THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2026/2027

Timetable information in the Course Catalogue may be subject to change.
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Degree Programme Table: Linguistics and Social Anthropology (MA Hons) (UTLINSA)

Jump to: Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, Year 4

Year 1 Academic year: 2026/27, Starting in: September

Notes:
You will be automatically enrolled on your four compulsory courses. You must pass these courses in order to progress to Year 2 of the Linguistics and Social Anthropology programme.

Compulsory courses

You must take these courses
Linguistics and English Language 1A

Must be passed

LASC08022 20 credits
Linguistics and English Language 1B

Must be passed

LASC08023 20 credits
Social Anthropology 1A: The Life Course

Must be passed

SCAN08013 20 credits
Social Anthropology 1B: Anthropology Matters

Must be passed

SCAN08012 20 credits

Course options

Group A

Select exactly 40 credits in this group.

Level 7 and 8 courses in Schedules A to T, W and Y

Select between 20 and 40 credits from Level 7 and 8 courses in Schedules A to T, W and Y
Notes:
In addition to courses in Schedules A to T, W and Y, you are permitted to take one or two courses in British Sign Language (LLLO07003/LLLO07004) from Schedule X, subject to availability.

You are permitted a maximum of 40 credits at Level 7 across Years 1 and 2.
AND

Challenge Courses: Engaging with complex problems through interdisciplinary collaboration

Select between 0 and 20 credits of the following courses
Notes:
Challenge Courses are designed to bring together students from different degree programmes to explore the complex issues facing the world today through interdisciplinary collaboration and creative thinking. Working with each other and expert academics, students will gain new perspectives and develop important life skills highly valued by employers, such as teamwork, problem-solving and adaptability.
Our Changing World
BIME08006 20 credits
Sustainability and Social Responsibility (UG)
EDUA08116 20 credits
Wicked problems: Reason and Rhetoric
EDUA08126 20 credits
Understanding decolonisation in a globalised world
EDUA08127 20 credits
Sustainable Development Goals: History, Progress and Beyond 2030
EFIE08008 20 credits
Living in the Anthropocene
GESC08004 20 credits
Understanding Gender in the Contemporary World
SSPS08012 20 credits
Healthy Eating for People and Planet
VETS08016 20 credits

Year 2 Academic year: 2026/27, Starting in: August

Notes:
You will be automatically enrolled on your four compulsory courses. You must pass these courses in order to progress to Year 3 of the Linguistics and Social Anthropology programme.

Compulsory courses

You must take these courses
LEL2A: Linguistic Theory and the Structure of English

Must be passed

LASC08017 20 credits
LEL2D: Cross-linguistic Variation: Limits and Theories

Must be passed

LASC08020 20 credits
Social Anthropology 2: Key Concepts

Must be passed

SCAN08011 20 credits
Ethnography: Theory and Practice

Must be passed

SCAN08005 20 credits

Course options

Group A

Select exactly 40 credits in this group.

LEL Electives for Linguistics Programmes (Year 2)

Select between 0 and 40 credits of the following courses
Notes:
In addition to LEL2A and LEL2D, you have the option to enrol on one or both of these Year 2 LEL courses.
LEL2B: Phonetic Analysis and Empirical Methods
LASC08018 20 credits
LEL2C: English in Time and Space
LASC08019 20 credits
AND

Level 7 and 8 courses in Schedules A to T, W and Y

Select between 0 and 40 credits from Level 7 and 8 courses in Schedules A to T, W and Y
Notes:
In addition to courses in Schedules A to T, W and Y, you are permitted to take one or two courses in British Sign Language (LLLO07003/LLLO07004) from Schedule X, subject to availability.

You are permitted a maximum of 40 credits at Level 7 across Years 1 and 2.
AND

Challenge Courses: Engaging with complex problems through interdisciplinary collaboration

Select between 0 and 20 credits of the following courses
Notes:
Challenge Courses are designed to bring together students from different degree programmes to explore the complex issues facing the world today through interdisciplinary collaboration and creative thinking. Working with each other and expert academics, students will gain new perspectives and develop important life skills highly valued by employers, such as teamwork, problem-solving and adaptability.
Our Changing World
BIME08006 20 credits
Sustainability and Social Responsibility (UG)
EDUA08116 20 credits
Wicked problems: Reason and Rhetoric
EDUA08126 20 credits
Understanding decolonisation in a globalised world
EDUA08127 20 credits
Sustainable Development Goals: History, Progress and Beyond 2030
EFIE08008 20 credits
Living in the Anthropocene
GESC08004 20 credits
Understanding Gender in the Contemporary World
SSPS08012 20 credits
Healthy Eating for People and Planet
VETS08016 20 credits

Year 3 Academic year: 2026/27, Starting in: August

Notes:
You will need to take 120 credits, including:

- 40-80 credits (2-4 courses) of Language Sciences Honours courses, at least one of which must be a 'Foundation' course, and
- 40-80 credits (2-4 courses) of Key Anthropological Themes and/or Social Anthropology Honours Elective courses.

Preparing for dissertations: You must be prepared to complete a dissertation in either Language Sciences or Social Anthropology in Year 4.
- If you are considering a dissertation in Language Sciences, you must include a Language Sciences 'Skills' course in your Year 3 course selections. The LEL Honours handbook gives further details about the Language Science courses being offered. Please consult this handbook when selecting your courses.
- If you are considering a dissertation in Social Anthropology, you must take Imagining Anthropological Research (SCAN10104).

There are no compulsory courses in this year of this programme.

Course options

Group A

Select exactly 120 credits in this group.

Language Sciences: Honours Foundation courses

Select exactly 20 credits of the following courses
Sociolinguistics
LASC10002 20 credits
Historical Linguistics
LASC10021 20 credits
Pragmatics
LASC10067 20 credits
Syntax: Theory and Practice
LASC10084 20 credits
Morphology
LASC10086 20 credits
Phonetics and Laboratory Phonology
LASC10090 20 credits
Cognitive Linguistics
LASC10107 20 credits
Semantic Theory
LASC10110 20 credits
AND

Language Sciences: all Honours courses

Select between 20 and 80 credits of the following courses
Notes:
This list of courses includes those listed above in the 'Foundation' category; you cannot use the same course to meet both of these requirements.
Sociolinguistics
LASC10002 20 credits
Middle English
LASC10009 20 credits
Simulating Language
LASC10018 20 credits
Historical Linguistics
LASC10021 20 credits
First Language Acquisition (Honours)
LASC10029 20 credits
Second Language Acquisition (Honours)
LASC10030 20 credits
Origins and Evolution of Language (Hons)
LASC10031 20 credits
Reading Old English
LASC10049 20 credits
Linguistic Fieldwork and Language Description
LASC10050 20 credits
Global Englishes
LASC10056 20 credits
Speech Processing (Hons)
LASC10061 20 credits
Speech Synthesis
LASC10062 20 credits
Pragmatics
LASC10067 20 credits
Scots and Scottish English
LASC10072 20 credits
Computer Programming for Speech and Language Processing
LASC10079 20 credits
Phonological Theory and English Phonology
LASC10083 20 credits
Syntax: Theory and Practice
LASC10084 20 credits
Morphology
LASC10086 20 credits
Phonetics and Laboratory Phonology
LASC10090 20 credits
History of Scots
LASC10098 20 credits
Universals of Language
LASC10100 20 credits
Language Variation and Change
LASC10102 20 credits
Speech Production and Perception
LASC10104 20 credits
Cognitive Linguistics
LASC10107 20 credits
Methods in Theoretical Linguistics
LASC10109 20 credits
Semantic Theory
LASC10110 20 credits
Discourse Analysis
LASC10114 20 credits
Online Experiments for Language Scientists
LASC10115 20 credits
Structure of a Language A
LASC10123 20 credits
Semiotics
LASC10124 20 credits
Quantitative Methods in Linguistics and English Language (Hons)
LASC10125 20 credits
Language Endangerment and Revitalisation
LASC10126 20 credits
AND

Imagining Anthropological Research

Select between 0 and 20 credits of the following courses
Notes:
If you intend to complete a dissertation in Social Anthropology in Year 4, you must take this course.
Imagining Anthropological Research
SCAN10104 20 credits
AND

Key Anthropological Themes

Select between 0 and 60 credits of the following courses
Notes:
These courses cover key themes in Social Anthropology. During Years 3 and 4 (combined), you are recommended to take 40-100 credits from this group.
Kinship: Structure and Process
SCAN10021 20 credits
Anthropological Theory
SCAN10022 20 credits
Ritual and Religion
SCAN10023 20 credits
Culture and Power
SCAN10030 20 credits
Consumption, Exchange, Technology
SCAN10031 20 credits
Anthropology of Health and Healing
SCAN10062 20 credits
AND

Social Anthropology Honours Electives - Level 10

Select between 40 and 80 credits of the following courses
Notes:
If you are interested in taking Culture and Power (SCAN10030), you are encouraged to do so in Year 4.
Contemporary Issues in International Development
AFRI10004 20 credits
A World of Borders
AFRI10006 20 credits
African Studies: Topics & Themes
AFRI10007 20 credits
Artificial Intelligence and Global Development
AFRI10008 20 credits
South Asia: Culture, Politics and the Economy
SAST10001 20 credits
Kinship: Structure and Process
SCAN10021 20 credits
Anthropological Theory
SCAN10022 20 credits
Ritual and Religion
SCAN10023 20 credits
Culture and Power
SCAN10030 20 credits
Consumption, Exchange, Technology
SCAN10031 20 credits
Social Development
SCAN10044 20 credits
Anthropology of Health and Healing
SCAN10062 20 credits
Anthropology and Environment
SCAN10066 20 credits
Anthropology of Sex and Reproduction
SCAN10068 20 credits
The Anthropology of Language
SCAN10076 20 credits
Anthropology of Displacement and Migration
SCAN10077 20 credits
Anthropology of East Asia
SCAN10087 20 credits
Anthropologists Read the News
SCAN10091 20 credits
Digital Global Development
SCAN10092 20 credits
Anthropology of Race and Racism
SCAN10097 20 credits
Anthropology of the Far-Right
SCAN10100 20 credits
Health, Environment and Society
SCAN10101 20 credits
Anthropological encounters with clothing, textiles, and fashion
SCAN10103 20 credits
Energy Policy and Sustainability
STIS10008 20 credits
Sociology of Medicine
STIS10013 20 credits
Introduction to Internet, AI and Society
STIS10020 20 credits

Year 4 Academic year: 2026/27, Starting in: August

Notes:
You will need to take:

- Dissertation in Language Sciences or Dissertation (MA Social Anthropology),
- Two Language Sciences Honours courses, and
- Two Key Anthropological Themes / Social Anthropology Honours Elective courses.

The LEL Honours handbook gives further details about the Language Science courses being offered. Please consult this handbook when selecting your courses.

There are no compulsory courses in this year of this programme.

Course options

Group A

Select exactly 120 credits in this group.

Linguistics and Social Anthropology Dissertation Options

Select exactly 40 credits of the following courses
Notes:
You must select a dissertation in Language Sciences or Social Anthropology.

In order to complete the Dissertation in Language Sciences, you must have taken a course from the 'Skills' category in Year 3.

In order to complete the Dissertation (MA Social Anthropology), you must have taken Imagining Anthropological Research (SCAN10037) in Year 3, and you are expected to use the summer after Year 3 to complete research for your dissertation.
Dissertation in Language Sciences
LASC10024 40 credits
Dissertation (MA Social Anthropology)
SCAN10036 40 credits
AND

Language Sciences: all Honours courses

Select exactly 40 credits of the following courses
Sociolinguistics
LASC10002 20 credits
Middle English
LASC10009 20 credits
Simulating Language
LASC10018 20 credits
Historical Linguistics
LASC10021 20 credits
First Language Acquisition (Honours)
LASC10029 20 credits
Second Language Acquisition (Honours)
LASC10030 20 credits
Origins and Evolution of Language (Hons)
LASC10031 20 credits
Reading Old English
LASC10049 20 credits
Linguistic Fieldwork and Language Description
LASC10050 20 credits
Global Englishes
LASC10056 20 credits
Speech Processing (Hons)
LASC10061 20 credits
Speech Synthesis
LASC10062 20 credits
Pragmatics
LASC10067 20 credits
Scots and Scottish English
LASC10072 20 credits
Computer Programming for Speech and Language Processing
LASC10079 20 credits
Phonological Theory and English Phonology
LASC10083 20 credits
Syntax: Theory and Practice
LASC10084 20 credits
Morphology
LASC10086 20 credits
Phonetics and Laboratory Phonology
LASC10090 20 credits
History of Scots
LASC10098 20 credits
Universals of Language
LASC10100 20 credits
Language Variation and Change
LASC10102 20 credits
Speech Production and Perception
LASC10104 20 credits
Cognitive Linguistics
LASC10107 20 credits
Methods in Theoretical Linguistics
LASC10109 20 credits
Semantic Theory
LASC10110 20 credits
Discourse Analysis
LASC10114 20 credits
Online Experiments for Language Scientists
LASC10115 20 credits
Structure of a Language A
LASC10123 20 credits
Semiotics
LASC10124 20 credits
Quantitative Methods in Linguistics and English Language (Hons)
LASC10125 20 credits
Language Endangerment and Revitalisation
LASC10126 20 credits
AND

Key Anthropological Themes

Select between 0 and 40 credits of the following courses
Notes:
These courses cover key themes in Social Anthropology. During Years 3 and 4 (combined), you are recommended to take 40-100 credits from this group.
Kinship: Structure and Process
SCAN10021 20 credits
Anthropological Theory
SCAN10022 20 credits
Ritual and Religion
SCAN10023 20 credits
Culture and Power
SCAN10030 20 credits
Consumption, Exchange, Technology
SCAN10031 20 credits
Anthropology of Health and Healing
SCAN10062 20 credits
AND

Social Anthropology Honours Electives - Level 10

Select between 0 and 40 credits of the following courses
Contemporary Issues in International Development
AFRI10004 20 credits
A World of Borders
AFRI10006 20 credits
African Studies: Topics & Themes
AFRI10007 20 credits
Artificial Intelligence and Global Development
AFRI10008 20 credits
South Asia: Culture, Politics and the Economy
SAST10001 20 credits
Kinship: Structure and Process
SCAN10021 20 credits
Anthropological Theory
SCAN10022 20 credits
Ritual and Religion
SCAN10023 20 credits
Culture and Power
SCAN10030 20 credits
Consumption, Exchange, Technology
SCAN10031 20 credits
Social Development
SCAN10044 20 credits
Anthropology of Health and Healing
SCAN10062 20 credits
Anthropology and Environment
SCAN10066 20 credits
Anthropology of Sex and Reproduction
SCAN10068 20 credits
The Anthropology of Language
SCAN10076 20 credits
Anthropology of Displacement and Migration
SCAN10077 20 credits
Anthropology of East Asia
SCAN10087 20 credits
Anthropologists Read the News
SCAN10091 20 credits
Digital Global Development
SCAN10092 20 credits
Anthropology of Race and Racism
SCAN10097 20 credits
Anthropology of the Far-Right
SCAN10100 20 credits
Health, Environment and Society
SCAN10101 20 credits
Anthropological encounters with clothing, textiles, and fashion
SCAN10103 20 credits
Energy Policy and Sustainability
STIS10008 20 credits
Sociology of Medicine
STIS10013 20 credits
Introduction to Internet, AI and Society
STIS10020 20 credits
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