History, Culture & Writing Courses Online & in London
Explore our extraordinary range of History, Culture and Writing courses and lectures. We offer both introductory and specialist in-depth courses to suit all levels of interest and experience, from ‘How to read a film’ and World literature, to writing creative non-fiction and American history and politics.
Study online from the comfort of home, with interactive classes that allow you to participate in discussions with fellow adult students. We offer daytime, evening and weekend courses, both short and long. For more information, please see our guide to online learning.
Our tutors are experts in their fields and experienced educators; many have published, teach in universities or share their expertise in the media. Tutors share their knowledge and passion through presentations, readings, interactive discussion and exercises, analysis, and other activities.
Many students return to take more courses, telling us they enjoy being part of our City Lit Learning community.
Our popular courses often sell out quickly, so we invite you to browse and book your place online now.
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City Lit gift vouchers - the perfect gift
Help your friends and family achieve their New Year's resolutions in 2021! Our City Lit Gift Vouchers are perfect for anyone who wants to learn something new this year. Available from just £10 and can be used to book a place on any of our online courses including art, languages, dance classes, poetry, and much more.From: £10.00 -
Masterclass: fiction (a one-term intensive workshop)
Course Date: Tue 19 Jan 2021
Location on this date: OnlineThis intensive fiction workshop is open by selective application to a maximum of ten fiction writers working at the advanced and professional levels. You will receive rigorous constructive feedback on your novel or short story as you develop it with a view to publication, and participate in detailed tutor-led discussions on advanced elements of fictional craft. Deadline extended to Monday 4th January 2021.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee: £339.00Senior fee: £339.00Concession: £339.00 -
Introduction to the Bhagavad Gita
Course Date: Tue 19 Jan 2021
Location on this date: OnlineDiscover the importance of the Bhagvad Gita and learn why it continues to be one of the most important and most widely read ancient Hindu text.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee: £79.00Senior fee: £63.00Concession: £48.00 -
Ways into poetry
Course Date: Wed 20 Jan 2021 (and 5 other dates)
Location on this date: OnlineRelatively new to writing poetry? This inspiring course offers an opportunity to experiment with language and a variety of poetic devices alongside fellow emerging poets. Discover the key elements of a poem in a friendly and interactive class.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee: £209.00Senior fee: £209.00Concession: £84.00 -
Fit for purpose? The British constitution
Course Date: Wed 20 Jan 2021
Location on this date: OnlineThe last few years have raised questions about our political institutions: are they still fit for purpose? To find out, we shall explore the British constitution and uncover the way that it really works, including the impact of Brexit. We shall discuss proposals for reform and ask, as we enter the 2020s, whether the country needs a period of quiet stability or radical change in the way it is governed.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee: £159.00Senior fee: £127.00Concession: £70.00 -
Athens in the 2nd century AD according to Pausanias
Course Date: Wed 20 Jan 2021
Location on this date: OnlinePausanias wrote a fascinating account of his travels in Greece. Join this class to read and discuss Pausanias’ account of Athens and Attica as he saw it in around A.D. 175.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee: £169.00Senior fee: £135.00Concession: £103.00 -
Reading for writers: great plays (a fortnightly course)
Course Date: Wed 20 Jan 2021
Location on this date: OnlineImitation is more than just a form of flattery - it's a tool to discover your own writing craft! Delve into a series of famous playscripts, appreciating their mechanics and the unique approaches they use to represent the world. Then apply the insights gained to your own writing through in-class exercises.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee: £129.00Senior fee: £129.00Concession: £52.00 -
Gender politics
Course Date: Wed 20 Jan 2021
Location on this date: OnlineGender is a fact of life, but what does it mean and how does it affect our politics?
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee: £159.00Senior fee: £127.00Concession: £70.00 -
Chinese history for beginners
Course Date: Wed 20 Jan 2021
Location on this date: OnlineA beginners' course in Chinese history - looking at China's social, political and cultural history, alongside major events of Chinese history.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee: £189.00Senior fee: £151.00Concession: £83.00 -
Introduction to moral philosophy
Course Date: Thu 21 Jan 2021
Location on this date: OnlineWhat do ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ mean? What makes our actions right or wrong? And why should we care? We will look at the principal philosophical answers to these questions alongside engaging in philosophical analysis ourselves. No class on 19th February.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee: £189.00Senior fee: £151.00Concession: £115.00 -
The US Presidents who made the post war world
Course Date: Thu 21 Jan 2021
Location on this date: OnlineLecture based course covering the five American Presidents (Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon) who shaped the post-War world both in their own country and beyond. Both America and the world changed hugely during this period, often directly influenced by these five Presidents. Tutors: Mark Malcomson.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee: £79.00Senior fee: £79.00Concession: £35.00 -
Norman and Plantagenet London 1000-1350
Course Date: Fri 22 Jan 2021
Location on this date: OnlineWe chart the impact of the Norman Conquest on the development of London and end by exploring how Londoners reacted to the Black Death with killed 50% of the inhabitants. There will also be a guided walk.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee: £189.00Senior fee: £151.00Concession: £83.00 -
Creation myths in the ancient near East
Course Date: Sat 23 Jan 2021
Location on this date: OnlineCome and explore with us the idea of ‘myth’. We will look at creation myths in Ugarit, in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, ancient Greece and in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee: £59.00Senior fee: £47.00Concession: £36.00 -
Craft focus: mastering descriptive language
Course Date: Sat 23 Jan 2021
Location on this date: OnlineDescriptive language can provide texture and clarity to a story, promoting reader engagement and a sensory experience that lingers long after the text has been read. In this short course learn how to create vivid descriptions with sentences that will elevate your prose. This course will support writers of fiction and non-fiction.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee: £69.00Senior fee: £69.00Concession: £28.00 -
Pope: 'The Proper Study of Mankind'
Course Date: Sat 23 Jan 2021
Location on this date: OnlineDiscover how Pope dominated the early Eighteenth Century with a series of ambitious and astonishingly varied masterpieces, ranging from idealistic pastoral – via magnificent satire and romantic eloquence – to his greatest philosophical and spiritual undertaking, An Essay on Man.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee: £59.00Senior fee: £47.00Concession: £36.00
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