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. Developing your novel
    Course start date:  Mon 17 Apr 2023 (and 8 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Sarah Leipciger
    Have you started work on your novel? This course is suitable for experienced creative writers who want to make progress with a novel draft. Learn more about the art of novel writing and move your project forward in a supportive workshop environment.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £209.00
    Rating:
    91% of 100
  2. Advanced fiction writing workshop
    Evening
    Course start date:  Thu 20 Apr 2023 (and 10 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Thomas McMullan
    For experienced writers, this supportive but rigorous workshop offers the perfect opportunity to develop your novel or short story. Receive in-depth feedback and benefit from detailed group discussions on the art of fiction.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £219.00
    Rating:
    93% of 100
  3. Cultureplex ciné-club
    Evening
    Course start date:  Thu 27 Apr 2023 (and 3 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Paul Sutton
    Come and join us at the Cultureplex Ciné-Club, where once a week, for 12 weeks, we will watch and discuss film. Taking its cue from the famous Parisian ciné-club set up by the celebrated critic and writer, André Bazin, ‘the single thinker most responsible for bestowing on cinema the prestige both of an artform and of an object of knowledge’, and the man who foresaw the emergence of film studies as a legitimate discipline of academic study, our contemporary incarnation of the film club will offer a curated series of films for detailed study, discussion and debate. Each film will be introduced, placed in both its cinematic, cultural and historic context. In sharing our viewing in City Lit’s premier screening room, the Cultureplex, we will approximate the experience of watching film in the cinema, one that is intense and fully focussed in a way that other modes of viewing often are not. After the screening we will devote the rest of the class to a collective exploration of the film, led by the tutor, but involving everyone in a participatory discussion that will allow all to express their responses, their views, their thoughts on the film screened.
    Full fee £199.00
  4. Developing your poetry
    Evening
    Course start date:  Tue 18 Apr 2023 (and 7 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Christina Dunhill
    For those familiar with the basics of poetic form, this intermediate course explores craft and content through reading exercises, writing exercises and constructive feedback. Ideal if you have already attended 'Ways into poetry'.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £209.00
    Rating:
    96% of 100
  5. Hell, Heaven and Purgatory in the Middle Ages
    Course start date:  Thu 27 Apr 2023 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Emma Rose Barber
    Why were images to do with the afterlife so prevalent in the Middle Ages? Come, face your eternal destinies and look at images such as the Last Judgement, skeletons, filthy flesh, worms, ghosts and Hell mouths.
    Full fee £109.00
  6. An introduction to the history of architecture
    Course start date:  Thu 11 May 2023 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Elizabeth Eyres
    Architecture is the one art form that we cannot avoid even if we try. It shapes our environment and the way we live our lives, so understanding why buildings look the way they do is a vital part of understanding the world around us. This introductory course will enable you to do just that by examining the development of architectural styles from Ancient Greece to the present day.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £219.00
    Rating:
    100% of 100
  7. Art Deco London walk
    Course start date:  Thu 22 Jun 2023

    Location on this date:  Off Site

    Tutors:  Diane Burstein
    Travel back to the 1930s to explore the Art Deco style that influenced a variety of designs, from radios and cutlery to places related to travel, entertainment and commerce. In addition to looking at the architecture of the period, your guide will tell stories of life in London from the time these buildings were being erected.



    Meeting outside St James’s Park tube station (Broadway exit) and finishing at the coach station. Meeting outside St James’s Park tube station (Broadway exit) and finishing at the coach station.
    Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £10.00
    Rating:
    90% of 100
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