Explore Culture, History & Humanities Courses
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 Creative non-fiction writing courses and American history and Politics courses.
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 now.
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- Art history taster
Course start date: Mon 14 Oct 2024 (and 10 other dates)Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayCurious about art history? Join us for this taster session where we explore different ways into visual art and its histories from the ancient to the contemporary.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £10.00 Concession £10.00 - Global arts of Africa Course start date: Tue 15 Oct 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Thomas BalfeThis course introduces major forms of African art in their regional and global contexts. It studies classical traditions of carving, metal casting, architecture and textile arts as well as twentieth-century and contemporary developments, including the work of photographers and conceptual artists.Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £199.00 Concession £129.00 - Introduction to art history Course start date: Mon 30 Sep 2024 (and 4 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Thomas BalfeAre you interested in art and want to get more out of looking at art and exhibitions? Want to know what an art historian does? Develop your interpretative skills by exploring at how art is made and what social and cultural factors construct our understanding of it.Full fee £249.00 Senior fee £199.00 Concession £162.00 - Sexuality, Colonialism and Law: is there a dark side to gay rights?Course start date: Tue 22 Oct 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Joshua HeppleNearly seventy countries still criminalise gay sex. Why is this? This course will attend to this question by examining the links between sexuality, colonialism and postcolonial gay rights.Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £199.00 Concession £129.00 - Themes in British politics Course start date: Mon 28 Oct 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Christian SchneeWant to look beyond the personal politics and Brexit and explore current British politics? Join Dr. Christian Schnee to discuss British politics in our time.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £110.00 - Ways into creative writing: intensive Course start date: Fri 1 Nov 2024 (and 10 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Claire CollisonNot sure whether creative writing is for you? Give it a try on one of these fun and supportive short courses covering the basics of fiction and poetry. Increase your confidence and produce work through guided exercises and discussion.Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £75.00 - Ways into creative writing: a gentle pace Course start date: Tue 29 Oct 2024 (and 4 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Claire CollisonAre you brand new to creative writing? Do you want to build your confidence in a supportive environment alongside other beginners? This gentle short-course guides students taking their first steps on the path to becoming a creative writer.Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £75.00 - Beyond the headlines: From exceptionalism to the rise of the Far-Right: Contemporary Issues in French politicsCourse start date: Thu 31 Oct 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Salome IetterThis course provides an introduction to key debates and developments in contemporary French politics, connecting Republicanism, the entrenchment of neoliberalism in the 1980s and the rise of the far-Right.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £169.00 Concession £110.00 - How to read a film: a beginners' guide to cinema Course start date: Tue 5 Nov 2024 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Paul SuttonThis course will develop your critical appreciation of the cinema by teaching you how to read and understand film texts. We will look at the elements that underpin film form – narrative, mise en scène, cinematography, editing and sound – alongside its historical development. We will consider film style by exploring classical, post-classical and art cinema and we will examine influential critical modes of analysis, such as genre, authorship and spectatorship.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £84.00 - Art & memory: culture and politics in modern and contemporary art Course start date: Wed 6 Nov 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Mark Stuart-SmithHow have artists since 1960 engaged with the recent history and memory of political conflict? What role have artists had in remembering a difficult or traumatic past? What are the connections between memory and national identity in their work?Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £169.00 Concession £110.00 - Film studies taster Course start date: Sat 30 Nov 2024 (and 5 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Paul SuttonLearn how to evaluate and discuss films while enjoying a working example of a City Lit Film Studies class. In this class we will view and explore clips from a number of films, including popular remakes, enabling us to consider and compare themes and techniques from differing filmmaking countries. There will be a chance to review – in brief – film courses at City Lit (January - March 2025).Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £10.00 Concession £10.00 - Contemporary cinema: the best films of the yearCourse start date: Mon 6 Jan 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: John WischmeyerThis crucial course on contemporary cinema coincides with the sheer variety of films released immediately before BAFTA /Academy Awards season. Join a community of cinephiles to discuss and debate your favourite films of the past year and compile a list—The List of Best Films—added to and modified as new films are released each week. Students become critics in an ongoing class conversation, some even sharing their inner-geek in a guilt-free environment. As we meet on Mondays, some students extend the day by going to the special price Monday Matinees at several neighbourhood cinemas. Whether you call it homework or dedication, that’s entertainment!Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £229.00 Concession £149.00 - Reading images: exploring film studies Course start date: Wed 8 Jan 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Cristina MassaccesiThis comprehensive introductory course provides an overview of the main historical, technical and theoretical aspects of filmmaking and film analysis.Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £77.00 - Art and architecture of ancient India Course start date: Mon 13 Jan 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Arjmand AhmadIndia's three indigenous religions - Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism - have given rise to one of the oldest artistic civilisations in the world. - Ways into creative writing Course start date: Wed 25 Sep 2024 (and 11 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Rosie ChardWant to have a go at creative writing in a supportive environment? Join one of these introductory courses. Guided exercises will give you the tools to explore language creatively and find your own writing voice.Full fee £239.00 Senior fee £239.00 Concession £120.00
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