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.
- Writing and rewriting fairytales
Course start date: Sun 11 May 2025 (and 2 other dates)Location on this date: Online
Tutors: KR MoorheadOnce upon a time there was a City Lit workshop all about writing fairytales. The quest: to inspire writers to pen stories of love, fear, forests, revenge, dragons, witches, kings, queens, frogs and magic.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - A day at the V&A: an introduction to the collections Course start date: Tue 9 Dec 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Elizabeth EyresSpend 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 £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00 - The philosophy of raceCourse start date: Tue 3 Jun 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ovett NwosimiriThis course session touches upon the philosophical foundations of race, engaging with historical and contemporary debates on racial identity, racism, and justic
Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £8.00 Concession £7.00 - Struggles for Racial and Gender Justice in Latin AmericaCourse start date: Tue 3 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Pilar Villanueva MartinezThis course explores key contemporary movements for racial and gender justice in Latin America, including the feminist and women's movement, Indigenous peoples' land defense, and the anti-racist struggles of Afro-descendant communities.
Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £8.00 Concession £7.00 - Land Acknowledgement and Racial Justice: Approaches from Different Settler SocietiesCourse start date: Tue 3 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Olivia DurandLearn about the origins and purpose of land acknowledgements in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and beyond. Examine their role in racial justice, Indigenous sovereignty, and whether they create real change or remain symbolic gestures.
Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £8.00 Concession £7.00 - Racism and MigrationCourse start date: Tue 3 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Siobhan McGuirkWe will explore how ideas about race, Empire and belonging have shaped migration to and from Britain – alongside migration policies, laws and society – from the 1900s to today.
Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £8.00 Concession £7.00 - Who is presumed guilty? Amnesty International UK keynote on predictive policing, Prevent and protest clampdownsCourse start date: Tue 3 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Join Amnesty UK’s Amnesty UK’s Racial Justice Director Ilyas Nagdee for the keynote talk Who is presumed guilty? Amnesty International UK keynote on predictive policing, Prevent and protest clampdowns . The talk will take place 3 June from 10.30am to 12 noon, in the Cultureplex.
Full fee £0.00 - How to get an agent Course start date: Tue 3 Jun 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Neil ArkseyThis workshop, designed for authors who have finished their manuscript, offers practical advice on finding and approaching a literary agent.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Art for social change: introducing the photography of Gordon ParksCourse start date: Tue 3 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayAn introduction to the photography of Gordon Parks and its significant impact on social justice in the United States. We’ll develop Parks’s biography before looking at some of his famous photo-essays for Life and Ebony Magazines in the 1940s and 50s.
Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £10.00 Concession £7.00 - Ethnicity, Racism, Crime and the Criminal Justice System in BritainCourse start date: Tue 3 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Michele ScottJoin us to discuss ethnic inequalities within the British Criminal Justice System (CJS) and why these inequalities continue to persist in the 21st century. This session is part of the day on Racism and Racial Justice with Amnesty International UK..
Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £8.00 Concession £7.00 - Create your first poetry collection Course start date: Sat 7 Jun 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
You've written and workshopped your poetry, and now you're ready to create your first collection. But where do you begin with that process? This workshop offers instruction and advice on putting together your first poetry collection.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Haka- the breath of FireCourse start date: Tue 10 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Haka is a core expression of Māori culture and recently came to the world’s attention when Hana Maipi, a Māori politician, began a haka in Parliament and ripped a proposed bill being introduced into the House. Made famous by the All Blacks rugby team, come and learn about the history of Haka and its role in NZ politics in this interactive course.
Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £10.00 Concession £10.00 - Queer USA: 250 years of struggle and prideCourse start date: Tue 10 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Siobhan McGuirkFrom early colonial repression of Two-Spirit people to Trump 2.0’s attacks on trans communities, we explore struggles for LGBTIQ+ rights, dignity and freedom in the United States – a history longer than the nation itself.
Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £10.00 Concession £7.00 - Tuesday talks: Painted love – homosexuality in Ancient Greek vase paintingCourse start date: Tue 10 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Simone ChisenaDiscover the ways in which homoeroticism found its way onto Ancient Greek vases and how its depiction flourished in the ancient world.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00 - Tuesday talks: Mystic modernism - modern art and spiritualityCourse start date: Tue 10 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Chantal CondronArt has long been inspired by themes, ideas and concepts of spirituality and magic. With the dawn of industry and technology in the modern age, what motivated artists to continue their pursuit of spiritual worlds? Why have these ideas remained so compelling to contemporary artists? On this engaging evening of art, magic and myth, explore work by selected artists from the early 1900s to the present day.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00
Can't see a course you want?
Add this category to your waiting list to set up alerts and we will update you when new courses are released online.
Add me to waiting list