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.
- The mirror of nature: art and culture in the 17th century
Course start date: Fri 9 May 2025Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Leslie PrimoThe 17th century produced some of the greatest artists of all time: Rubens, Rembrandt, Velazquez and Bernini to name but a few. Explore the work of these key artists and understand the history, styles and ideas that shaped the century.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £110.00 - Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs: part 2Course start date: Fri 9 May 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Hugo CookFollow-on course from the Introduction. This four-week course uses British Museum objects related to ancient Egypt to broaden and deepen students' knowledge of Egyptian Hieroglyphs. The course will be held in Covent Garden, with frequent visits to the British Museum.Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £129.00 - Women in ancient RomeCourse start date: Fri 9 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: William SterlingWomen's position in the Ancient Roman world was important as they played important roles in the home, in business, in religion and even in politics. - Art in Britain since 2000: where are we now?Course start date: Fri 9 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Chantal CondronDiscover how exciting, new UK-based artists use both experimental and traditional approaches to art to address issues of identity, history and personal experience. - Philosophy and cultural theoryCourse start date: Fri 9 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Barrie SelwynMerleau Ponty’s concept of embodied subjectivity continues to shape our views in cultural theory and theories of knowledge in general. We will explore his ideas and their applications as well as the general context from which they emerge. - Craft focus: character in fiction Course start date: Sat 10 May 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Tasha KavanaghIn fiction, character and plot are inseparable elements of craft. Without characters there can be no action or plot. In this short course you will learn how to create characters that can drive a narrative forward and deepen its themes.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Modern art in America, 1900-1930: the Ashcan School to Precisionism Course start date: Sat 10 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Rachel SandersStudy American art, including paintings, illustrations and cartoons from late-nineteenth century Impressionism and Realism to Precisionism, analysing movements and styles, social and political context, materials, and art theory. - Bad Queens of England? Eleanor of Aquitaine and Isabella of AngoulemeCourse start date: Sat 10 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Vanessa KingEleanor failed to produce a son for Louis VII and urged her sons by Henry II to rebellion. Isabella abandoned her children by King John to start anew in France with her daughter’s fiancé. We consider their roles as queens.Full fee £49.00 Senior fee £39.00 Concession £32.00 - Writing myths Course start date: Sat 10 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Maria ContosWhether you want to write about mythical beasts in a modern-day setting or pen a traditional epic, this fun, interactive taster will equip you with the craft basics to write a myth that will move and inspire.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - 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 - Ways into screenwriting: getting started Course start date: Sat 10 May 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Alan NixonWant to write scripts but don't know how to start? Discover the basics of screenwriting - character, conflict and more - on this short course that will help you shape your ideas and get your story going.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Plague, famine and war: Fourteenth century Europe Course start date: Mon 12 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Vanessa KingNo sooner had the Great Famine of 1315-22 taken its toll then along came the Black Death to wipe out half the remaining population but there was also a flourishing of art and literature.Full fee £249.00 Senior fee £199.00 Concession £162.00 - Philosophy and the meaning of lifeCourse start date: Mon 12 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Karl WhiteSome philosophers have insisted that philosophy should explain the meaning of our existence. What does it mean for us to be? And how then should we live? This course examines some seriously philosophical answers.
- German Idealism from Kant to Hegel: the beginnings of continental philosophy Course start date: Mon 12 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Christopher HornerGerman philosophers created the most ambitious and imaginative systems of thought of modern times against the backdrop of revolution and war. This creative and speculative beginning to modern continental philosophy is an exciting intellectual adventure. - Craft focus: grammar, syntax, and style for creative writers Course start date: Tue 16 Sep 2025 (and 3 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: William BradyGreat poetry and prose begin when the writer puts the right words in the right places. Learn how and why the rules and conventions of language matter in this new course, which combines creative writing with a review of essential points of grammar.Full fee £209.00 Senior fee £209.00 Concession £105.00
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