Explore History, Culture & Writing
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.
Courses available both in-person and online
We offer a range of courses allowing you to choose between online and in-person learning. All our courses are live, interactive, and taught by expert tutors. No matter how you prefer to learn, you’ll receive the same great City Lit experience. See our guide to online learning for more information about accessing our live online 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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- Starting your novel
Course start date: Tue 11 Oct 2022 (and 6 other dates)Location on this date: Online (other locations are available)
Tutors: Vicky GrutGot a great idea for a novel? Jump start your project in this supportive course that covers craft basics such as character and plot. Ideal for writers of fiction with some experience who have an idea for a novel.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £209.00 Senior fee £209.00 Concession £105.00 - Spanish Art 1900-1937: the age of Picasso, Miró and DalíCourse start date: Wed 21 Sep 2022
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Mark Stuart-SmithReflecting a 'silver age' of literature, art in Spain before the Civil war encompasses the modernist genius of Picasso, Juan Gris and Miró; the surrealism of Dalí and the late Impressionism of Joaquín Sorolla.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £169.00 Concession £110.00 - Advanced political studiesCourse start date: Mon 9 May 2022 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Martin JorgensenIf you have a passion for politics, or have ever been interested in studying politics at a higher level, this course could be right for you. Whatever your political background, interests, or history, this course will give you a space for discussion and understanding at an advanced level.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £229.00 Concession £115.00 - British Cinema of the 1980s: From My Beautiful Laundrette to Withnail and ICourse start date: Thu 22 Sep 2022
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Mick McAloonIn spite of Margaret Thatcher’s hostility towards the British film industry, the 1980s was an incredibly fertile period for British cinema. This online course explores the era’s defining films, including Meantime (Leigh 1983), My Beautiful Laundrette (Frears 1985), and Withnail and I (Robinson 1987), and its most influential filmmakers (Alan Clarke, Derek Jarman, Stephen Frears, Mike Leigh) and considers the socio-cultural influences at work.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £189.00 Senior fee £189.00 Concession £123.00 - From the Holy Roman Empire to the unification of Germany (the Middle Ages to 1871)Course start date: Mon 26 Sep 2022
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Rudolf MuhsThe course offers a broad survey of the German lands over the centuries from the Middle Ages to the Unification of
Germany in 1871.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £169.00 Concession £85.00 - London ‘lowlife’ in fiction: 1889-1907Course start date: Mon 26 Sep 2022
Location on this date: Online
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.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £179.00 Concession £116.00 - Colonial America: European Settlement 1560 – 1815Course start date: Wed 28 Sep 2022
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Dafydd TownleyThe online course explores European settlement (British, French, Spanish, Russian, Swedish) of North America. It examines the differences between English colonies; the American Revolution; the formation of the United States; and the War of 1812.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £169.00 Concession £85.00 - Japanese imperialismCourse start date: Thu 29 Sep 2022
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Dale Mineshima-LowePerhaps you are familiar with the history of the British empire. What about that of Japan? Join us to learn more.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £169.00 Concession £85.00 - World War 2: collaboration and resistance in Hitler's EuropeCourse start date: Wed 5 Oct 2022
Location on this date: Online
The course looks at the origins, articulations and legacies of resistance and collaboration in Hitler’s Europe (1939-1945).
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £169.00 Concession £85.00 - Avant-garde women: art innovations of the 20th & 21st centuriesCourse start date: Thu 13 Oct 2022
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Irina ChkhaidzeDiscover the work of prominent modern and contemporary women artists from the early twentieth century to the present, looking at the political and social transformations reflected in the artworks.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £179.00 Concession £116.00 - Spanish Art 1937-2000: propaganda, censorship and memoryCourse start date: Wed 9 Nov 2022
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Mark Stuart-SmithExplore the development of Spanish art from Picasso’s 1937 'Guernica' to the installations of Juan Muñoz in the 1980s and 1990s. We will focus on key episodes highlighting General Franco’s impact on Spanish art 1936-2000.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £169.00 Concession £110.00 - Imperial Germany between tradition and modernity (1871-1919)Course start date: Mon 16 Jan 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Rudolf MuhsThe course offers a broad survey of the political, social and economic history of Imperial Germany from Unification in 1871 to the Revolution at the end of the First World War in 1918.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £169.00 Concession £85.00 - Starting your novel: intensiveCourse start date: Mon 16 Jan 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah LeipcigerGot a great idea for a novel? Jump start your project in this supportive, intensive course that covers craft basics such as character and plot. For fiction writers with some experience, and for those comfortable working at a fast pace.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £169.00 Concession £85.00 - Japan after the Second World warCourse start date: Thu 19 Jan 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Dale Mineshima-LoweThis introductory short course will examine some of the key issues in the building of Japan in the post-World War II period through the turn of the century Examination will be of the political, social and economic spheres of Japan’s post-war reform and reconstruction, recovery and rise, and stagnation.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £169.00 Concession £85.00 - Seeking the Dream: introduction to 20th century American literatureCourse start date: Thu 19 Jan 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Woody RiverThis course explores the diversity and musicality of American literature, and its role in shaping our perception of the American Dream. Drawing on a range of texts including poetry, short stories, novels, speeches and historical documents, this course follows the development of 20th and 21st century American literature from the poetry of Amy Lowell in the early 20th century to the post 9/11 literature of Cormac McCarthy. You will look at how historical events, geographical locations and complex social issues have inspired and shaped American literature.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £179.00 Concession £116.00
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