Politics/Scottish Literature

Politics and Scottish literature is a combination that makes particular sense at one of Scotland's leading universities. Politics examines how power is organised, exercised, and contested, from the theories of democracy, justice, and sovereignty to the concrete study of elections, political parties, governments, and international relations. Scottish literature opens a literary tradition of remarkable richness and depth, from the early vernacular poetry of the makars and the works of Robert Burns to the twentieth-century renaissance of Hugh MacDiarmid and the contemporary fiction of writers such as James Kelman and Ali Smith.

Together, these disciplines offer a genuinely distinctive perspective on Scotland, its place in the broader political world, and the ways in which literature and politics have shaped and reflected each other.

At the University of Glasgow, which houses the only academic unit in the UK exclusively dedicated to the teaching of and research into Scottish literature, you will have access to unparalleled expertise in the field, including the Centre for Robert Burns Studies. The politics strand develops your analytical understanding of political systems, institutions, and ideas, while the Scottish literature strand immerses you in a body of writing that has been shaped by and has helped to shape Scotland's political and cultural history. The programme is available part-time and includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to study in a different national context.

Graduates from this combination go on to work in politics, journalism, public affairs, education, publishing, heritage and cultural organisations, broadcasting, and the arts sector. The analytical and communication skills developed across both disciplines are genuinely transferable, and the Scottish literature specialism is particularly valued by organisations with a commitment to Scottish culture and identity. Many graduates also continue to postgraduate study in politics, Scottish studies, English literature, or creative writing.