Explore Culture, History & Humanities Courses

After Larry Olivier’s / Kenneth Branagh’s victory at Agincourt, it was downhill for England until the advent of the Tudors! We explode that Shakespearian myth.

What do Henry VIII’s rosary and the Golden Boy of Pye Corner tell us about Tudor and Stuart England? Study these and other items to build a comprehensive picture of social life in England over four centuries.

Discover the history, politics and intellectualism that fuelled the Italian Renaissance. Explore the art of Giotto and his peers from a new perspective.

Are 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.

This course examines the rich and prolific cinema of Hong Kong. From martial arts superstars like Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, to gangster films of directors John Woo and Johnnie To, via the more personal visions of ‘new wave’ filmmakers like Ann Hui and Wong Kar-wai, the cinema of Hong Kong is hybrid and multifaceted. We will consider the momentous historical events as well as the industrial context out of which Hong Kong’s cinema grew, while looking at a range of film genres and directors from across several eras. We will consider also how Hong Kong cinema has reflected Hong Kong’s colonisation and decolonisation, leading up to the historical turning points of the 21st century such as the 2014 Umbrella Movement and the 2019 mass pro-democracy protests.

Explore art and culture in the late 19th century Europe, focussing on the major developments in modern art including the Pre-Raphaelites, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism and Symbolism, and their relationship to wider cultural contexts.

Trace the importance of foreigners to the British art scene from the Tudor period to the Baroque. How did artists like Holbein, Dobson, van Somer and van Dyck influence the British School?

We explore Michel Foucault's public lectures at the Collège de France, introducing key concepts such as genealogy, governmentality, and biopolitics. Through Foucault's lens, we critically navigate debates on truth, social engineering, and politics in turbulent times.

Discover the rich artistic heritage of the first Kings of Italy, the tenacious warriors who first rule the country.