Biblical Studies and Comparative Literature MA (Hons)

Biblical Studies - Biblical Studies provides an opportunity to explore the profound influence that the Christian and Jewish Scriptures have had on Western civilisation. Your studies will focus on the Old Testament and New Testament, but you will also encounter a large number of other Jewish and Christian writings from these periods, such as the Dead Sea Scrolls. The MA course is particularly suited for those wanting a wider range of options across Arts subjects, but who still want to give most of their attention to Divinity. Many students choose to take Biblical Studies alongside subjects such as ancient history or classical studies in order to study important texts within the wider context of the ancient world, or with English in order to discover the way in which biblical ideas and themes have found their way into literature.

Comparative Literature - Comparative Literature at St Andrews gives you the chance to explore a range of literatures – Arabic, Persian, French, German, Italian, Russian and Spanish in English translation, as well as texts from the UK and US – allowing you to gain insight into the different cultural traditions, socio-political and historical forces that have helped to form national and transnational canons. A focus on close reading and an introduction to issues surrounding literary translation as well as comparative methodologies will develop your analytical, descriptive, and evaluative skills. You will have the opportunity to read, discuss, and present reasoned arguments, and work on writing with precision and clarity.