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.
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- Ways into creative writing: an introduction
Course start date: Tue 18 Apr 2023 (and 5 other dates)Location on this date: Online (other locations are available)
Tutors: Yvonne SinghNot sure whether creative writing is for you? Give it a try on one of these fun and supportive short courses covering the basics of fiction and poetry. Increase your confidence and produce work through guided exercises and discussion.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £65.00 - The EU today: integration, disintegration or both?Course start date: Tue 25 Apr 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Angelos SeposThe course examines the history, theories, dynamics and processes of European integration and disintegration manifested in the crises of the Eurozone, immigration, Brexit, the Covid-19 pandemic and the Ukraine war.
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 £50.00 - The US and China since 1971Course start date: Tue 25 Apr 2023
Location on this date: Online
Want to learn more about how the US-Chinese relations will define politics globally and most countries in the world over the 21st century? Join Phd Fellow Maria Papageorgou in this course 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 £99.00 Senior fee £99.00 Concession £50.00 - The global politics of gender and sexualityCourse start date: Tue 25 Apr 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Barbara SchenkelAre you interested in thinking about what we mean when we say ‘gender’? What studying sexuality has to do with colonial structures? And the importance of thinking about different forms of marginalisation together, beyond gender and sexuality? Then this course is for you. It aims to give students a solid foundation for a critical intervention in contemporary debates that often render issues of gender, feminist movements, and sexual minorities into single-issue or individualising, decontextualised conversations.
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 £79.00 Concession £50.00 - Unreal city: the history of London through literature from 1800 to todayCourse start date: Tue 9 May 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah WiseFiction writers are often the first to identify and analyse a social phenomenon. We will examine two centuries of London history through the eyes of novelists and poets, from William Blake to Zadie Smith.
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 £50.00 - Detective reading: fictions, fakes and hoaxingCourse start date: Tue 9 May 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Kate WilkinsonTake a deep dive into two distinctive novels from accomplished contemporary writers – Siri Hustvedt’s The Blazing World and Graeme Macrae Burnet’s Case Study. Each tells a compelling story about impersonation and identity, weaving multiple voices together and asking readers to decide who to believe. As we read these two novels we’ll explore their stories and themes, their techniques for inspiring trust and for casting doubt, and the challenges and pleasures of becoming a ‘detective reader’.Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £99.00 Concession £64.00 - Ways into Advanced Film Studies: Film theoryCourse start date: Tue 30 May 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Paul SuttonThis advanced level film studies course will introduce you to a range of theoretical approaches to the study of film. It will consider some of the earliest attempts to think about film, studies that borrowed methodologies from other disciplines. As early as 1915, for example, writers were applying psychology to film analysis, exploring the emotional responses of audiences to this still new medium. Early theorists argued for film as a distinct art form, and we will examine a number of their key texts. In the 1960s, film studies began to develop as a specific subject of study in universities in the US and the UK, once again deploying perspectives from other subject areas. We will examine a number of these theories and consider their continued importance for the analysis and understanding of film today.Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £99.00 Concession £64.00 - Russia-Chinese relations since 1989Course start date: Tue 6 Jun 2023
Location on this date: Online
Sino-Russian relations in the post-Cold War period have been described as one of the most perplexing and debated topics in academic and policy circles. But what makes this particular relationship so interesting? How strong is their relationsship? Will they become an alliane and what would that mean for the rest of the world?
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 £50.00 - The British empire in sub-Saharan AfricaCourse start date: Tue 6 Jun 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: James StannardFrom transatlantic slavery to the fall of apartheid, this course examines Britain’s major projects and legacies in sub-Saharan Africa.
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 £50.00 - Ways of reading: understanding literary theoryCourse start date: Tue 28 Feb 2023 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street (other locations are available)
Tutors: Jenny StevensThis course explores the critical perspectives which have shaped literary study in recent decades. We will focus on key developments in literary theory and the influence these have had on how literary works are read and interpreted. We examine a range of theoretical approaches and consider the numerous connections that can be made between them. We also explore how thinking about literature has been informed by different disciplinary areas such as history, philosophy, linguistics and psychoanalysis.Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £99.00 Concession £64.00 - How to get publishedCourse start date: Tue 14 Feb 2023 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Neil ArkseySo you've finished your novel. What's next? This short course provides guidance in submitting to agents and publishers, and helps you to tailor your work to maximise its potential in the marketplace.
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 £50.00
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