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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- The City of London: the Square Mile
Course start date: Wed 9 Oct 2024 (and 1 other date)Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Hazel BakerExplore the City’s development from Roman and medieval times through to the Tudors and Stuarts. This course will consist of 8 guided walks starting with Roman London. Tutor Guide: Hazel Baker.Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £129.00 - Introduction to art history Course start date: Mon 13 Jan 2025 (and 4 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
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.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £249.00 Senior fee £199.00 Concession £162.00 - Art & war Course start date: Thu 17 Oct 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Elizabeth EyresArt representing issues of war, conflict and revolution is usually either an expression of triumph or loss. But who decides? What is such art for and what can it hope to achieve? Attitudes to war have changed significantly and this course considers responses to conflict in painting, sculpture, photography, performance art and architecture spanning the globe and across different eras.
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 £103.00 Concession £84.00 - Art in ancient and medieval Sahara Course start date: Tue 22 Oct 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Anita ChowdryIn this course we shall explore the Ancient and Medieval history of the Sahara and the Sahel, its cultural synergies, and the interactions of its kingdoms with the Mediterranean world, from the first millennium BC. to the 14th century CE.
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 £103.00 Concession £84.00 - Human Rights Law: Are human rights universal?Course start date: Thu 24 Oct 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Joshua HeppleThis course will serve as an introduction to human rights. Join to get a basic but solid understanding of human rights and how they work in practice.Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £129.00 - Ways into creative writing: a gentle pace Course start date: Fri 27 Sep 2024 (and 4 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
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.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £75.00 - Ways into creative writing: intensive Course start date: Tue 29 Oct 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 - London's smaller art collections Course start date: Wed 30 Oct 2024 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Julie BarlowDiscover some of London’s fascinating smaller art collections and hidden art treasures on this gallery-based art history course.Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £129.00 - Ethiopia: Guerrilla Insurgency and Italian Colonization, 1936-1941 Course start date: Wed 30 Oct 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Sunday Abraham OgunodeThis course is a historical reconstruction of Ethiopia’s guerrilla insurgency, its actors and their motivation, peculiarity, and/or commonness of tactics, as well as its impact and challenges during the 1935-1941 Italian invasion/occupation of Ethiopia. Tutor: Dr Sunday Oyewole.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £103.00 Concession £84.00 - Neurodivergence as a fact of society: a brief introductionCourse start date: Mon 4 Nov 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Vina TheodorakopoulouBritish society is diverse, and not only in terms of faiths, ethnic backgrounds and other mostly visible differences. Neurodiversity is also a central aspect. Join us on this non-accredited course for a brief introduction to neurodiversity in society and discover how to engage with and support neurodivergent strengths.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £103.00 Concession £84.00 - Venetian art of the 15th-16th centuries: beauty, splendour and light Course start date: Tue 5 Nov 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Emma Rose BarberJoin us for a sumptuous celebration of sumptuous Venetian painting. Discover the painting of this elegant culture built on a fragile lagoon where sea and sky meet, and where light and mist collide.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £110.00 - Still life in the history of art: opulence and fragility Course start date: Tue 5 Nov 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Elizabeth EyresStill-life paintings usually represent ordinary things, often small and arranged on an indoor surface, without human presence. Long regarded in western art as the lowliest subject or “genre”, one that only required technical skill rather than imagination, still lifes are now considered some of the most charming and best loved paintings and can contain intriguing meanings that repay close study.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £110.00 - AI: a threat to democracy or just another technology?Course start date: Tue 5 Nov 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Vina TheodorakopoulouWhat does AI mean for democracy? Join to explore the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on democracy, examining whether it poses a threat or is simply another technological advancement. Engage in discussions, case studies and critical analysis over five interactive sessions.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £103.00 Concession £84.00 - How to read a film: a beginners' guide to cinema Course start date: Mon 12 May 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
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.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £110.00 - Colour in medieval art Course start date: Wed 6 Nov 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Andreas PetzoldColour is an all pervasive and fundamental aspect of medieval art, but one that is largely neglected in art historical studies.This course looks at some of the main themes relating to colour such as symbolism, materials, theory and key developments.
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 £103.00 Concession £84.00
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