Scotland: History, Heritage and Culture

Sunday 15th June to Saturday 28th June, 2025

Political Unions (1603 v 1707)

Since the SNP secured an overall majority in the Scottish Parliament in 2011, the question of the Union has dominated Scottish politics, yet the history of the union is often neglected. How many Scottish voters, for example, realise that 1707 was the third occasion in which Scottish MPs sat in a Parliament in Westminster? This class will look at the 1603 Union of the Crowns and the 1707 Act of Union, and think about fluctuations in attitudes towards the Union in Scotland (and England and Ireland) since the marriage of  King James IV of Scotland with Margaret Tudor, the sister of Henry VIII, set Scotland and England on the path to union.

Scotland and the Jacobite Cause

This class explores the history of the Jacobite cause in Scotland, from the revolution of 1688-90 to the final defeat of the Jacobites at Culloden in 1746. It considers Jacobitism's ongoing significance in shaping Scottish culture and identity, and the legacies and (mis)representations of Jacobitism that persist in popular culture.

The Scottish Enlightenment

This class introduces students to the history of Scottish Enlightenment intellectual culture between c. 1690 and 1830. In Book I of his Treatise on Human Nature published in 1739, the Scottish historian and philosopher David Hume suggested that 'all the sciences have a relation, greater or less, to human nature [and t]here is no question of importance, whose decision is not compriz'd in the science of man'. Hume’s extraordinary claim on the interconnectivity of human nature among different branches of knowledge responded to the transitional age in which he lived. With the ‘Science of Man’ in mind, this class will consider the various ways in which prominent Scottish Enlightenment thinkers such as Francis Hutcheson, Hume, Lord Kames, Thomas Reid, Adam Smith, and Dugald Stewart sought to discover the anatomy of the human mind, restore morality in ‘polite’ and commercial society, perfect the human constitution as a member of a political body, and reform the political economy of empire-building. In doing so, students will explore a range of Enlightenment themes in the study of empiricism, natural religion, philosophical scepticism, passions, and ethics.

Radical Scotland

This class examines the extent to which Scotland was influenced by republican  ideas emanating from both America and France in an age of Atlantic Revolution. It uses both literary and historical evidence to trace the existence of radical organisations from the 1790s to the Insurrection of 1820. It will also identify the strength of the ancien régime state, highlighting both popular loyalism and the institutional response to the radical challenge. 

Tartan: From Rebellion to Royal Appointment

This class will investigate the shifting perceptions around Highland dress during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, examining why and how tartan went from being a banned symbol of mutinous Scots, to a fashion enthusiastically adopted by the British monarchy. This session will include engagement with historic items from the University's Museums and Special Collections. 

Scottish emigration in the 19^th century

This class will analyse the causes, consequences and legacies of Scottish emigration during a century that saw over 2 million people leave their homeland, primarily for North America, Australia and New Zealand.  Using a variety of sources, we consider negative and positive motives; the mechanisms through which relocation was implemented; the practical challenges of forging a new life; and the implications of emigration for the participants’ sense of identity.

1859 Religious revival in NE Scotland

This class will review the most significant and far-reaching religious revival in modern times as it appeared in the city of Aberdeen, the rural hinterland of north-east Scotland and the fishing villages and towns along the Moray Firth. It will explain the heterogeneous nature of simultaneous awakenings that appeared in the same area.  

Balmorality? 19th-century Scotland and the Monarchy

This class will explore Scotland as a place of royal tourism, with a focus on Queen Victoria and her sentimental love of Highland culture.

Highlands to Hellas: Scottish Travellers to Greece

Throughout the 19th century, countless artists travelled to Greece in search for the splendours of antiquity. Many were disappointed by the rugged and mountainous country - but for many Scottish travellers Greece proved surprisingly similar to their homeland. This class will focus on these Scottish artists and antiquaries travelling to Greece, and their experiences. The session is based on the study of material in UoA special collections, serving also as hands-on training in work with primary sources.

Sport and Scottish culture and society:

Sport serves as an excellent mechanism for exploring key factors shaping modern Scotland, such as industrialisation, urbanisation and the relations between different ethnic and religious groups. Senses of identity, and class and gender issues, are also illuminated by sport. The development of a unique sporting culture will be examined in detail during this class.

20^th Century & Children

How did ideas about children, childhood, and youth change over the nineteenth and twentieth centuries? How and why did this period see increasing intervention within the (largely working class) home? This class will consider the changing portrayal of young people in modern Scotland and how this has shaped children’s experiences. 

Scottish Artist-Women

This class will explore the achievements of women in the Scottish contemporary art scene over the last 40 years through a range of media. From figurative painting to conceptual art, creative women like Alison Watt and Christine Borland (both b.1965) emerged in the 1980s and 90s and now boast profiles that have put Scottish art education on the international art map. Tutors such as Barbara Rae (b.1943) and Sam Ainsley (b.1950) provided important role models for the possibility of making a career in the artworld as a woman during a time when a very macho brand of narrative painting by men still dominated. Photographers Maud Sulter (1960-2008) and Arpita Shah (b.1983), and new media artist Alberta Whittle (b.1980) offer a decolonial nuance to this narrative, as women of colour who have forged successful careers in Scotland and beyond.

Academic Entry Requirements

No academic entry requirements required.

English Language Entry Requirements:

Applicants will need to demonstrate that they meet the necessary English language requirements. We will accept a Statement of Language Level Form signed by their home institution, confirming that the student’s level of English is B2 or above on the Common European Framework of Reference for languages in line with requirements for the Standard Visitor Visa. Alternatively, we also accept any formal certification from the approved range of official qualifications listed at Undergraduate Degrees - English Requirements | Study Here | The University of Aberdeen (abdn.ac.uk). These must have been issued within two years prior to planned commencement at Aberdeen.

£2,500

Price Includes:

• Tuition
• 13 nights accommodation (uncatered) in University halls of residence.
• Leisure and Social activities 

Not included:

• International travel to and from the UK.
• Transport costs to/from the University from within the UK.
• Travel or health insurance.
• Visa costs, where applicable.
• Subsistence costs

10 University of Aberdeen academic credits.

This is roughly equivalent to 5 ECTS or 2-3 US Semester credits.

Receiving applications until February 28th 2025

For more information about our programme, please consult our programme guide.

You can also find out more about what your summer school programme might look like by viewing our programme timetable.*

If you have any questions about the details included here, don't hesitate to contact us at goabroad.incoming@abdn.ac.uk.

*For illustrative purposes only, subject to change.