Explore History, Politics & Economics
Whether you’re fascinated by the past, wishing to keep up to date with current affairs, or to develop a deeper understanding of democracy and capitalism, we have the course for you.
City Lit offers a wide range of history, politics and economics courses on weekdays, evenings and weekends. Our courses vary from skills-based courses on oral and family history projects, to the history of empire, the history of London and the study of global powers and international politics.
Gain critical thinking and analytical skills
Courses in the Humanities help you understand our world today, and the history that has informed the political, social and economic dynamics of modern times. Our courses, including short day courses, lectures and longer-term study over several weeks or whole terms, aim to inform you of the issues that interest and matter to you. Our courses also encourage the development of wider skills such as critical thinking and analysis, listening and discussion skills, and evidence-based interpretation.
Learn from expert tutors
Our tutors are experts in their fields and come from a range of backgrounds, and include academics, experienced educators, serving politicians, acclaimed authors and renowned guides.
Browse our range of courses below to choose your perfect option: both complete beginners and returning students are equally welcome.
- Dickens' London
Course start date: Sat 10 May 2025 (and 1 other date)Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Molly Rumbelow'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.' Enjoy this introduction to Dickens' work and the London of his time. Morning lecture at City Lit followed by a walk in the area of the city connected to his work.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00 - A Very British History of MigrationCourse start date: Mon 12 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Siobhan McGuirkTaking a critical historical approach, this course with Dr. McGuirk charts how migration has shaped British politics, law, culture and society – and helped transform popular ideas about what it means to be British today.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £103.00 Concession £84.00 - Ruling Russia: Tsars, Revolutions, Civil War , and the Triumph of Lenin (1860-1924)Course start date: Tue 13 May 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Zoe QuinnThis course explores the transformative period of Russian history from 1860 to 1924, encompassing the autocratic rule of the Tsars, the revolutionary upheavals of 1905 and 1917, the chaos of the civil war, and the consolidation of the Bolshevik regime. Students will examine key events, figures, and ideologies that shaped modern Russia, delving into the complexities of political, social, and economic changes during this era.
Please note: this course includes much of the material covered in previous Russian Revolution courses at the City Lit. Moreover this course is taught at an introductory level. Tutor: Zoe Quinn.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £169.00 Concession £110.00 - Medicine in the Middle AgesCourse start date: Sat 17 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Vanessa KingTo treat an excess of phlegm make a steam inhaler from boiled ants. For burns and scalds apply snail slime. If you would like more useful medical and cosmetic tips with no guarantees of success, this course is for you.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £69.00 - 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 - Mews, monuments and museumsCourse start date: Sun 1 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Marilyn GreeneThis circular walk explores the alleys lanes, squares and delightful mews houses and passes a disused tube station in the mainly in the Knightsbridge conservation area and contrasts with the grand museums, institutions and monuments built in South Kensington (Albertopolis) developed with profits of the Great Exhibition held in Hyde Park in 1851. Meets outside the main entrance to the V&A ends outside the Natural History Museum. Meets outside the main entrance to the V&A ends outside the Natural History Museum.Full fee £29.00 Senior fee £23.00 Concession £19.00 - Section 28 and Collective Memory: LGBTQ+ Activism, Education, and ResistanceCourse start date: Thu 12 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Syeda AliExplore the history of Section 28 (1988-2003) in three online workshops. We examine its political origins and effects and how it shaped LGBTQ+ rights and collective memory in Britain.al history we ask questions of what we can learn from the personal testimony of individuals and what unique insights this gives us.Full fee £49.00 Senior fee £49.00 Concession £32.00 - Refugee Week at City Lit: Refugees and displaced people in modern Chinese historyCourse start date: Mon 16 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Qiuyang ChenJoin this session to understand how displaced people and refugees are central to understanding modern Chinese history. This course is part of City Lit’s Refugee Week events.Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £8.00 Concession £7.00 - Queer UK: Broadcasting historyCourse start date: Tue 17 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Siobhan McGuirkAttitudes towards gender and sexuality have transformed over the past 50 years. Television has documented it all – and sometimes surprisingly driven – radical change. Join us to explore the key moments that shaped Queer UK.
Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £8.00 Concession £7.00 - Refugee Week at City Lit: Refugees – Entrepreneurship and BusinessCourse start date: Wed 18 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Ketan VariaJoin us to explores the impact of refugees on businesses in the UK, highlighting both the challenges and opportunities they bring to the economy as part of Refugee Week at City Lit.Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £8.00 Concession £7.00 - Refugee Week at City Lit: political refugees and exiles in Latin America during the Cold WarCourse start date: Fri 20 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Maria Vasquez-AguilarJoin this session to understand how political refugees and exiles are central to understanding Latin America during the Cold War, and their arrival to the UK. This course is part of City Lit’s Refugee Week events.
Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £10.00 Concession £7.00 - Queer UK: rebels and revolutionariesCourse start date: Tue 24 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Siobhan McGuirkUnder-sung heroes, heroines and trancestors have long battled to make life bearable, better and even brilliant for LGBTIQ+ people in the UK. Join us to celebrate key figures in local history – and groups still battling for change
Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £8.00 Concession £7.00 - Further village London Course start date: Wed 25 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Hazel BakerJoin us for 4 guided walks around London's former villages - Bermondsey, Rotherhithe, Southwark and Hampstead. Why did these areas grow up as villages and how did they become swallowed up by the city of London? - The Rise and Fall of the Mughal EmpireCourse start date: Sat 28 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: T HussainFollow the fortunes of the Mughal Emperors, rulers of Northern India from the 1500s to the 1800s. What were their contributions to the religious, political and cultural life of northern India and how can we explain the decline of their powers in the 1700s and 1800s?Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £45.00 - Indian Women and the RajCourse start date: Sat 5 Jul 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: T HussainWhy does gender history matter and what can it tell us about the history of British colonialism and India? Join this six-week course to explore the representations and reality of Indian women’s lives during the British colonial era.Full fee £49.00 Senior fee £39.00 Concession £32.00
Can't see a course you want?
Add this category to your waiting list to set up alerts and we will update you when new courses are released online.
Add me to waiting list