Scottish History MA/MA(SocSci)
The Folklore of Gaelic Scotland GAELIC4041
- Academic Session: 2026-27
- School: School of Humanities
- Credits: 20
- Level: Level 4 (SCQF level 10)
- Typically Offered: Either Semester 1 or Semester 2
- Available to Visiting Students: Yes
- Collaborative Online International Learning: No
- Curriculum For Life: No
Short Description
This course considers the rich corpus of folklore collected from Gaelic Scotland since the eighteenth-century; all texts may be accessed in English translation. The process of collecting is explored, and various folkloristic theories and approaches applied in order to gain a deeper understanding of the material.
Timetable
Two one-hour classes each week, over ten weeks. This is one of the Honours options in Gaelic and may not run every year. Options running this year are available on MyCampus.
Excluded Courses
None
Co-requisites
None
Assessment
The standard assessments for this course are:
■ Essay (2000 words) - 50%
■ Either Reflective diary (1500 words) OR Student-devised assessment (1500 words equivalent and which meets ILOs) - 50%
If required, for instance where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, the following alternatives are available:
■ There is no alternative to the written assessments, but flexible deadlines can be offered as reasonable adjustments (students should follow the usual process for extensions).
Further reasonable adjustments may be provided where necessary. Students are encouraged to consult with the course convenor.
Main Assessment In: April/May
Course Aims
This course aims to:
■ provide students with an overview of the rich and varied genres of Scottish Gaelic folklore material.
■ introduce students to the ways in which the various analytical tools used in folkloristics can be applied to Scottish Gaelic folklore, encouraging critical thinking and some independent personal response to the material.
■ encourage the development of transferable skills by fostering individual research initiatives and groupwork skills
Intended Learning Outcomes of Course
By the end of this course students will be able to:
■ outline the most important genres of Scottish Gaelic folklore
■ give a detailed account of the study of collecting and collectors of Scottish Gaelic folklore
■ discuss critically the application of folkloristic analysis to Scottish Gaelic folklore collections
■ discuss critically a wide number of Gaelic primary folklore texts, accessed in translation or in the original Gaelic as appropriate.