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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- Friday lates: psychogeography: the art of getting lost
Course start date: Fri 16 May 2025 (and 1 other date)Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Christopher CollierFrom pub crawls to punk rock, via comic books, action painting and Hegelian philosophy; hear the unlikely tale of the Situationists: international artist-revolutionaries who tried to change the world itself into a work of art.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00 - The British Horror film beyond Hammer Course start date: Sat 17 May 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Jon WisbeyNight of the Demon (1957), The Wicker Man (1973) and Frightmare (1974) form part of a less familiar, though equally striking, horror tradition than that of Hammer, and often in very different terms. Explore chillers from the 1930s and 40s, the proliferation of horror in 1950s, 60s and 70s along with more recent examples, while assessing a range of critical accounts of British horror beyond Hammer.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00 - The Miracle of Prose Poetry: Baudelaire and beyondCourse start date: Sat 17 May 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Suzannah V. EvansWhat is prose poetry? What makes prose poetry different from line-broken poetry? Why might poets choose to write in this form? Come and explore the complexities and possibilities of this provocative form in a supportive group context.Full fee £29.00 Senior fee £23.00 Concession £19.00 - Keats and eternityCourse start date: Sun 18 May 2025
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Laurie SmithIn the house where many of them were written, we will explore why Keats’s poems are regarded as exceptionally beautiful. How did he achieve this? We will see that it wasn’t luck or simply inspiration, but the result of choices which reflect important aspects of Keats’ personality. Includes ‘Ode to a Nightingale’, Ode to a Grecian Urn’ and ‘To Autumn’.
This course will take place at Keats House, 10 Keats Grove, Hampstead, London NW3 2RR. - A day at the V&A: an introduction to the collections Course start date: Mon 19 May 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Elizabeth EyresSpend a fascinating day at the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum exploring a range of galleries. We shall be looking at the decorative arts, paintings, sculpture and design from across the world and across the centuries in this remarkable museum.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00 - Getting away with murder: how to write crime fiction Course start date: Tue 20 May 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sophie McKenzieWant to write a murder mystery that will knock readers dead? On this course you'll learn how to plot a murder most horrid and develop your writing to create maximum suspense.Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £75.00 - Ways into poetry: intensive Course start date: Tue 20 May 2025 (and 5 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Alice FrecknallAre you just starting to write poetry? This shorter version of our introductory Ways into poetry course offers an opportunity to experiment with language and a variety of poetic devices. Discover the key elements of a poem in a friendly and interactive class.Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £75.00 - Fairytales RemadeCourse start date: Wed 21 May 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Fiona McCullochThis online course introduces a selection of fairy tales from the First Golden Age of Children’s Literature, occurring in the latter half of the 19th century until the early 20th century. We will focus upon L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900), J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan (1911), George McDonald’s The Princess and the Goblin (1872), and Charles Kingsley’s The Water-Babies: A Fairy Tale for a Land-Baby (1863).Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £199.00 Concession £129.00 - Private portraits: European miniatures at the V&ACourse start date: Wed 21 May 2025
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Elizabeth EyresPortrait miniatures are some of the most exquisite likenesses ever produced, initially gaining favour in the court of Henry VIII as love tokens and tiny pieces of propaganda. This session in the V&A’s collection of portrait miniatures can be taken as a single stand-alone visit (no previous knowledge required, all welcome) or as a final lesson for the three-week online VB776 Private Portraits course.Full fee £29.00 Senior fee £23.00 Concession £19.00 - The global economy unpacked: the forming of the economies of the Global SouthCourse start date: Wed 21 May 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Ingrid Aguiar SchlindweinExplore how historical, political, and economic factors have shaped Global South economies. Analyze trade, governance, urbanization, poverty, sustainability, and challenges, fostering a holistic understanding of their development within the global landscape.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £45.00 - Global Connections: Oral Histories of Ugandan Asians in Britain after 1972Course start date: Thu 22 May 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Syeda AliThis one day course brings together evidence from interviews with the ever decreasing number of original arrivals to the UK from Uganda, following Idi Amin’s expulsion in 1972.
Using oral history we ask questions of what we can learn from the personal testimony of individuals and what unique insights this gives us.Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £10.00 Concession £7.00 - Heaven and hell in world religionsCourse start date: Tue 27 May 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Vanessa KingCompare and contrast the afterlife beliefs of the five major religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Explore how these ideas developed and influenced each other.Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £199.00 Concession £129.00 - Ways into creative writing: intensive Course start date: Wed 28 May 2025 (and 9 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Lucy PopescuNot 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 - Autobiography into fiction: getting started Course start date: Sat 31 May 2025 (and 4 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Nick BarlayLearn how to turn real-life experiences into gripping fiction in this fun short course for fiction writing beginners and experienced writers. Develop your writing skills and explore techniques for transforming personal stories into strong narratives.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Writing middle grade fiction: a taster Course start date: Sat 31 May 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Neil ArkseyMiddle grade fiction now has a profile higher than ever before. Find out more about this rich and exciting category of fiction for young people and develop your own ideas for middle grade stories.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00
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