation.