This programme aims to develop your critical, analytic, linguistic and creative skills of students by engaging with a broad range of texts and a variety of approaches to reading. By enhancing the literary and critical faculties of individual students, the programme prepares you to contribute to a society in which an understanding of texts of all kinds is crucially important. You will acquire an understanding of the cultural contexts of all major periods of Scottish literature from the late Middle Ages to the present, and a detailed knowledge of a specific topic or set of texts within each period. You will also study a set of specific research-led subjects offered by staff and selected on the basis of your own interests. The city of Edinburgh provides an excellent setting to study literature. It was named the first UNESCO City of Literature in 2004 and hosts the annual Edinburgh International Book Festival, which attracts the biggest names in literature and publishing. Our central location puts a range of excellent facilities within easy reach, including the city's exceptional collection of libraries. The University library is complemented by the National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh Central Library, and the Scottish Poetry Library.