Walter Scott: The Man Behind the Monument (FutureLearn)

Walter Scott: The Man Behind the Monument (FutureLearn)

Discover the writer, collector and cultural icon who remains one of Scotland’s most enduring literary legends. Explore literature that shaped the heritage and national identity of the Scots. Walter Scott is one of Scotland’s most significant figures and is famous around the world.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see FutureLearn's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

On this course, you’ll get to know the man behind the monuments and books. You’ll explore and discuss selections of Scott’s work, whilst reflecting upon his cultural impact and enduring literary legacy.
You’ll understand Scott’s significance as a poet and novelist, and will be familiar with some of his best-loved work; such as Waverley and The Heart of Mid-Lothian. You’ll also gain an understanding of how and why he was inspired to write, and how literature can shape heritage and national identity.

What topics will you cover?

  • The work and legacy of Walter Scott
  • Scott as a collector
  • Relationship between Scott’s home at Abbotsford and storytelling
  • Connections between Scott’s work and landscape, history and nationhood
  • Curating Scott’s legacy

What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you'll be able to...

  • Engage with a selection of texts by Walter Scott
  • Investigate the relationships between literature and national identities
  • Reflect on the cultural impact and legacy of Walter Scott
  • Explore how Scott uses his collection at Abbotsford as a springboard for a story
Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Literature and Mental Health: Reading for Wellbeing (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
The University of Warwick

Literature and Mental Health: Reading for Wellbeing (FutureLearn)

Find out how poems, plays and novels can help us understand and cope with deep emotional strain in this free online course. The great 18th century writer Dr Samuel Johnson, who suffered from severe bouts of depression, said “the only end of writing is to enable the reader better to enjoy life or better to endure it.” This free online course will explore how enjoying literature can help us to endure life.

No sessions available
5-12 Weeks
Shakespeare and his World (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
The University of Warwick

Shakespeare and his World (FutureLearn)

Together with the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Professor Jonathan Bate explores Shakespeare, his works and the world he lived in. William Shakespeare is one of the most famous authors of all time. 2014 marks the 450th anniversary of his birth. His words have inspired and moved people from around the globe for centuries.

No sessions available
5-12 Weeks
The American Renaissance: Classic Literature of the 19th Century (edX) EdX
DartmouthX

The American Renaissance: Classic Literature of the 19th Century (edX)

Explore the writings of famous American authors from Ralph Waldo Emerson and Harriet Beecher Stowe to Mark Twain, and examine the historic role Dartmouth College played in their formation. What is the American Renaissance? How did Dartmouth help foster the formation of the American Renaissance and its reevaluation and reinvention in the twentieth? Why should we, as twenty-first century readers, concern ourselves with this literature?

Self Paced
4 Weeks
The Talmud: A Methodological Introduction (Coursera) Coursera
Northwestern University

The Talmud: A Methodological Introduction (Coursera)

The Talmud is one of the richest and most complicated works of literature the world has ever known. Since being composed around 1500 years ago it has inspired not only religious reverence but significant intellectual engagement. In this course learners will be introduced to the unique characteristics of this text and the challenges that inhere in studying it while studying a chapter of the Talmud.

Nov 16th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Letteratura latina, dalle origini all'età augustea (edX) EdX
University of Naples Federico II,FedericaX

Letteratura latina, dalle origini all'età augustea (edX)

Una panoramica dei generi letterari tra repubblica e primo impero. La nascita e lo sviluppo della letteratura latina furono profondamente condizionati da un lato dall'influenza della cultura greca con la quale i Romani entrarono in contatto a partire dal II sec. a. C. soprattutto per la loro politica espansionistica nel Mediterraneo e poi in Oriente; dall'altro dalle pressioni esercitate dal potere politico che richiedeva al cittadino di prestare la propria attività innanzitutto a favore della res publica.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Old Norse Mythology in the Sources (Coursera) Coursera
University of Colorado Boulder

Old Norse Mythology in the Sources (Coursera)

This course is an introduction to the religion of the Vikings as it is recorded in Old Norse and Scandinavian literature from the medieval period. You will learn about the different written sources and what they can teach us about pre-Christian religion in northern Europe in the Viking Age. The course surveys the primary collection of Old Norse poetry about the pre-Christian Scandinavian gods, the Poetic Edda. We will also work with the main collections of stories about the Old Norse gods in prose: Snorri Sturluson's Edda and Saxo's History of the Danes.

Nov 2nd 2026
4 Weeks
Classic Detective Fiction (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
The University of Newcastle, Australia

Classic Detective Fiction (FutureLearn)

Develop detailed knowledge of one of the most popular and widely read literary sub-genres of crime fiction. Are you the next Hercule Poirot? A budding Sherlock Holmes? Embrace your inner Dick Tracy and dive into the world of detective fiction! Explore the back-stories of some of the earliest examples of crime fiction. This course delves deep into the evolution of the crime fiction genre from the early nineteenth century to the present day with a focus on detective novels. Many of these novels shaped the way we think about reading, and have engaged generations of readers from childhood through to our twilight years.

No sessions available
3 Weeks
Shakespeare: Print and Performance (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
King's College London

Shakespeare: Print and Performance (FutureLearn)

As part of Shakespeare400, learn about Shakespeare in print and performance around the world, from early modern times to today. Why do we continue to read and perform Shakespeare’s works around the world today? How were his plays performed and printed 400 years ago, and how has our conception of Shakespeare changed over the centuries?

Self Paced
4 Weeks
Literature of the English Country House (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
The University of Sheffield

Literature of the English Country House (FutureLearn)

Take a journey through the literature of English country houses from the time of Thomas More to Oscar Wilde. Trace the history and context of country house literature. Through the course you will investigate and discuss the role and representation of the English country house in literature, and learn how to build your own authoritative interpretation of these texts.

Feb 8th 2021
5-12 Weeks