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. 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
  2. The emerging markets today
    Evening
    Course start date:  Mon 17 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Ingrid Aguiar Schlindwein
    Explore emerging markets in the global economy. Understand economic, political, and cultural dynamics, challenges and strategies for success in evolving markets.



    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
  3. India and Pakistan: The histories, memories and legacies of Partition
    Evening
    Course start date:  Tue 18 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Mirza Jaffer Abid, Martin Jorgensen
    Join us to gain an understanding of the partition of British India in August 1947 from the perspective of history (written and oral), literature and film.



    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 £69.00
  4. Ways of reading: aspects of narrative theory
    Evening
    Course start date:  Wed 19 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Jenny Stevens
    What do we mean by ‘literary fiction’? What expectations do we bring to the novels we read? Do we really ‘escape’ when we enter fictional worlds? These are just some of the questions addressed in a course which focuses on the analysis of prose fiction. Reading texts as short as one-sentence ‘flash fiction’ to complete short stories, it engages with writing from a wide range of periods and authors, paying close attention to narrative techniques and their effects.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £99.00 Concession £64.00
  5. Movements in art: Post-Impressionism
    Course start date:  Wed 19 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Elizabeth Eyres
    Cézanne, Gauguin, Van Gogh and Seurat are all called Post-Impressionists, yet each had different styles and preoccupations. Explore their work and lives and learn why they left such a valuable legacy.



    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
    Rating:
    93% of 100
  6. 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
  7. The Worlds of Contemporary Travel Literature
    Evening
    Course start date:  Fri 21 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Rebecca Jones
    Explore new directions in contemporary travel literature, as authors from across the world take the genre beyond the colonial European gaze that once characterised it. We examine themes such as diaspora, postcolonialism, language and ethics, looking at classic texts by Caryl Phillips, Pico Iyer and Jamaica Kincaid, and recent works by Emmanuel Iduma, Noo Saro-Wiwa, and Raja Shehadeh.
    Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £99.00 Concession £64.00
  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. 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
  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. 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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