Scottish Ethnology and Archaeology MA (Hons)

Uncover Scotland’s past and help shape its future, while gaining skills that you can apply to any country, culture or place. <br/><br/>This innovative joint honours programme combines two related yet distinct approaches to the study of human cultures, past and present.<br/><br/>Taking 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:<br/><br/><br/>* historic remains and artefacts <br/><br/><br/>* print and traditional resources <br/><br/><br/>* modern media and digital data <br/><br/><br/>**Scottish Ethnology**<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/>Our courses explore 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 include:<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/>**Archaeology**<br/><br/>Complementing the ethnology side of your programme, which explores the recent past and present, your studies in archaeology take you further back in time. <br/>Our courses will help you develop a parallel range of skills in the interpretation of social and cultural change. <br/>The programme also develops your understanding of:<br/><br/><br/>* the material basis of archaeology <br/><br/><br/>* the contested nature of objects <br/><br/><br/>* the social relationships that are spun around them <br/><br/><br/>* the people who use and interpret them <br/><br/><br/>You will gain practical experience in archaeological fieldwork, and use excellent on-campus laboratories.