The Scottish Universities' International Summer School (SUISS) was founded as a non-profit organisation by Professor David Daiches in 1947 in the spirit of the Edinburgh International Festival. The School brings together students and academics who, irrespective of their national, religious, or cultural difference, share a love of literature. Each summer we offer three courses in Text and Context:
British and Irish Literature from 1900 to the Present, one course in Creative Writing, and one course in Contemporary British and Irish Theatre and Performance. The Text and Context programme offers courses in Modernism, Contemporary Literature and Scottish Literature, providing a comprehensive and interdisciplinary examination of literature from Britain and Ireland in the context of the key societal and cultural developments during the twentieth and the twenty-first century. The dynamic and diverse characteristics of more than a hundred years of English, Irish, and Scottish texts are studied in conjunction with recent developments in literary theory. The Creative Writing programme is one of the most exciting and diverse programmes available in Britain. The four-week course offers developing writers a supportive environment in which to further their writing skills in fiction, poetry, drama and non-fiction. Students have a unique opportunity to attend author-led Masterclasses and readings from established writers. The Contemporary British and Irish Theatre and Performance programme offers a unique course in the theory and practice of drama in Britain and Ireland today. This two-week course provides a challenging, dynamic and diverse introduction to contemporary theatre with a global impact. The course coincides with the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Students benefit from workshops offered by Playwrights’ Studio Scotland – Scotland’s only dedicated, independent development organisation for playwrights.
