Global & Imperial History
Courses Online & in London
Thousands of years ago humanity migrated to almost every part of the world and as a consequence our history has since been global. Evidence from several thousand years show how the regions we now call the Middle East, South Asia and inland China were the first to see the emergence of agriculture and empires, each region defined by its eco-systems. Later, similar developments took place in Western and Central Africa and in Central and South America. Lastly, the region we later called Europe followed.
Since then, the connections between and within the different regions of the world have waxed and waned through the transfer of people, technologies, ideas, belief systems, and wealth. For several centuries this process has been defined by imperial cooperation, competition and conflict on the one hand and human creativity and resilience on the other. Much contested around the world, Europe emerged to become a global influence in this period, remaking several regions via the connections between with the imperial expansion and settler colonial state building of the 19th century, capitalism and industrialisation.
Today, historians are exploring these connections and their often-violent consequences with greater understanding than previously and, in the process of overcoming the Eurocentric and/or US-centric overall perspective(s), which came to dominate the discipline. This process is far from easy or simple, however. There is no quick fix. It is a longer conversation.
In recognition of this, we aim to make our courses not only enjoyable but also relevant to further your understanding of the varied links between our global past, present and future. Within our global and imperial history category, you will find courses of varying lengths as well as online, delivered either online or face-to-face, exploring different aspects of the journey to our global present.
Curious? Join us!
Courses available both in-person and online
We offer a range of courses allowing you to choose between online and in-person learning. All our courses are live, interactive, and taught by expert tutors. No matter how you prefer to learn, you’ll receive the same great City Lit experience. See our guide to online learning for more information about accessing our live online courses.
- Global encounters: the Silk Roads
Course start date: Tue 16 Sep 2025Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Vanessa KingTravel nearly 2000 years of history along the Silk Roads across Eurasia and China and explore the cross-cultural impact generated through the expansion of trade.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £110.00 - An Accidental Empire? The British Empire 1500-1850 Course start date: Thu 18 Sep 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Colm HickeyJoin Colm Hickey to explore the history of the British Empire in the period 1500-1850. Overview sessions will be followed by the exploration of the history of different colonies around the Empire.
Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £129.00 - The Rise and Fall of Empires Part 2: 1940-1991 Course start date: Thu 18 Sep 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Alison ApplebyBoth victorious and defeated powers saw their empires dwindle as a consequences of the Second World War. This course looks at the fall of these empires in the period 1940-1991 and also at how the Cold War led to new spheres of influence and opportunities for domination, and the factors that gave rise to these.Full fee £309.00 Senior fee £247.00 Concession £201.00 - Friday Late: From Feudal Isolation to a Modern Nation-State: an introduction to Japan’s Meiji Restoration period (1868 – 1889)Course start date: Fri 26 Sep 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Dale Mineshima-LoweJoin Dr. Dale Mineshima-Lowe for a brief introductory history of Japan’s Meiji Restoration period (1868-1889) - an important turning point that helped to shape modern Japan.
Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00 - The Global Cold War Course start date: Wed 1 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Alexandre DabThis 10 week course focuses on the conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union from a global perspective. Going beyond the traditional focus on the superpowers and Europe, we will explore how the Cold War affected every part of the world and created the current international system.Full fee £219.00 Senior fee £175.00 Concession £142.00 - History, memory and mental wealth: why we need to talk about empire Course start date: Fri 17 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Martin JorgensenFormally, European imperialism ended decades ago. Yet, the different legacies still affect the world and many societies today. Join us for a discussion on why we need to talk about empire and mental wealth.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00 - Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan 1917-21: Revolution, Conflict and Experiments in Independence Course start date: Thu 23 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: David RowsonJoin our tutor David Rowson to discover the fascinating history of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, otherwise known as the South Caucasus. What impact might the Russian Revolution have on these states?Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £169.00 Concession £110.00 - The Spanish Empire: Power, Conquest, and Legacy Course start date: Tue 28 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Maisa EdwardsJoin Dr. Maisa Edwards to explore the rise, global reach and fall of the Spanish Empire from the 1400s to the 1800s.
Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £77.00 - Global history for beginners Course start date: Thu 30 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Olivia DurandWhat is global history? How is it different from other ways of understanding history? This introductory course will give you a sense of what it means to study global history.Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £97.00 - Hidden Histories of World War 1 Course start date: Mon 3 Nov 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Maisa Edwards, Sunday Abraham Ogunode, Dafydd Townley, Ketan VariaDiscover the lesser-known histories of World War One on this 6-week, co-taught course, from the role played by Africans to the declaration of war by Brazil and the significant role played by soldiers from the Indian subcontinent.Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £97.00 - Global encounters: meet the Mongols Course start date: Tue 4 Nov 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Vanessa KingAt its height the Mongol empire stretched from the Sea of Japan to eastern Europe. We explore how the Mongols interacted with the nations they conquered.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £110.00 - Global History Friday Lates: Opium & the Opium Wars: Culture, Society & ConflictCourse start date: Fri 7 Nov 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Ellen CarpenterWhat was the significance of opium for British traders and why were wars ostensibly fought with China over opium in the 1800s? Join us to discover the links between global trading, opium and British colonial power in this Friday Late session.
Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00 - Diaspora history: Chinese communities around the world Course start date: Sat 22 Nov 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Qiuyang ChenTrace the movements of the Chinese diaspora from the 10th century to the present day and dive into case studies highlighting the Chinese communities’ integration and influence in different regions of the world.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00 - Global History Friday Lates: White Gold: Sugar, Enslavement & the CaribbeanCourse start date: Fri 12 Dec 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Ellen CarpenterJoin us for a Friday Late session on the history of sugar, sugar consumption in Britain and its associations with enslavement and crop production in the Caribbean colonies. What impact did sugar consumption in Britain have on enslavement, the slave trade and the Caribbean?
Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00 - European global empiresCourse start date: Tue 6 Jan 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Michael SchraerThis course compares the main European global empires - Spanish, British, Portuguese and Dutch - by taking a thematic approach to the acquisition of empire, settlement, history and legacy in each case.
Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £97.00
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