English Literature & Languages, Literatures and Culture

Study two subjects at Edinburgh and pick one to specialise in for an exciting project day!

English Literature: Edinburgh is proud to house the oldest English Literature department in the world – people have been studying English at Edinburgh longer than the USA has existed as a nation! As one of the top 10 universities in the WORLD for English Literature (QS 2024), Edinburgh has degree modules for everyone including Fairy Tales, Science Fiction, LGBT+ Fiction, and Shakespearean Tragedy. In recognition of its incredible literary history, Edinburgh was named the first ever World City of Literature by UNESCO in 2004.
Throughout the summer school, you will work on a variety of texts and approaches to reading, and explore cultural contexts with our renowned team of academic staff and students. You will develop your analytic, research and creative skills by taking part in lectures, tutorial discussions, and fascinating group project work. Previous summer school topics include spy fiction, reimagining Arthurian literature, short stories, dramatic monologues, Shakespeare, contemporary poetry, fiction, and the historical context of literature.

Languages, Literatures & Cultures: Learn a new language and explore fascinating cultures this summer! You do not need any language experience to take part, as we will start with the basics of new and exciting languages. If you are already adept at languages, we will have a new language you have not tried before.
Edinburgh offers one of the widest range of languages of any UK university, and is currently ranked top 10 in the WORLD for modern languages (QS 2024). Indeed, we are the only Scottish university to offer courses in Chinese, Arabic, Japanese, Persian, Turkish, and Scandinavian Studies.
Throughout the summer school, you will learn a new language from scratch and explore various aspects of culture (film, literature, music, festivals, history, art, theatre) with our fantastic team of academic staff and current students. Previous languages and cultures explored at the summer school include Portuguese, Arabic, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Russian, German, and Cantonese.

Spend your daytimes exploring fascinating subject work and receiving expert guidance, before joining exciting social activities across the city.

Join us this summer for a "once in a lifetime" experience that is "inspiring, enriching & unforgettable" (2024 Summer School Graduate feedback).