Culture, history & humanities

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.

Courses available both in-person and online

Join us in the heart of London for in-person classes. Our modern campus in Covent Garden is easy to reach and buzzing with creativity. With modern purpose-built facilities and state-of-the-art equipment, it’s the perfect space to support your learning journey. Explore our facilities >

Prefer learning online? Our live online courses bring expert teaching to you, wherever you are.

Whether you choose to study in-person or online, all our courses are live, interactive, and taught by expert tutors. Wherever and however you want to learn, we’re here for you.

Courses available both in-person and online

We offer a range of long and short courses allowing you to choose between in-person and online learning.

Learn in the centre of London with our in-person courses. Our purpose-built facilities in Covent Garden mean we are ideally located and easy to get to. 

See our guide to online learning for more information about accessing our live online courses.

All our courses are live, interactive, and taught by expert tutors. No matter how you prefer to learn, we've got the class for you.

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  1. Great works: Jane Austen’s Emma
    Course start date:  Thu 6 Mar 2025

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Kate Wilkinson
    This short in-college literature course explores Jane Austen’s ‘Emma’ (1815), often considered her finest – and funniest – novel. We’ll study its characters, themes and narrative techniques, and we’ll consider the historical and social contexts in which Austen was writing.
    Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00
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  2. An introduction to European decorative arts at the V&A
    Course start date:  Thu 1 May 2025

    Location on this date:  Off Site

    Tutors:  Andreas Petzold
    The Victoria and Albert Museum has one of the finest and most comprehensive collections of European decorative arts in the world. This course aims to provide an introduction to these rich collections. It will focus on the period 1500 to 1900, but references later developments. The main media will be explored including textiles, ceramics, glass, metalwork, and silver.
    Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £64.00
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  3. Ealing Studios: projecting Britain and the British character
    Evening
    Course start date:  Thu 1 May 2025

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Graham Rinaldi
    “We made films at Ealing that were good, bad and indifferent, but they were indisputably British. They were rooted in the soil of the country.” Under the stewardship of Michael Balcon, Ealing Studios created a national cinema through drama, documentary and comedy producing a body of work portraying realistic British life.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £89.00 Senior fee £89.00 Concession £58.00
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  4. Indigenous Australia: the beginnings of the Western Desert art movement
    Course start date:  Thu 8 May 2025

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Arjmand Aziz
    Explore the beginnings of Western Desert painting in 1970s Australia by focussing closely on the cosmopolitan and intercultural worlds of the Indigenous Australian artists at its heart.
    Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00
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  5. Spectacles of the Ancient world
    Course start date:  Thu 8 May 2025

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Michael Bloomfield
    This course explores some of the most elaborate and powerful displays of the Graeco-Roman world. Designed to entertain, inform, and elicit support, often at times of great political or religious significance, they were unforgettable, and have long exercised an influence on our own understanding of the nature of power.
    Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £64.00
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  6. An introduction to stained glass at the V&A
    Course start date:  Thu 5 Jun 2025

    Location on this date:  Off Site

    Tutors:  Andreas Petzold
    Stained glass has been described as the most original and important medium in the high Middle Ages. The Victoria and Albert Museum has one of the finest and most comprehensive collections of stained glass in the world, spanning the twelfth century to the modern period. The course will provide an introduction to this medium and the collection of it in the Victoria and Albert Museum.
    Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00
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  7. Literary Landscapes: Black London in Caleb Nelson’s Open Water and Sam Selvon’s The Lonely Londoners
    Evening
    Course start date:  Thu 26 Jun 2025

    Location on this date:  Online

    Black London is shifting and ever-evolving. This course explores how Costa award winning Caleb Nelson’s novel ‘Open Water’ and the great 1950’s classic of immigrant fiction, Sam Selvon’s ‘The Lonely Londoners’ reimagined our multicultural metropolis.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £79.00
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