Undergraduate Course: Voicing Scotland: Scottish oral traditions and heritage (SCET08011)
Course Outline
| School | School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 2 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | The world's knowledge is defined by hybridity between oral traditions and written texts. This course is an introduction to Scotland's rich oral/aural traditions of song, storytelling, instrumental music, dance, and folklore. Key concepts and theories relating to the interaction between orality and print, transmission (sharing) of oral material, and intangible cultural heritage as defined by UNESCO are explored in the context of modern (cultural) ethnology. Students learn fieldwork techniques, archival research skills and oral history interviewing. Themes can include children's song, ballads, political song, Robert Burns and Walter Scott, Highland bagpipes, Gaelic folktales, and Scottish legends, and special material is drawn from printed collections and the School of Scottish Studies Archives. |
| Course description |
This survey course is foundational to an understanding of Scottish culture, living heritage and ethnology. Since the UK ratification of the UNESCO Convention for Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2024, knowledge of ICH or living heritage/folklore/folklife/traditional arts and crafts is more prominent and sought after. With an emphasis on the traditional arts of song, music, storytelling and dance, ethnological approaches to scholarship are explored along with practical skills relating to fieldwork and archives.
The course is structured in four units, which can include the following case studies and activities:
1. The Power of Song
- A range of song types (e.g., ballads, children's song, protest song, Gaelic song)
- Key song collectors and different approaches (e.g., Walter Scott, Gavin Grieg and James B. Duncan)
- Reflecting on our experiences of pre-literate (childhood) learning
- Sharing song examples from our home areas
- Developing an understanding of oral culture, its complexity and scholarship
- Familiarisation with the concepts of orality and oralature (oral literature)
- Observing everyday examples of knowing outwith written sources
2. Fieldwork and Archives
- Learning and practicing basic fieldwork skills
- Carrying out an oral history interview
- Transcribing speech and song from audio recording
- Understanding the work of the world-renowned School of Scottish Studies Archives, including the Sound Archive featuring more than 30,000 recordings
- Carrying out archival searches
- Familiarisation with examples of ethnological projects such as the Regional Ethnology of Scotland Project (European Ethnological Research Centre)
3. Theory and Practice
- Understanding the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) and UK ratification in 2024
- Familiarisation with key theories, particularly concerning orality, folk song and folk tales
- Evaluating historical approaches to categorisation, such as Propp, Olrick, Child and Shuldham-Shaw
- Centring practices (singing, interpreting, varying) rather than or alongside artefacts (printed song text)
- Exploring approaches to performance, live and from the archives
- Tacit knowledges in traditional arts practices
- Practitioner perspectives from music, song, dance and storytelling
4. Narrative and Instrumental Music
- Considering key aspects of performance practices
- Familiarisation with fairy legends
- Introduction to Thompson's motif-index
- Understanding the contribution of Scottish Travellers
- Familiarisation with instrumental traditions (e.g., bagpipes, fiddle, pub sessions) in Scotland
- Exploring aspects of transmission in oral culture
In addition to these four units, there are comprehensive introduction and consolidation lectures. There are 1-2 articles or chapters of essential reading each week plus essential listening/viewing. Lectures can include rich, illustrative examples and gentle participation. Guest speakers and performers are featured, where possible. Selected case study and illustrative materials are provided including contemporary and archival audio, videos, manuscripts, historical publications as well as comprehensive literature. Tutorials are an opportunity to engage more closely with important aspects of the course through practical tasks, discussion and reflection. Visits to informal performances in the city, as well as relevant archives and museums are encouraged.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2026/27, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 33,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 5,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
158 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
50 %,
Coursework
50 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Coursework:
Fieldwork and archives task (45%)
Participation (5%)
Exam:
Examination (50%)
The fieldwork task relates to Learning Outcomes 3/4/5
The exam relates to Learning Outcomes 1/2/5 |
| Feedback |
Students are provided with feedback to develop their understanding and accuracy prior to summative assessments via discussions and activities in classes and tutorials and on the Learn discussion board. The mid-course submission has a formative function and written and verbal feedback is available before the end-course exam. Written feedback is provided following the end-course exam. Feedback is provided with a 'feedforward' approach with clear next steps for development. |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Minutes |
|
| Main Exam Diet S1 (December) | Voicing Scotland: Scottish Oral Traditions and Heritage | 00 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- demonstrate a sound knowledge of the field of orality within an ethnological context
- demonstrate a solid grasp of the main genres of oral/aural transmission
- demonstrate a familiarity with the implications of the UNESCO concept of Intangible Cultural Heritage
- demonstrate basic fieldwork and archival skills relating to the collecting and organisation of oral heritage material
- apply a range of theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of oral culture
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Research and enquiry
To engage well with this course's assessed work, students will need to become familiar with a set of cultural concepts, respond critically to secondary scholarship and scholarly paradigms, create new oral history data, carry out archival searches, evaluate complex primary texts and audio/visual materials, and contextualize selected materials.
Personal and intellectual autonomy
Students will develop transferable skills in preliminary research (critically selecting primary/secondary sources, conducting reasoned analysis, interviewing and archival practices, and synthesising a variety of data to represent their findings).
Personal effectiveness
Planning assessed work, applying autonomy to key choices such as interviewee and topic(s), managing the logistics of a multi-stage project, and meeting assignment deadlines will require students to develop/hone skills in project management: multitasking, coordinating schedules; managing data; and using resources effectively to an appropriate timescale and for defined goals.
Communication
Students will develop written and oral communication skills through coursework assessments, to an anticipated high standard, e.g. transcription, contextualisation and reflection on fieldwork and archival practices in the Fieldwork and Archives Task. Oral communication via interview and small-group discussion will be supported, with appropriate consideration to the mainstreaming of adjustments and those students with recognised learning adjustments that impact speaking or listening. |
| Keywords | UNESCO,culture,ethnography,fieldwork,archive,song,music,story,performance |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Lori Watson
Tel: (0131 6)50 8415
Email: lori.watson@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | |
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