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. An introduction to European decorative arts at the V&A
    Course start date:  Thu 18 Apr 2024

    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 £89.00 Senior fee £71.00 Concession £58.00
  2. Farms to finance: an introduction to political economy
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 20 Apr 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Ingrid Aguiar Schlindwein
    Human economies have many foundations, from agriculture to banking. Some are unstable, yet we often feel powerless to change them - even when they threaten our survival. Are there alternatives? Join ud online to learn more.



    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
  3. Craft focus: grammar, syntax and style for creative writers - getting started
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sun 21 Apr 2024 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  William Brady
    Great poetry and prose begin when the writer puts the right words in the right places. Learn how and why the rules and conventions of language matter in this new course, which combines creative writing with a review of essential points of grammar.



    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
  4. Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £35.00
    Rating:
    98% of 100
  5. The Caribbean World, 350CE to 1450CE
    Evening
    Course start date:  Mon 22 Apr 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Terrence Maxwell
    Explore the vibrant history of the Caribbean from 350CE to 1450CE in this enriching course. Uncover the culture, trade networks, and historical transformations of this captivating region.
    Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £99.00 Concession £64.00
  6. Philosophy Reading Group
    Evening
    Course start date:  Wed 24 Apr 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Kate Banks
    Descartes’ Discourse on Method, one of the foundational texts of modern philosophy, begins with the audacious claim that all minds could agree were they to apply the same rational method of thinking.







    Reading it together, we will assess this method and whether it leads us to share Descartes’ conclusions.



    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
  7. Cyborg cultures: hybrid beings and monstrous identities
    Course start date:  Wed 24 Apr 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Katie Goss
    In this course students will be introduced to theories of posthumanism that suggest ways we can embrace ‘monstruous’ identities and ‘mutant’ forms of knowing. Through popular science fiction films and literary texts, we will contemplate the complex coming together and apart of bodies-minds-worlds in contemporary culture and explore experiences of hybridity and metamorphosis.



    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
  8. The Portuguese Empire; establishment, world-making, demise and legacies
    Evening
    Course start date:  Wed 24 Apr 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Ingrid Aguiar Schlindwein
    A journey through the rise and fall of the Portuguese Empire. Uncover pioneering navigation, understand colonial societies in Brazil, Africa, and Asia through their economies, culture, independence struggles, and legacies.



    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
  9. Makers not muses: Claude Cahun, Eileen Agar and Isabel Rawsthorne
    Course start date:  Thu 25 Apr 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Chantal Condron
    Explore the work of three radical artists whose work and practice defied convention in modern art from the 1920s to 1960s. Discover how each artist challenged and transcended society’s expectations of being a ‘muse’ by living freely and making art in a variety of media, from painting and sculpture to collage, photography and performance.



    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:
    90% of 100
  10. An introduction to paradox
    Evening
    Course start date:  Thu 25 Apr 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Oliver Josiah
    A paradox is an apparently absurd conclusion derived from seemingly uncontroversial premises through supposedly valid reasoning. This course will introduce you to six major philosophical paradoxes and some of the attempts to solve them.



    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
  11. Women in ancient Rome
    Course start date:  Fri 26 Apr 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  William Sterling
    Women's position in the Ancient Roman world was important as they played important roles in the home, in business, in religion and even in politics.
    Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00
    Rating:
    100% of 100
  12. Italian cinema: from Neorealism to the genre film
    Evening
    Course start date:  Fri 26 Apr 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Cristina Massaccesi
    This cinema course focuses on Italian cinema in the years between 1945 and 1980. It will provide you with an overview of the main historical, cultural and social aspects of Italian filmmaking in Italy by looking at the work of some of its most influential author/directors.
    Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £99.00 Concession £64.00
  13. Private portraits: painted miniatures in early modern Europe
    Course start date:  Fri 26 Apr 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Elizabeth Eyres
    Portrait miniatures are some of the most exquisite and beguiling likenesses ever produced. Their tiny scale and painstaking creation give them an intricacy, intimacy and sense of intrigue. These often reflect the circumstances in which they were gifted to their new owners by the person commissioning them, and both the images and their wider contexts repay our close study on this course.
    Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £64.00
  14. Art in the age of Napoleon: politics, painting & propaganda
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 27 Apr 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Rachel Sanders
    Explore the art of Napoleonic Europe via issues such as political and social upheaval, Neo-Classical priorities, and the rise of Romanticism, in the work of artists such as David and Goya.
    Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00
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