What's it like to study here?
Spanish was formally added to the University’s curriculum in 1919 and, in over a century since, has developed into one of the best-established subject areas of its kind in the UK, with teaching and research in Portuguese, Catalan, Spanish and Latin American studies.
We specialise in the major areas of Spanish, Latin American and Lusophone (including Brazil and Lusophone Africa) literary and cultural studies; film and visual culture.
Working with colleagues elsewhere in LLC, and across the wider University, we are able to support research which crosses boundaries between disciplines and/or languages, and we contribute to taught programmes in film, literature, translation studies and intermediality - the relationship between different art forms.
Our graduates tell us that they value LLC’s friendliness, the connections they make here and the in-depth guidance they receive from our staff, who are published experts in their field.
On campus and in the city
We are based in the historic heart of a world-leading festival city, close to the National Library of Scotland and National Museum of Scotland.
The Main University Library is just across the square from us. Its collections include around 27,000 books and 5,000 journals in Spanish and 5,000 books and 2,680 journals in Portuguese.
As part of our postgraduate community, you will be immersed in a world of knowledge exchange, with lots of opportunities to share ideas, learning and creative work.
Activities range from a regular seminar series in European Languages and Cultures (with talks by staff, research students and visiting speakers), to film screenings and workshops, including those organised by the Centre for Caribbean and Latin American Studies. Highlights include our annual Cunninghame-Graham Lecture, and our weekly informal Spanish-language reading group ‘Poema de la semana’.
In addition to the summer and winter festivals, Edinburgh has a lively year-round contemporary cultural scene. Its world cinema scene is particularly strong, and we are proud to contribute to this success through collaborations with festivals such as IberoDocs.
Spain has a consulate in Edinburgh (Portugal an honorary consulate), and there are large communities of Spanish and Portuguese speakers.
