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.
- Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00
- Great works: Mary Shelley's FrankensteinCourse 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 - The beginnings of Impressionism: the Barbizon SchoolCourse start date: Tue 19 Nov 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Emma Rose BarberWho said the Impressionists were the first to paint ‘en plein air’? Get lost in wood and green and light and shade in the large forest of Fontainebleau near Paris and learn about a group of 19th-century painters who influenced the Impressionists in the art of painting landscape outside.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £95.00 Concession £77.00 - Create your first poetry collectionCourse start date: Tue 19 Nov 2024 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Megan BeechYou've written and workshopped your poetry, and now you're ready to create your first collection. But where do you begin with that process? This workshop offers instruction and advice on putting together your first poetry collection.
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 - The beauty of the medieval manuscriptCourse start date: Wed 20 Nov 2024 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Emma Rose BarberIt is generally accepted that medieval illuminated manuscripts are very beautiful things. Something to do with all that gold-leaf maybe. While we cannot hold them in class, close-up digital reproduction will allow us to see if they really are as beautiful as we are told. Indeed, are none of them ugly? Join this course to find out.Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £95.00 Concession £77.00 - The ghost story on the television and the big screenCourse start date: Sat 23 Nov 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Jon WisbeyExplore and enjoy the ghost story through big screen classics such as The Uninvited (1944), The Innocents (1961) and The Haunting (1963), and small screen dramas such as The Stone Tape (1972) and the BBC's Ghost Story for Christmas tradition - for example, The Signalman (1976). We will also consider the genre's key themes and storytelling styles along with its relationship with horror generally.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00 - The Amaravati stupa: an ancient, colonial and contemporary historyCourse start date: Sat 23 Nov 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Arjmand AzizExamine the history, architecture, aesthetics and religious significance of the Amaravati stupa. Admire parts of it during the visit at the British Museum.Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £97.00 - Makers not muses: Claude Cahun, Eileen Agar and Isabel RawsthorneCourse 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 agentCourse 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 - The Courtauld: an introductionCourse 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 - Introduction to the Wallace CollectionCourse start date: Tue 14 Jan 2025
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Julie BarlowEach week, we'll explore a different aspect of the Wallace Collection looking at its fine and decorative art objects, including paintings, furniture, porcelain and even arms and armour. #wallacecollection #arthistory. - 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 - Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs: part 3Course start date: Sun 19 Jan 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Hugo CookContinue to discover hieroglyphs and their fascinating history. Suitable for those who have already completed the introductory class as well as part 2 of this course.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £84.00 - Craft focus: introduction to novel plottingCourse start date: Sun 19 Jan 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Gurnaik JohalExplore different approaches to novel plotting and learn how to plot your own novel successfully in this short course suitable for those who have begun writing a novel.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £219.00 Senior fee £219.00 Concession £110.00 - Great works: Henry James's The Portrait of a LadyCourse 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
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