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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- Indigenous Australian art: an introduction
Course start date: Wed 16 Oct 2024Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Arjmand AhmadIndigenous Australian art has, in recent years, been increasingly exhibited and discussed in Britain. Yet little is known about the history and development of this art movement and the oeuvres of the artists responsible for its creation. This introductory course will provide a history of how Indigenous Australian artists have changed and challenged the course of national and international art fields in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00 - Writing and rewriting fairytales Course start date: Tue 22 Oct 2024 (and 3 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: KR MoorheadOnce upon a time there was a City Lit workshop all about writing fairytales. The quest: to inspire writers to pen stories of love, fear, forests, revenge, dragons, witches, kings, queens, frogs and magic.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Mystery religionsCourse start date: Wed 30 Oct 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Ann JeffersMystery religions were very popular in the ancient world and were organised as voluntary associations. Their popularity is attested in writings and in material culture of the Greco-Roman world. They offered intense religious experiences outside the official, civic religions. The participants were initiated into the mysteries: whilst there is considerable variety in form and content, a belief in a form of salvation was a common denominator of many of these mystery religions. The question of the relationship between the mystery cults and Christianity will also be broached.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information. - Philosophy reading group: Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling Course start date: Wed 30 Oct 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Karl WhiteFear and Trembling is a moving, challenging and influential work of philosophy: short but powerful. This course will offer an introduction to the work of Kierkegaard, explanation of some of the book’s knottier passages and group discussion.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £99.00 Concession £64.00 - Mughal decorative arts: an introduction Course start date: Wed 13 Nov 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Arjmand AhmadExplore the splendour and technical sophistication of the decorative arts during the Mughal era (1526-1857) in South Asia in this introductory course.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00 - Great works: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein Course start date: Thu 14 Nov 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Sophie OxenhamThis course explores Mary Shelley’s iconic novel, Frankenstein. We will consider the novel’s literary, socio-political, philosophical, and scientific contexts, alongside thinking about its narrative themes and techniques. We’ll also touch upon its rich ‘afterlife’, thinking about some of the ways the novel has been reimagined in later adaptations, and asking why this story continues to have such resonance today.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00 - Makers not muses: Claude Cahun, Eileen Agar and Isabel Rawsthorne Course start date: Fri 29 Nov 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Chantal CondronExplore the work of three radical artists whose work and practice defied convention in modern art from the 1920s to 1960s. Discover how each artist challenged and transcended society’s expectations of being a ‘muse’ by living freely and making art in a variety of media, from painting and sculpture to collage, photography and performance. - How to get an agent Course start date: Sat 7 Dec 2024 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sophie McKenzieThis intensive workshop offers students insider, need-to-know information on securing a literary agent.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Women in Ancient Greece Course start date: Fri 13 Dec 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: William SterlingIn this course we shall examine women in myth, women in religion and the everyday life of women. It will conclude with a visit to the British Museum.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00 - Latin American Dictatorships and Social ResistanceCourse start date: Tue 7 Jan 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Maisa EdwardsStudying Latin American dictatorships, particularly in Brazil, Chile, and Argentina, is crucial for understanding the region's history and its socio-political dynamics. Join Dr. Maisa Edwards to learn more about the causes and consequences of dictatorships and the rise of resistance movements in the region.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £99.00 Concession £64.00 - The Courtauld: an introduction Course start date: Mon 13 Jan 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Julie BarlowThe Courtauld collection includes paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture and decorative arts, ranging from the medieval period to the present day. This two-part course is an opportunity to explore an outstanding collection which includes one of the richest holdings of early Italian art in Britain alongside Impressionist and Post-Impressionist gems such as Van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00 - The Renaissance at home in the V&ACourse start date: Tue 14 Jan 2025
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Lydia GoodsonStep into the Italian Renaissance home in this three- part course taught in the unrivalled collection of Renaissance objects in the V&A. Discover how furnishings, paintings and objects were made and used in the fashionable homes of Renaissance Italy.Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £64.00 - Great works: Henry James's The Portrait of a Lady Course start date: Thu 23 Jan 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Sophie OxenhamThis short literature course will explore Henry James’s novel ‘A Portrait of a Lady’ (1881). We will consider James’s narrative methods and concerns, and also engage with contextual and critical material to inform our reading.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00 - Partition in Palestine Course start date: Thu 30 Jan 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Martin JorgensenPalestine has a long history. Join us in this short course to explore the most recent Palestinian history from the late Ottoman era through the British Mandate era and Al-Nakba to our own moment.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £51.00 - Writing funny fiction Course start date: Thu 6 Feb 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Rene PerezWhat does it really mean to write funny fiction and what are the techniques writers use? Learn how to harness the power of humour in your fiction in this fun, supportive workshop.
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