Scotland’s only university department teaching the modern languages of Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
Scandinavian Studies at the University of Edinburgh was established in 1987. Since then, we have been working passionately through our teaching and research to spread knowledge and understanding of the Nordic countries, languages and cultures. We study the Nordic societies and their contributions to the world, present and past, and seek to promote communication, mobility and intercultural relation
s in both directions between Scotland and the Nordic region. Edinburgh is the only place in Scotland where courses in modern Scandinavian languages may be taken at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. In addition to tuition to degree level and beyond in modern Danish, Norwegian and Swedish, we also offer a wide spectrum of courses covering Nordic history, literature, linguistics, society and visual culture, as well as courses in translation and Old Norse. Research environment
We are based in new facilities at 50 George Square, as part of the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures. We run a rich programme of activities, including lectures, conferences, cultural events and practical workshops. Our research community includes our academic staff, honorary fellows, a dynamic core of postgraduate researchers, and well over a hundred undergraduate students. Together we enjoy the support of a dedicated team of teaching and research administrators and technical specialists. Our aim is to conduct world-leading research and support our students in a friendly, inclusive and supportive atmosphere. We have developeda network of collaboration with colleagues across the University's uniquely diverse research milieu. We have a strong track record in Nordic research and are active in fields such as:
- Language and linguistics (including language history, language policy, historical and critical onomastics, dialectology and linguistic landscapes)
- Literature and culture (including nations, transnationalism, postnationalism, diasporas and migration, geocriticism, travel writing, children's literature and literary translation)
- Broader cultural, social, historical and geographical topics including the Viking, medieval, modern and contemporary eras. Learning atmosphere
Our small class sizes offer many advantages: those learning with us will very quickly get to know their fellow studetns and the members of staff, their language learning will inevitably be active rather than passive, and they will find that the teaching is done in an informal atmosphere in which their individual input will, perhaps, be greater than in a larger department.
