Culture, history & humanities

Explore Culture, History & Humanities Courses

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

Join us in the heart of London for in-person classes. Our modern campus in Covent Garden is easy to reach and buzzing with creativity. With modern purpose-built facilities and state-of-the-art equipment, it’s the perfect space to support your learning journey. Explore our facilities >

Prefer learning online? Our live online courses bring expert teaching to you, wherever you are.

Whether you choose to study in-person or online, all our courses are live, interactive, and taught by expert tutors. Wherever and however you want to learn, we’re here for you.

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. The Portuguese Empire; establishment, world-making, demise and legacies
    Evening
    Course start date:  Wed 12 Feb 2025

    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 £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £51.00
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  2. Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £99.00 Concession £64.00
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  3. Understanding the role of maritime geopolitics in the 21st century
    Evening
    Course start date:  Wed 5 Mar 2025

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Maisa Edwards
    This course studies the creation and shaping of major trade routes in the North and South Atlantic, the Indian and Pacific Oceans, considering their history, economics and defence systems so we can better understand maritime geopolitics in the 21st century.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £51.00
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  4. Che Guevara & his Revolutions
    Evening
    Course start date:  Wed 19 Mar 2025

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Anna Grimaldi
    We're all familiar with the image of Ernesto 'Che' Guevara - but why is the idea of this man still so powerful, even 65 years after the Cuban Revolution? Join Dr Anna Grimaldi to explore Guevara's life, ideology, impact and legacies.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £51.00
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  5. Discover the Assyrians
    Course start date:  Wed 26 Mar 2025

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Michael Bloomfield
    The Neo-Assyrian Empire was one of the most powerful and influential empires of the ancient world. Join us to learn more aboutits history from the early 10th to the close of the 7th century BCE.
    Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00
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  6. Farms to finance: an introduction to political economy
    Course start date:  Wed 30 Apr 2025

    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
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  7. Private portraits: painted miniatures in early modern Europe
    Course start date:  Wed 30 Apr 2025

    Location on this date:  Online

    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.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00
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  8. Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00
    Rating:
    89% of 100
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  9. Keepers of Stories: researching your family history
    Course start date:  Wed 21 May 2025

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Join Jenneba to build confidence and skills to get into your family history!
    Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £64.00
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  10. Black Latin America
    Evening
    Course start date:  Wed 21 May 2025

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Anna Grimaldi
    This course introduces and critically examines the concept of a Black or African Latin America through the region’s history, philosophy, activism, politics, diaspora, memory and culture.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £51.00
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  11. The global economy unpacked: the forming of the economies of the Global South
    Evening
    Course start date:  Wed 21 May 2025

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Ingrid Aguiar Schlindwein
    Explore how historical, political, and economic factors have shaped Global South economies. Analyze trade, governance, urbanization, poverty, sustainability, and challenges, fostering a holistic understanding of their development within the global landscape.



    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 £45.00
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  12. Art revolutions from 1905-1925
    Evening
    Course start date:  Wed 4 Jun 2025

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Christopher Collier
    Cubism, Futurism and Constructivism are pivotal movements in the history of modern art – encapsulating all the promise and peril of the 20th century’s devastating birth, and even helping rewrite perceptions of space and time.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00
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  13. The Global Economy unpacked: Latin America in the Global Economy from 1800 onwards
    Evening
    Course start date:  Wed 11 Jun 2025

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Ingrid Aguiar Schlindwein
    South America's economic journey: colonization, industrialization, neoliberal reforms, regional integration, challenges, sustainability, and emerging opportunities for inclusive growth.



    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 £45.00
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  14. The US Civil Rights Movement: from Reconstruction to the passing of the 1965 Voting Rights Act
    Course start date:  Wed 18 Jun 2025

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Zoe Quinn
    Explore the African American Civil Rights movement in the southern states from Reconstruction to the passing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
    Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00
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