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.
- Further village London
Course start date: Wed 25 Jun 2025Location 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? - Global History Friday Lates: ChocolateCourse start date: Fri 27 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Linsey HunterJoin our Global History Friday Late session to explore the history of chocolate from its origins in the Americas to its widespread consumption as a global commodity in the modern period.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00 - Museum and RepatriationCourse start date: Fri 27 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Olivia DurandExplore the challenges of decolonising museums, focusing on repatriation, reparations, and ethical dilemmas, with part of the course inside the British Museum.Full fee £49.00 Senior fee £39.00 Concession £32.00 - Key figures in Indian history Course start date: Sat 28 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ketan VariaWant to know more about Indian history but not sure where to start? Join us in this course to learn about key figures in Indian history from different eras and areas of society.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00 - 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 - Black British Studies: Ethnicity, Race and SocietyCourse start date: Mon 30 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Michele ScottJoin our journey, examining modern day complexities. The critical deconstruction of race, ethnicity, inequalities, life chances and Institutionalised racism in contemporary Black British Life and society.Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £95.00 Concession £77.00 - 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 - Prison Labour & Prisoners' Rights in British West African ColoniesCourse start date: Sat 5 Jul 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Sunday Abraham OgunodeThis course focuses on the political economy of prison labour, what constitutes rights, and whether the prisoners had access to any form of rights given their limited agency behind the prison walls in British West African colonies.Full fee £49.00 Senior fee £39.00 Concession £32.00 - Exploring histories, memories and heritage: Making connections (1)Course start date: Tue 8 Jul 2025
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Monica ClarkeNew to the UK and London? Just finished your ESOL course and looking for your next course? Join us to explore heritage and to find out how it helps us to examine how history connects us to our past, and evaluate how societies have evolved, whilst exploring their significance today.
Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00 - Streets of Horror, Streets of Hope: The East End, 1888Course start date: Tue 8 Jul 2025
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Sarah WiseBecause of the ‘Jack the Ripper’ killings, the late-Victorian East End can be read as a cityscape of poverty and fear. But there is another Whitechapel – a magnet for a variety of individuals from a wide range of backgrounds who sought to grapple with the problems of the modern city and to create a better life.
Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00 - Global History Friday Lates: CoffeeCourse start date: Fri 11 Jul 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Vanessa KingSince the seventeenth century, coffee has had a mixed reputation. Discover how coffee has transformed from being seen as subversive and emasculating to, allegedly, replacing tea as the nation’s most popular beverage.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00 - Spices, Trade, and Traditions of the Indian Sub-Continent - The Story of Food from Ancient Times to the Colonial EraCourse start date: Sat 12 Jul 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ketan VariaJoin us to discover the history of food on the subcontinent, from the ancient period to the colonial era.How did local climates, agricultural practices, and cultural interactions shape regional cuisines?Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £51.00 - Partition in India and PakistanCourse start date: Sat 12 Jul 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: T HussainIn 1947 British India was partitioned. This resulted in an estimated one million deaths, the largest migration of people in modern history and the formation of India and Pakistan. What were the forces which led to Partition? When did the political and cultural factors that precipitated Partition emerge and accordingly, when did partition begin?Full fee £49.00 Senior fee £39.00 Concession £32.00 - From the Habsburgs to the EU: The History of Italy’s North-EastCourse start date: Tue 15 Jul 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Francesco BucciolThe cities of Trieste and Gorizia, on today's Italian North-Eastern border, had a very complicated history in the 19th and 20th century. In this session you will discover the key historical events that marked these lands. From the divisions caused by the two world wars to the choice of Gorizia/Nova Gorica as EU's Capital of Culture 2025.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00 - Late Victorian Soho: From Sex and Shopping to Police & Radical PoliticsCourse start date: Tue 15 Jul 2025
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Sarah WiseThe West End was a heady mix of glamorous shopping emporia, political refugees from Europe, street-based and brothel-based prostitution, and the general public just enjoying a day or evening ‘Up West’. Join Dr. Sarah Wise to learn more on this 2 hour guided walk of Soho.
Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00
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