History, culture & writing

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.

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

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. Writing for children: getting started
    Evening
    Course start date:  Tue 9 Jul 2024 (and 2 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Andrew Weale
    Develop your ideas for children's stories in this practical and interactive short course. Topics will include plot, characterisation and viewpoint, and how to approach the children's publishing industry today.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £35.00
  2. Starting your novel (a fortnightly course)
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 5 Oct 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Got 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.
    Full fee £269.00 Senior fee £269.00 Concession £135.00
  3. Masters of cinema: Paolo Sorrentino
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 5 Oct 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Paul Sutton
    Paolo Sorrentino has been described as ‘the most promising Italian director of his generation’. This one-day course will explore the cinema of this Neapolitan filmmaker renowned for his ‘commitment to style’. We will look at a number of his films as well as his television work, and examine some of the themes that he has returned to throughout his career, for example, power, nostalgia and solitude. We will also consider his Sorrentino’s relationship with figures such as the cinematographer Luca Bigazzi and the actor Toni Servillo, both of whom have collaborated frequently with the director. So, join us in City Lit’s Cultureplex screening space for day-long immersion into the beautifully stylish cinematic world of Paolo Sorrentino.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00
  4. Writing true crime
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 5 Oct 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Learn how to research and write a compelling true crime novel or script.
    Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00
  5. Integrating philosophy and ethics in a capitalist world
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 12 Oct 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Vina Theodorakopoulou
    Embark on a journey to explore the intricate interplay between philosophy, ethics and capitalism. Join our exploration into aligning values with the demands of a dynamic global economy. Explore how values and principles can harmonise with the demands of a global economy.
    Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00
  6. Literary werewolves and vampires
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 19 Oct 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Megan Beech
    On this short course we will explore the way in which authors in the nineteenth century created and shaped what we write and think about vampires and werewolves today. We will read extracts from Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla alongside various short stories, penny dreadfuls, and news articles from the period.
    Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00
  7. Fifties film noir: Kiss me Deadly
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 26 Oct 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  John Wischmeyer
    Film Noir was the term coined by French critics to describe a distinctive style in American cinema during the decade after the war. In the transitional 1950s, genres that had been Hollywood staples began to change, evolve, or fade away. Film Noir evolved because it was too vital, too useful, and just too enjoyable to fade away. Just as John Huston’s Maltese Falcon (1941) kick-started film noir in the forties, his Asphalt Jungle (1950) introduced a darker fifties’ noir. Or did noir begin and end with Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane (1941) and Touch of Evil (1958)? ((See related courses on Fifties Melodrama and Musicals and 50 Films From the ‘50s: Hollywood’s Last Stand).
    Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00
  8. Deciphering the Rosetta Stone
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 26 Oct 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Hugo Cook
    200 years after one of history’s most famous puzzles was deciphered, tour around the British Museum’s new Decipherment exhibition and learn how the mystery of Hieroglyphs was unravelled with the Rosetta Stone, with other archaeological clues, and with a bit of genius.
    Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00
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