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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- Everyday Life in the Middle Ages 1200-1600
Course start date: Fri 20 Sep 2024Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Vanessa KingWe look at the history of everyday objects such as forks and spectacles and pastimes including playing cards, and swimming.
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 £169.00 Concession £110.00 - Shakespeare: King Lear and The TempestCourse start date: Wed 25 Sep 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sophie OxenhamJoin us to explore two of Shakespeare’s greatest plays, his tragedy King Lear, and his late ‘romance’, The Tempest. We’ll consider the connections – and differences - between these works, thinking about Shakespeare’s use of genre and language, the historical contexts, changing critical perspectives, and aspects of the plays in performance.
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 - Chaucer's The Canterbury TalesCourse start date: Mon 30 Sep 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Rachel BuglassThe Canterbury Tales is Chaucer’s most popular work and one of the most famous examples of Medieval literature. This course selects some of Chaucer’s most carefully crafted representations of individuals and explores the society they come from. We will enjoy intricate plots, comedy and poignant moments with these loveable and unforgettable characters! Students will be carefully guided through the texts to a fuller appreciation of Middle English verse narrative and Chaucer’s witty and energetic composition.
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 £169.00 Concession £110.00 - Textiles: an international history Course start date: Thu 3 Oct 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Elizabeth EyresAs well as expressing power, prestige and fulfilling symbolic functions, textiles have been intimately linked to the everyday lives of members all societies for millennia. On this course you will study the development of woven, printed and embroidered textiles of many kinds from around the globe and explore the significant roles they have played in the world’s material culture.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £116.00 - 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 - Ways into advanced art history: beauty & form Course start date: Wed 6 Nov 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayDevelop a greater understanding of art history and how to analyse the cultural meaning of an artwork by going in-depth with the ideas of prominent art historians. This course explores the complex links between art and beauty, quality and cultural value by reading the work art historians and analysing ‘beautiful’ artworks from the ancient to the present day.
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 - Ways into art history Course start date: Tue 7 Jan 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Emma Rose BarberAn introduction to studying art history, inviting you to get close to works of art and learn how to improve your visual and analytical skills.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £129.00 - Philosophy and memoryCourse start date: Mon 13 Jan 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Anita KasabovaWhat is memory? How does memory impact our sense of self and time? Why does memory often go wrong? If our memory is unreliable, can it provide knowledge of our personal past? How is memory registered in the body? What is collective memory? This course explores memory through philosophical and psychological lenses.
NB: There is no class on 30/09/24.
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 - The art of the Burgundian Netherlands c. 1360-1480 Course start date: Wed 15 Jan 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Julia MusgraveExplore how the extravagant lifestyle of the Burgundian court provided opportunities for an opulent Burgundian style to be developed and disseminated across Europe in the late middle ages and into the renaissance.
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 - London's quartiers Course start date: Fri 17 Jan 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sue JacksonThrough 1 lecture and 7 guided walks, explore some of London’s quartiers – Soho, Mayfair, Covent Garden, Spitalfields, Clerkenwell, St James and Bloomsbury and understand how their very distinct characters were formed. The first session will be delivered via Zoom and other sessions will be guided walks.
London guide: Sue Jackson. - Art in Britain 1890-1918 – New English Art Club to WWI Course start date: Mon 20 Jan 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Julia MusgraveExplore the works of British artists and their relationship to the legacy of academic painting and the art of continental Europe between 1880-1918. Who led developments and how does the art of the period reflect the times?
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 - 20th Century German Literature: Czech, Swiss, Austrian, Romanian & German writersCourse start date: Thu 23 Jan 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Stephen WinfieldExplore a dazzling range of masterworks from across Central and Eastern Europe that includes many of the seminal figures of 20th century German Literature, from Modernism to the two world wars, the Holocaust and their aftermath, explored chronologically and including among others Rilke, Thomas Mann, Kafka, Brecht, Celan, Bernhard and Herta Muller.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £129.00 - Chaucer's Love VisionsCourse start date: Mon 3 Feb 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Rachel BuglassMuch less famous than The Canterbury Tales, with its quotidian concerns, Chaucer’s Love Visions are the dreams of poets. We will read The Book of the Duchess, The House of Fame, The Parliament of Birds, The Legend of Good Women and extracts fromThe Romaunt of the Rose. Through these allegorical tales, we will examine the conventions of medieval courtly love and life through the lens of Chaucer's humour, sharp observation and self-deprecation.
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 £169.00 Concession £110.00 - The art of the French Renaissance Course start date: Tue 18 Feb 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Julia MusgraveWhat makes the art of the renaissance in France so fantastical and fanciful? How much does it owe to Italian artists? Where can you see examples and why does so little survive? Discover the story of the rise and fall of the French renaissance.
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 - Ways into advanced art history: historiography
Course start date: Wed 26 Feb 2025Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayDevelop a greater understanding of art history and how to analyse the cultural meaning of an artwork by going in-depth with the ideas of prominent art historians. This course looks at the history of art history – the history of interpretation.
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
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