In addition to the academic programme, SUISS offers an extensive programme of cultural and social activities. Students have the opportunity to attend events, which include talks on art, film screenings, festival shows, and ceilidh dances and, as ever, the courses will be supplemented by readings by contemporary Scottish authors.
Edinburgh is the first Unesco World City of Literature and is home to highly acclaimed authors such as Maggie O’Farrell, Ian Rankin, Irvine Welsh and Alexander McCall Smith to name just a few. Around 4 million people visit our beautiful city every year, many of them for the Edinburgh International Book Festival in August – ‘the largest public celebration of the written word in the world’ – but many to explore the literary city and all it has to offer the book lover. SUISS coincides with the many Edinburgh Festivals, including the Military Tattoo, the Edinburgh International Festival and Fringe Festival against the glorious backdrop of the extinct volcanoes of Arthur’s Seat and Edinburgh Castle.