Through the critical reading of texts of all kinds, our joint honours programme in Scottish Literature and History helps you understand the world in which we live now while shedding light on the past.Studying a combination of literature and history shows an openness to ideas and perspectives other than your own, an essential attribute in many careers and a global marketplace.Our programme aims to develop your critical, analytic, linguistic and creative skills by engaging with a broad range of texts and a variety of approaches to reading.After an introduction to the essential skills needed for critical close reading, you will specialise in Scottish Literature as you move through the literary side of your studies.You will explore the cultural contexts of all major periods of Scottish literature from the late Middle Ages to the present.In your honours years, you will select courses on the basis of your own interests in specific topics, periods or genres of Scottish Literature.The Edinburgh experience is distinctive for its range of historical themes, chronological periods and geographical areas. You can choose from courses covering:the early Middle Ages to the most recent pastBritain and Europe, Asia, Africa, and the AmericasFurther, our courses offer a rich variety of approaches to the past, including:political historycultural historysocial historyeconomic historyintellectual historygender historyglobal and transnational history