What is special about this course?
Most of our humanities subjects can be studied as joint honours as well as single honours. Joint honours programmes give you the opportunity to combine two subjects, which complement your interests or career goals. You will usually concentrate on both subjects equally. It can be possible to transfer between single and joint honours options, usually during your first or second year, and advice will be available from your personal academic tutor.
This joint degree covers:
- Literature: using a wide range of authors and texts, from classic to contemporary, explores literature in a global context, looking in depth at language and literary history.
- Sociology: the study of the development, structure, and functioning of human society
.
Special features
- You will study literature in an international context
- You will be part of a vibrant research culture from your first semester
- Opportunities to take part in field-trips every semester as well as involvement in academic conferences and an active Literature Society
- You can study full time or part time to suit your personal circumstances
- You can study individual modules for personal or professional development
Accommodation
We offer modern student accommodation at a number of our locations.
Entry requirements
Entry to year one:
- 3 Scottish Highers at grade BBC or above, or
- 2 A levels at grade BC or above
- At least two should be from the list of relevant subjects
- Applicants with other relevant qualifications or experience will be considered on an individual basis
Advanced entry to year two:
- HNC Social Science (12 SCQF credits) with 3 additional SCQF credits at level 7 which is equivalent to 120 degree credit points, and at least grade C in the Graded Unit will be considered for direct entry to year two.
Access routes
Relevant Scottish Wider Access Programmes (SWAP):
- Access to: Arts and Humanities (Newbattle Abbey College)
- Access to: Arts, Social Sciences and Primary Teaching (Edinburgh College)
- Access to: Arts, Social Sciences and Primary Teaching (North East Scotland College)
- Access to: Celtic Studies incorporating Primary Education with Gaelic (Newbattle Abbey College)
- Access to: Community, Education and Humanities (Dundee & Angus College)
- Access to: Degree Studies (Forth Valley College)
- Access to: Humanities (Arts, Social Sciences and Primary Education) (Fife College)
- Access to: Humanities (Fife College)
- Access to: Humanities (Perth College UHI)
- Access to: Languages with Business (Edinburgh College)
- Access to: Languages, Arts and Social Sciences (Edinburgh College)
- Access to: University Study (Dundee & Angus College)
- NQ Access to: Social Sciences (West Lothian College)
- NQ Access to: Teaching (West Lothian College)
Year 1 - CertHE
You will study the following core modules:
Literature
- Travellers in the wilderness: literature and exile
- Literary theory: history and practice
Sociology
- Understanding the social world
- Making social lives
You will also choose two further option modules from our range of humanities subjects
Year 2 - DipHE
You will study two literature modules, which may include:
- Introduction to Gaelic poetry
- Heroic Literature: Epic from Classical to Contemporary
- Male Ideals and Female Desires in Medieval Poetry
- Theatrical Powerplay: Classical and Modern Tragedy
Plus two core sociology modules:
- Sociology Theory Or Belief, Culture and Community
- Qualitative Research
You will also choose two option modules from across our humanities subjects.
Year 3 - BA
You will choose three literature modules, which may include:
- Gaoir nam ban: Gaelic women's poetry 1644–1746
- Imagining new worlds: Renaissance literature and thought
- Psychogeography and the city
- Romantic genius: Scottish and European literature, 1750–1830
- Children's literature
- Modern times: popular culture and modernism
You will also study three core sociology modules:
- Advanced social research methods
- Work and society
- Sociology: contemporary Scottish issues
Year 4 - BA (Hons)
You will complete a dissertation in literature or sociology. You will also study one option module from your chosen dissertation subject plus three option modules from the other subject.
Literature modules may include:
- Pushing boundaries
- Postmoderism
- Avant-garde literature
- Past and present: historiography
Sociology modules may include:
- Insiders and outsiders in society
- Visual research
- Understanding crime
- Network society: mass media and the information age
- Restorative justice
How will I study my course?
- Full-time
- Part-time (structured)
- Part-time (unstructured)
- You will learn through a combination of video conference lectures and tutorials, and online study via the university's virtual learning environment (VLE), with support from your tutors. There is a weekly two-hour timetabled video conference lecture for each module which students should attend at their home campus.
How long will my course last?
- Full-time: 4 years @ 40 hours per week
- Part-time (structured): 8 years @ 20 hours per week
Number of hours per week indicates the total number of hours you should dedicate to the course, which includes time spent in lectures and your own time spent on individual study and research.
Where can I study my course?
Start date
- September
- January (part-time study only)
Fees
For students normally domiciled in Scotland or the European Union/EEA (outside of the UK) and with a term time address in Scotland, the following fees apply:
Degrees | 2018-19 | 2019-20* |
---|---|---|
Full-time (120 credit modules) per year | £1,820 | £1,820 |
Part-time (structured) (3 x 20 credit modules) per year | £645 | £645 |
Part-time (unstructured per module) (per 20 credit module) | £215 | £215 |
*The Home-Scotland/EU fee rate is set by the Scottish Government and will be confirmed by March 2019.
Rest of UK students
For students normally domiciled in the rest of the UK (England, Wales and N. Ireland) and with a term time address in Scotland studying this course full time, the following fees apply:
Level | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | |
---|---|---|---|
Full-time | Full-time | ||
Year 1 | CertHE | £9,000 | £9,000 |
Year 2 | DipHE | £9,000 | £9,000 |
Year 3 | Degree | £9,000 | £9,000 |
Year 4 | Honours | free** | free** |
**4th year free only for students studying full-time who have paid for the previous 3 years at the University of the Highlands and Islands.
Part-time (per 20 credit module) - £1,500 (2018-19 and 2019-20).
Fees are payable in advance each academic year unless otherwise agreed.
There are a number of funding options available to UK and EU students to help you pay for your studies and your cost of living whilst studying.
International students
For students who do not normally reside in the UK or European Union and with a term-time address in Scotland, the following fees apply:
2018-19 | 2019-20 | |
Full-time (120 credit modules) per year | £11,100 | £11,650 |
Part-time (structured) (3 x 20 credit modules) per year** | £5,550 | £5,820 |
Part-time (unstructured per module) (per 20 credit module)** | £1,850 | £1,940 |
**There is no part-time study option for Tier 4 sponsored international students.
Further information on international course fees.
A no fee increase guarantee is available for self-funding full-time and structured part-time RUK and International undergraduate students for continuous and contiguous study for the same award, up to the permitted standard time limit for the relevant award.
Funding
External scholarships and financial support may be available. Contact your enrolling college for more information.
What can I do on completion of my course?
Once you have successfully completed your BA (Hons) Literature and Sociology, you might like to consider careers in:
- Teaching and education
- Academia
- Publishing
- Museum and archives
- Charities
- The Media
- Heritage sector
- Creative arts
- Marketing and PR
- Government
- Writer
- Research
The highly developed critical, analytical and communication skills you will acquire through your studies will make you a strong candidate for a wide variety of careers.
Can I progress into further study?
You can progress from the BA (Hons) Literature and Sociology to
Is there more information available online?
You can use the above QR code to connect directly to the course details.