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 London 'Lowlife' in Fiction: 1889-1907Course start date: Fri 18 Oct 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Sarah WiseWe will explore the themes of poverty, politics, gender and ethnicity in London at the end of the 19th century/start of the 20th century through the eyes of writers of fiction, but also through the testimony of their non-fiction contemporaries – social investigators, government officials, journalists and philanthropists.Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £129.00 - Ways into creative writing: a gentle pace
Course start date: Tue 29 Oct 2024 (and 3 other dates)Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Claire CollisonAre you brand new to creative writing? Do you want to build your confidence in a supportive environment alongside other beginners? This gentle short-course guides students taking their first steps on the path to becoming a creative writer.Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £75.00 - Ways into creative writing: intensive Course start date: Fri 1 Nov 2024 (and 10 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Claire CollisonNot sure whether creative writing is for you? Give it a try on one of these fun and supportive short courses covering the basics of fiction and poetry. Increase your confidence and produce work through guided exercises and discussion.Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £75.00 - The Etruscans Course start date: Fri 1 Nov 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: William SterlingDiscover the mysterious people who lived in Central Italy and ended up being enveloped by the Romans. - Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs: part 2Course start date: Fri 15 Nov 2024
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.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £84.00 - The Ottoman Empire in world history Course start date: Fri 15 Nov 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Martin JorgensenWant to know more about the history of the Ottoman Empire and its legacies in the modern Middle East? Join us on this course to get an introduction.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £103.00 Concession £84.00 - Makers not muses: Claude Cahun, Eileen Agar and Isabel Rawsthorne Course 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. - Art history taster Course start date: Fri 6 Dec 2024 (and 9 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 - Women in Ancient Greece Course start date: Fri 13 Dec 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: William SterlingIn this course we shall examine women in myth, women in religion and the everyday life of women. It will conclude with a visit to the British Museum.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00 - A brief history of printmaking Course start date: Fri 10 Jan 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayDiscover the complexity of printmaking through this introduction to its history. Explore the cultural contexts, social ideas and artistic methods that make printmaking distinct to other forms of art.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £103.00 Concession £84.00 - Art in Britain 1950-2000 – 'This is Tomorrow' (part 2) Course start date: Fri 10 Jan 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Chantal CondronDiscover the work of selected British artists whose innovative practice shaped the development of modern art in Britain from the 1950s to 2000. Explore how and why the ideas and themes behind their work continue to be relevant to today’s audiences. - Loving the Alien: David Bowie's Music Videos and Filmography Course start date: Fri 10 Jan 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Mary WildIn this course, we will rely on psychoanalytic theory as the interpretive framework of David Bowie’s music videos and filmography, with a focus on his personas, experience of childhood trauma, struggle with mental illness, addiction, isolation, resilience, and creative autonomy. This course is a celebration of a unique musical genius, our dearly departed glamorous alien, one so evolved that he turned his own death into a work of art.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £45.00 - Latin American literary classicsCourse start date: Fri 17 Jan 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Richard NilandFrom Mexico to Patagonia, Latin America has produced some of the most spellbinding literature of the modern age. From dictatorship and death to national identity and the natural world, join us as we investigate the cultural heritage of the continent through some of its best writers.Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £129.00 - Modern art: movements 1900-1950 Course start date: Fri 17 Jan 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Elizabeth EyresExplore art and culture in the early 20th century, focussing on the major developments and movements in art including Cubism, Abstraction, Dada and Surrealism and their relationship to wider cultural contexts. - Post-war German history: 1945-1961Course start date: Fri 17 Jan 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Rudolf MuhsThis course offers a broad survey of German history from the end of the Second World War to the construction of the Berlin Wall at the height of the Cold war.
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