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 online and in-person learning. 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. See our guide to online learning for more information about accessing our live online courses.

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  1. Christmas at the cinema: holiday favourites
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 9 Dec 2023

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  John Wischmeyer
    A Christmas cracker filled with seasonal films, from It’s a Wonderful Life to Die Hard, a carefully-curated cornucopia celebrating the genre of the Christmas film with classic clips and hidden gems: Scrooge as a film noir, Covent Garden market in the fifties, and a grown man dressed as an Elf. Full of delights, discussions and a quiz or two.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £29.00 Senior fee £23.00 Concession £19.00
    Rating:
    100% of 100
  2. Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £10.00 Concession £10.00
    Rating:
    98% of 100
  3. Film studies taster
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 2 Dec 2023 (and 4 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Jon Wisbey
    Learn how to evaluate and discuss films while enjoying a working example of a City Lit Film Studies class. In this class we will view and explore clips from a number of films, including popular remakes, enabling us to consider and compare themes and techniques from differing filmmaking countries. There will be a chance to review – in brief – film courses at City Lit (January - March 2024).
    Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £10.00 Concession £10.00
  4. Full fee £109.00 Senior fee £109.00 Concession £55.00
    Rating:
    96% of 100
  5. Discover North London through walks
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 13 Jan 2024

    Location on this date:  Off Site

    Tutors:  Diane Burstein
    Uncover the history of North London’s historic districts including Highbury , Friern Barnet and North Finchley, High Barnet, Tottenham, Muswell Hill, Wood Green, Golders Green and the Northern Heights, Hampstead Garden Suburb, Kentish Town, Camden Town and Belsize Park







    First meeting place: Saturday 13 January at 11am: Meet outside Highbury and Islington Tube Station (this could be altered if there are engineering works on the Victoria Line. The line closure list for weekend engineering work is only published six months in advance so doesn’t yet go up to January 2024!).
    Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £149.00
  6. Full fee £209.00 Senior fee £209.00 Concession £105.00
    Rating:
    100% of 100
  7. Craft focus: mastering descriptive language
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 20 Jan 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Sophie McKenzie
    Descriptive language can provide texture and clarity to a story, promoting reader engagement and a sensory experience. In this short course, learn how to create vivid descriptions that will elevate your prose. This course will support writers of fiction and non-fiction.



    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
    Rating:
    89% of 100
  8. The Victorians: art, architecture and design
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 20 Jan 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Rachel Sanders
    Explore the visual culture of Victorian Britain through a range of artworks and disciplines including painting, sculpture, architecture, graphic design, furniture, fashion, and textiles. Includes a visit to the V&A Museum.
    Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £64.00
  9. Ghetto uprising 1943: Jewish life and death in Warsaw
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 20 Jan 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  David Rosenberg
    In April 1943, some 40,000 starving people were still incarcerated in terrible conditions within the Warsaw Ghetto. A few hundred among them – predominantly young people – led an armed rebellion against the Nazis. This course conveys the incredible story of their uprising but also reveals the background of Warsaw's vibrant but increasingly endangered Jewish life in the decades before the uprising. It describes the many forms of resistance that took place after the Nazi invasion, highlights key individuals who played a role, and provides an opportunity to reflects on different aspects of this tragic but inspiring episode during the Holocaust.
    Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00
    Rating:
    100% of 100
  10. An introduction to poetry: W. H. Auden and Elizabeth Bishop
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 20 Jan 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Laurie Smith
    Come and join an introduction and exploration of the poetry of W H Auden and Elizabeth Bishop. We will read, discuss and enjoy a selection of their poetry and consider how the poets shape our responses.
    Full fee £29.00
  11. Partition in India and Pakistan
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 20 Jan 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Mirza Jaffer Abid
    In 1947 British India was partitioned. This resulted in an estimated one million deaths, the largest migration of people in modern history and the formation of India and Pakistan. What were the forces which led to Partition? When did the political and cultural factors that precipitated Partition emerge and accordingly, when did partition begin?
    Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00
  12. The Coen brothers: road trips through Hollywood
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sun 21 Jan 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  John Wischmeyer
    The Coens’ Blood Simple (1984) was a new kind of film noir set in Texas. A career later they returned to post-Civil War Texas to re-make True Grit (2010). This map of their USA trips through Raising Arizona (1987), then mainstreams to Fargo (1996), but somehow never far from Hollywood and its genres: Barton Fink (1991), O Brother, Where Art Thou (2000), or Hail, Caesar (2016). If their America was No Country For Old Men (2007), then where art they now? (See separate but related courses on Once Upon a Time in New Hollywood, Robert Altman, Francis Ford Coppola, and David Lynch).
    Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00
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