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.
- In conversation with Jonathan FreedlandCourse start date: Wed 27 Nov 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Join the Jewish Literary Foundation and City Lit for an intimate conversation with Orwell Prize winning writer and broadcaster Jonathan Freedland. A longtime Guardian columnist, he presents BBC Radio 4’s contemporary history series The Long View and his books include the multi-award winning The Escape Artist and bestselling thrillers under the pseudonym Sam Bourne.
He will join City Lit Principal Mark Malcomson about his career to date, just as his first book for children, King Winter’s Birthday is published by Pushkin Press. Beautifully illustrated by Emily Sutton, it inspired by the unpublished story König Winters Geburtstag: ein Märchen written by Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz, whose rediscovered novel The Passenger, written while Boschwitz was interned on the Isle of Man during WWII, became a Sunday Times bestseller when published by Pushkin in 2021.
We welcome you to join Jonathan for a glass of wine and a book signing following the event.Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £10.00 Concession £10.00 - Art history tasterCourse 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 - Post-colonial cinemas 2Course start date: Wed 8 Jan 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Jean-Baptiste de VaulxThis module will examine a crucially important but often neglected area of film history, namely the responses to and against colonialist legacy made by many different strands of filmmaking around the world. We will analyse and discuss examples of filmmaking through the lens of postcolonial theory, covering specific films from Africa, the Arab World, the Philippines, the Caribbean and South Asian diasporas in Britain, Argentina, and Hong Kong.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £84.00 - Reading images: exploring film studiesCourse start date: Wed 8 Jan 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Cristina MassaccesiThis comprehensive introductory course provides an overview of the main historical, technical and theoretical aspects of filmmaking and film analysis.Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £77.00 - Introduction to art historyCourse start date: Mon 13 Jan 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayAre you interested in art and want to get more out of looking at art and exhibitions? Want to know what an art historian does? Develop your interpretative skills by exploring at how art is made and what social and cultural factors construct our understanding of it.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £249.00 Senior fee £199.00 Concession £162.00 - Ways into creative writingCourse start date: Wed 15 Jan 2025 (and 10 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Rosie ChardWant to have a go at creative writing in a supportive environment? Join one of these introductory courses. Guided exercises will give you the tools to explore language creatively and find your own writing voice.Full fee £239.00 Senior fee £239.00 Concession £120.00 - Rising powers: China, from Mao to XiCourse start date: Wed 15 Jan 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sebastien ArdouinThe spectacular rise of China is one of the most significant developments of the last decades. What explains it and what does it mean for China itself and the world?
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £289.00 Senior fee £289.00 Concession £188.00 - Ways into screenwritingCourse start date: Wed 15 Jan 2025 (and 3 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Learn to write for the screen on this practical, introductory course. Writing exercises, presentations and screenings will teach you key skills, and you’ll begin to produce work and an outline for a full-length project.Full fee £239.00 Senior fee £239.00 Concession £120.00 - Art of 20th century Spain from Picasso to AlmodóvarCourse start date: Wed 15 Jan 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Mark Stuart-SmithThe course provides a general introduction to Spanish art and culture of the period, and considers the distinctive contribution made by Spanish artists to 20th-century visual culture. Explore the development of Spanish art from Impressionist Joaquin Sorolla and Picasso’s 'Guernica' to the installations of Juan Muñoz in the 1980s and the cinema of Pedro Almodóvar.Full fee £249.00 Senior fee £249.00 Concession £162.00 - The Great (European) Powers and the creation of the Middle East, 1914-1948Course start date: Wed 15 Jan 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Sebastien ArdouinHow and why did the countries of the Middle East emerge, and what were the consequences of that process? What was the role of Britain and France? What impact did the US and the USSR have on the region?Full fee £259.00 Senior fee £207.00 Concession £168.00 - Ways into poetryCourse start date: Thu 16 Jan 2025 (and 4 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Claire CollisonRelatively new to writing poetry? This inspiring course offers an opportunity to experiment with language and a variety of poetic devices alongside fellow emerging poets. Discover the key elements of a poem in a friendly and interactive class.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £239.00 Senior fee £239.00 Concession £120.00 - Ways into playwritingCourse start date: Wed 22 Jan 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Dawn KingExplore the fundamental techniques of writing for the stage in this introductory course. Get to grips with dialogue, character, story and structure, and start work on your own play.Full fee £239.00 Senior fee £239.00 Concession £120.00 - Ways into creative writing: intensiveCourse start date: Tue 29 Oct 2024 (and 10 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: William BradyNot 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 - Ways into Advanced Literature: 20th century readingsCourse start date: Wed 29 Jan 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Patricia SweeneyExplore the rewards of close reading analysis, focusing on the literary genres of fiction and drama. Read, analyse and debate seminal 20th century works, including Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald and The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams.Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £179.00 Concession £116.00 - Ways into creative writing: a gentle paceCourse start date: Tue 29 Oct 2024 (and 3 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Tasha KavanaghAre 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
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