Explore History, Culture & Writing
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 -
An introduction to Russian Literature
Course Date: Thu 4 Mar 2021
Location on this date: OnlineExplore and discuss the work of four key writers from 19th century Russian literature, including Gogol’s The Overcoat, Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilyich, Dostoevsky's Notes from the Underground and Chekhov's Lady with Lapdog.
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: £55.00Concession: £42.00 -
Ronald Reagan: the 'happy warrior'
Course Date: Thu 4 Mar 2021
Location on this date: OnlineReagan reset the American presidency after the traumas of the 60's and 70's. Often dismissed as a triumph of style over substance, Reagan changed the direction of the US and the world. Now, with some critical distance, it is time to review and appraise the man and what he achieved.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee: £19.00Senior fee: £19.00Concession: £10.00 -
Homer's Iliad: reading group
Course Date: Thu 4 Mar 2021
Location on this date: OnlineCome and explore Homer's great epic tale in translation.
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: £42.00 -
Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs: continuation course
Course Date: Fri 5 Mar 2021
Location on this date: OnlineFollow-on course from the Introduction. Presented in partnership between the British Museum and City Lit, this four-week course uses British Museum objects related to ancient Egypt to broaden and deepen students' knowledge of Egyptian Hieroglyphs.
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: £103.00Concession: £79.00 -
Introduction to Greek thought: From the Presocratics to Plato and Aristotle
Course Date: Sat 6 Mar 2021
Location on this date: OnlineDiscover some of the key ideas that shaped classical thought, and their ongoing relevance today.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee: £99.00Senior fee: £79.00Concession: £60.00 -
Bollywood women: stardom, performance and the construction of gender
Course Date: Sat 6 Mar 2021
Location on this date: OnlineBollywood produces some of the biggest films in the world, with wide global reach and overseas markets. However, relatively little has been written about the key female stars and the changing film roles for women in Hindi cinema. Explore these key female stars and how they have made themselves distinct on film through both film narratives and performance styles.
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 -
Communicating with the dead: the faith and science of spiritualism
Course Date: Sat 6 Mar 2021
Location on this date: OnlineSince Victorian times Spiritualists, from eminent scholars to ardent Christians, have been convinced that we can talk to the dead. Explore some of the scientific techniques and religious arguments that have been used to test the reality of the spirit world.
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: £55.00Concession: £42.00 -
Warfare, piracy and slave trading: England, the Caribbean and colonial expansion in the 1600s
Course Date: Sat 6 Mar 2021
Location on this date: OnlineWhat was life like in an early Caribbean colonial settlement? Using the Caribbean as our case study, we will evaluate how England consolidated colonial power in this period, and the profound impact of territorial expansion on islands such as Bermuda, Barbados, Montserrat and Jamaica.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee: £49.00Senior fee: £39.00Concession: £25.00 -
US controversies: Cuba and the United States
Course Date: Sat 6 Mar 2021
Location on this date: OnlineIn 2019, sixty years after Fidel Castro's rebel army overthrew an American-backed dictatorship, the US and Cuba are at a cross-roads: the Castro era now over; the Trump administration threatening to return to a Cold War footing. This one day course will reveal how we got here — via sugar cane fires and exploding cigars. It will use photography, film clips and primary sources to bring to life the stories that made that that history — and to ask, what happens next? Tutor: Jack Gain.
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: £30.00 -
Submitting your short stories to magazines
Course Date: Sat 6 Mar 2021
Location on this date: OnlineThis is a fast-track course to help you hone and prepare your short stories for submission to magazines and publishers.
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: £59.00Concession: £24.00 -
Picture book writing
Course Date: Sat 6 Mar 2021 (and 5 other dates)
Location on this date: OnlineWould you like to write a picture book text for young children? This course is designed for children's writers and for illustrators wishing to write their own stories. Develop both your ideas and your technique.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee: £99.00Senior fee: £99.00Concession: £40.00 -
Poetry please! Enjoying poetry
Course Date: Sun 7 Mar 2021
Location on this date: OnlineThis course is for those who enjoy reading and thinking about poetry and for those who would like to appreciate it even more. We will look at a wide range of poetic examples covering different periods of history. There will be some discussion of the meaning of form and technique and its impact on the poem and the reader.
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: £55.00Concession: £42.00 -
Phenomenology: culture and the 'lifeworld'
Course Date: Mon 8 Mar 2021
Location on this date: OnlineThe ‘lifeworld’ is the cultural background in and through which we live. It shapes our experience and expectations of realiity. What is the phenomenology of our contemporary global lifeworld?
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee: £49.00Senior fee: £49.00Concession: £30.00 -
Ethics and the modern world: how do we fulfil our duty to protect the environment?
Course Date: Wed 10 Mar 2021
Location on this date: Online
This short course is part 3 of the wider Ethics and the Modern World series of courses, each of which covers a major subject area within practical ethics, specifically within the discipline known as bioethics: biomedical ethics, animal ethics, and environmental ethics.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee: £49.00Senior fee: £49.00Concession: £30.00
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