From crofters to Kenyans, a unique distance learning course in Scottish history run by the University of Dundee has surprised tutors by attracting a diversity of students from around the world.
The Modern Scottish History course, which is run in conjunction with the Open University and covers the 300 years between the 1707 abolition of the country's parliament and the formation of its current one, has not just attracted the interest of Scots, but also that of students from countries as far-flung as Kenya, the USA and Spain.
Students, such as George Kirigi from Nairobi in Kenya, or Bill Underwood, who lives on a remote croft in Shetland, cite individual reasons for enrolling in the course.
George chose the course to learn more about the Scottish culture which, when Kenya was part of the British Empire, had a strong presence in his native land. He said, " My interest stems from my knowledge of a racecourse in Nakuru which was destroyed after Kenya became independent. During its active days, the Scottish dance troupes would open the horse race events with elegant songs and for a moment people cheered and seemed to forget their differences. Kenya, a former colony of British Empire, still has room to understand the history and culture of Scottish society they once lived so closely with, despite the inequalities of that time."
Crofter Bill Underwood took time away from peat cutting and lambing to learn how his native country evolved from an agricultural and rural society into a leading industrialised nation. Bill said, "This was the time for the great engineers and industrialists - a time when "Clyde-built" meant top quality. The changes in all aspects of Scottish life over three hundred years are covered by the course, from demography to religion, politics to education. Each subject is covered in great detail but in a way that makes for interesting and easy reading."
Course tutor Anthony Cooke attributes such wide-ranging interest in the course to its flexibility.
He said, " Students can study at their own pace, and the five specially written course volumes mean they are able to find plenty of reading material, even if they live a long way from a good academic library. The Documents Volume is particularly popular, as it contains 145 original documents illustrating a great variety of topics from Scotlnd's history over the last three hundred years - from an extract from the Act of Union of 1707, to a passage from Alistair Gray's 1981 novel, Lanark.
"The course material is sent by post, but we also use e-mail- it's particularly good for overseas students in different time zones, or people working on difficult shifts. I've had one student who worked on the North Sea oil rigs, and finished an assignment from the Samsung shipyard in Korea."
This year's course begins next month. Further details from Johanne Phillips, Department of History, University of Dundee, DD1 4HN Tel 01382 345149.
By Jane Smernicki, Press Officer 01382 344768 j.m.smernicki@dundee.ac.uk