Centre for Robert Burns Studies

• This course has been developed by researchers at the University of Glasgow’s Centre for Robert Burns Studies, who are widely considered to be the world-leaders in this area.
• Established in July 2007, the Centre is at the forefront of the development of research, scholarship and teaching in the area of Robert Burns, his cultural period and related literature.
• Students taking the course will benefit from their knowledge, support and expertise.
• You will be taught by the key staff involved in the Centre’s research and activities which include the production of a new multi-volume edition of the complete works of Burns.
• You will also have remote access to the University’s wide resources via its world-leading research library.

Completion of the course carries with it 20 Undergraduate credit points for those who wish to undertake the formal assessments. There is also the option to undertake the course without certification.

10 Weeks, starting September

Developed and taught by the Centre for Robert Burns Studies, the world's foremost research grouping on Scotland's national poet, this course will be taught over 10 weeks via 8 weeks of online instruction, plus a mid-term break, followed by a week for guided preparation of your final project.

Course Information

The directed online instruction will cover the following topics:

• Burns and Religion
• Burns and Politics
• The Making of the Bard
• Burns's Scottish Tours
• Burns as Songwriter
• Burns and Bawdry
• Burns and his Biographers
• The 'Afterlife' of the Poet

This course is suitable for learners from a wide variety of backgrounds, and is aimed to appeal to anyone with an interest in Burns or in Scottish poetry or culture in general. It is pitched towards Glasgow's 'level 1' - in other words, those new to University study or entering Glasgow University for the first time. It is suitable for learners from all disciplinary backgrounds, who may either choose to undertake assessments, and thus qualify for 20 undergraduate credit points, or who may just wish to engage with the learning programme for their own enjoyment. Graduates are equally welcome.

You will be supported in your learning by staff from the Centre for Robert Burns Studies, who will be on hand to answer enquiries and to advise students on learning and assessment.

Each learning block will be taught through a range of online reading, discussions, exercises, and activities. Each week students will be introduced to a range of online materials, including video,

articles, artefacts, and documents, as well as Burns's poems, songs, prose and correspondence. You will have the opportunity to examine archive material, original publications and manuscripts by Burns himself, recordings of Burns's songs and examples of objects used to commemorate the poet.

In addition, students will be able to access digitised materials, articles, and books via the University of Glasgow's library and to take advantage of the additional online resources to which the library subscribes.

The formal assessment for this course is optional and consists of the following:

• A written assignment (500 words)
  • A blog-entry exercise (500 words)
  • A final essay (1,500 words) submitted at the end of the course

Support, guidance and feedback will be available for all assessment.

For more details about assessment and certification, contact us at arts-burnsonline@glasgow.ac.uk.

Please click on the link below to download details of the minimum requirements for the online course.

Burns Online Computer Requirements