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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- From markets to malls: the history of shopping in London
Course start date: Tue 4 Feb 2025Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Diane BursteinFrom the City markets and shops of Cheapside (Medieval London’s Oxford Street) we move via the historic specialist shops of St James’s to the grand department stores and London markets. Discover how Londoners changed their shopping habits through the years and learn about the history of some of our most famous stores. A shop founded by a royal footman, a 17th century hatter, the department store owner who went to jail for expanding his business and the store which was the scene of its owner’s murder all feature.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00 - Tuesday talks: Sanctuary in the city – public art by refugees and immigrants in the city Course start date: Tue 4 Feb 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Marilyn GreeneCome on a virtual tour of public art through the City of London created by Refugees and Immigrants. We will explore artworks such as the 17th century carvings on the Monument and a Victorian plaques relocated on to the post Modern Number One Poultry by economic immigrants to the country as well as looking at mainly works by 20th century artists from refugee backgrounds who were either commissioned to make art works for site specific places or their works have been bought or moved to their locations.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £15.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £10.00 - Lunchtime lecture: Constable’s Hampstead Course start date: Tue 11 Feb 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Marilyn GreeneExplore Georgian and Regency Hampstead walking (virtually) in the footsteps of John Constable and seeing places he painted and quotes about his thoughts and feelings on Hampstead and his art.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £10.00 Concession £7.00 - Lunchtime lecture: Mother figure – how the cult of the Virgin Mary changed art Course start date: Tue 11 Mar 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayJoin us to understand how one woman became one of the most represented figures in human history. We examine the development of the Virgin Mary in the late medieval period and how her humanity made her central to Christian practice and expansion.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £10.00 Concession £7.00 - Tuesday talks: Helen Chadwick – woman in revolt Course start date: Tue 18 Mar 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Chantal CondronDiscover the work of British artist, Helen Chadwick (1953-1996) whose ground-breaking practice in sculpture, photography and installation art challenged media and public perceptions of women in society; and the female body. Exploring ideas of gender, identity and sexuality, Chadwick was significantly influential on a following generation of artists in Britain.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00 - Art history taster Course start date: Tue 11 Feb 2025 (and 5 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayCurious about art history? Join us for this taster session where we explore different ways into visual art and its histories, from the ancient to the contemporary.Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £10.00 Concession £10.00 - Children's writing: a taster Course start date: Tue 1 Apr 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Andrew WealeFind out more about writing children's stories in this short, practical and interactive taster session.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information. - Tuesday talks: Donald Rodney and the BLK Art GroupCourse start date: Tue 1 Apr 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayAn introduction to the BLK Art Group, an artistic and cultural movement begun in 1980s Wolverhampton that inspired a generation of British artists. Get to know some of its major artists (Claudette Johnson, Keith Piper, Sonia Boyce and Donald Rodney) and how they created a new art histories for Britain and beyond. This talk corresponds to a major exhibition of Donald Rodney’s work at the Whitechapel Gallery, on until 4th of May, 2025.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £8.00 Concession £7.00 - Chinese history taster: the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1636-1912) Dynasties Course start date: Tue 8 Apr 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Qiuyang ChenTo understand China of our present means understanding China of the past. Why not join PhD Fellow Dylan Wang for a taste of the histories of the Ming and Qing Dynasties from 1368 to the new Republican era in 1912?
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00 - Ethics and the environment : a short introductionCourse start date: Tue 15 Apr 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Denis MaederAs a result of the tremendous destruction that industrial societies have inflicted on nature, environmental issues are becoming ever more pressing, even more so in an age of rapid climate-change. However, most people would agree that natural world – the land, the oceans, non-human life – has some kind of value beyond the value it has for humans as resources or commodities. How can we argue systematically for a more ethical conduct towards nature?
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £10.00 Concession £10.00 - Drowned Worlds: climate fiction by JG Ballard and Jessie GreengrassCourse start date: Tue 15 Apr 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Lewis WardFor this in-college literature session we will compare two depictions of climate disaster written fifty years apart, JG Ballard’s The Drowned World (1962) and Jessie Greengrass’ The High House (2021). We will explore how both novels depict the encroachment of water on human civilisation and the psychology of the survivors, but with very different styles, approaches and conclusions.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00 - Reading Plays to Change the WorldCourse start date: Tue 15 Apr 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Laura BaggaleyThis two-hour literature workshop will introduce you to scenes from dynamic modern plays that explore the challenges of our changing world. Discover how contemporary playwrights are tackling the most important themes of our time, including climate change, political turmoil and environmental crises.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00 - Looking for the Golden Fleece: Jason and the ArgonautsCourse start date: Tue 3 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Maria ContosCome and explore the journey of the Argonauts and discover Jason.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £49.00 Senior fee £39.00 Concession £32.00 - Lunchtime lecture: Ithell Colquhoun - mystical surrealistCourse start date: Tue 3 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayAn introduction to the art of Ithell Colquhoun from her academic days at the Slade to her mystical landscapes in Cornwall. We explore her subject matter, artistic process and her surrealist tendencies.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £10.00 Concession £7.00 - Tuesday talks: Painted love – homosexuality in Ancient Greek vase paintingCourse start date: Tue 10 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Simone ChisenaDiscover the ways in which homoeroticism found its way onto Ancient Greek vases and how its depiction flourished in the ancient world.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00
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