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. Queer Storytelling: writing as a radical act
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sun 16 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Megan Beech
    This one day short course will explore the writing of two contemporary queer writers, both of whom use innovative form to tell unique stories of lesbian and trans experience. We'll look at the exhilarating, T.S Eliot Prize winning, C+nto and Othered Poems (2021) by Joelle Taylor and Variations (2022).
    Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00
  2. A day at the V&A: an introduction to collections
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sun 16 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Off Site

    Tutors:  Elizabeth Eyres
    Spend a fascinating day at the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum exploring a range of galleries. We shall be looking at the decorative arts, paintings, sculpture and design from across the world and across the centuries in this remarkable museum.
    Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00
  3. London's smaller galleries: Apsley House
    Last Few Places
    Course start date:  Wed 19 Jun 2024 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Off Site

    Tutors:  Julie Barlow
    Explore the home and art collection of Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington.
    Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00
    Rating:
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  4. Aubrey Beardsley and the art of queer decadence
    Evening
    Course start date:  Wed 19 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Sarah Jaffray
    Discover the subversive and wildly successful art of illustrator Aubrey Beardsley. Explore his illustrations and how his depictions of gender challenged the status quo of late Victorian Britain.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £10.00 Concession £7.00
  5. The Ottomans and the Sublime Porte (1299-1922): Istanbul's control of the Mediterranean and the Balkans
    Course start date:  Fri 21 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Roberta Marin
    This course will offer an insight into the long and complex history of the Ottoman empire and of Istanbul, its iconic capital.
    Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00
  6. Friday lates: Pacific portraits - British artists, Pacific sitters and their impact on 18th century portraiture
    Evening
    Course start date:  Fri 21 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    From Joshua Reynold's portrati of Omai to portraits made during the voyages of Captain James Cook, discover how encounters with Pacific Islanders changed the course of British eighteenth-century.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00
  7.  Feasting and banqueting: the politics of food in Medieval Europe
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 22 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Vanessa King
    Discover how dishes known as subtleties were used at medieval banquets not only to incite wonder but to set a political agenda.
    Full fee £49.00 Senior fee £39.00 Concession £32.00
  8. Cinema beyond the cinema
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 22 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Paul Sutton
    Nowadays there are so many ways to watch film - smart phones, tablets, TVs - just as there are so many different spaces in which we encounter the moving image - cinemas, galleries, our homes, to name but a few. This day-long course will broaden and deepen your critical awareness of the diverse formal and experiential possibilities of cinema, both as they have developed in the past and as they are transforming in the contemporary moment. It will do this by reflecting on two questions: ‘what is cinema?’ and ‘where is cinema?’.
    Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00
  9. Windrush: celebrating London’s Caribbean communities – History Walk
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 22 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Off Site

    Want to learn more about Windrush and London's Caribbean communities and celebrate Windrush Day? Join A. S. Francis on this history walk!
    Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00
  10. Queering characterisation: writing LGBTQIA+ characters
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 22 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Charlotte Heather
    Join this interactive one-day course which brings together essential elements of characterisation and its relation to plot through the lens of queer writing. You will delve into elements of craft in characterisation while referring back to examples and questions of LGBTQIA+ representation and histories in literature.



    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
  11. Art of Islamic Spain
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 22 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Roberta Marin
    Discover the art and architecture of Spain during the Arab domination (711-1493).
    Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00
  12. How to pitch your screenplay
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 22 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Alan Nixon
    You've worked hard on a screenplay but how do you sell it? This short intensive course identifies tools you can select to create a compelling Pitch Treatment. Please note: this course will have a 2-hr break from 12:30-14:30.



    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
  13. Up close and personal with Greek archaeological treasures
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 22 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Sarah Merali-Smith
    Discover stunning objects from ancient Greece and the evidence they provide for the lives of ancient people. Spend the afternoon having a close look at the British Museum's collection.
    Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00
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