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.
Courses available both in-person and online
We offer a range of 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, you’ll receive the same great City Lit experience. See our guide to online learning for more information about accessing our live online 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.
Filters
- Craft focus: grammar, syntax, and style for creative writers
Course start date: Fri 23 Sep 2022 (and 2 other dates)Location on this date: Online
Tutors: William BradyLearn how and why the rules and conventions of language matter in this new taster course, which combines creative writing with opportunities to learn/revise essential points of grammar and useful literary concepts. Suitable for beginning writers, and those with more experience.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £179.00 Concession £90.00 - Philosophy and literature: from romanticism to (post)modernityCourse start date: Fri 23 Sep 2022
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Barrie SelwynExplore the links between philosophy and literature, from romanticism, through existentialism and into the modern and postmodern eras.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £259.00 Senior fee £207.00 Concession £130.00 - City Lit reading group 1Course start date: Fri 23 Sep 2022
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Tabby ToussaintShare thoughts and ideas about what you are reading, with books chosen by the group. Please come to the first session on Friday 23 September with suggestions (English-language contemporary fiction in paperback) and having read Open Water (2021) by Caleb Azumah Nelson. Monthly meetings on 23 Sept; 28 Oct, 2 Dec; 20 Jan, 24 Feb, 24 March; 28 April; 26 May; 30 June.Full fee £189.00 Senior fee £151.00 Concession £123.00 - Roman LondonCourse start date: Fri 23 Sep 2022
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Vanessa KingUsing archaeological and written evidence, we will explore what life was like in London during the Roman occupation between c.50 and 450 CE.Full fee £259.00 Senior fee £207.00 Concession £130.00 - The art and culture of 17th century LondonCourse start date: Fri 23 Sep 2022
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Julie BarlowDiscover the 17th century: a time of upheaval in Europe, intercontinental trade, religious schisms and a wide range of artistic styles. See its art, architecture and design in London’s galleries and museums. #arthistory #explorelondon #walkingtour.Full fee £219.00 Senior fee £175.00 Concession £142.00 - City Lit reading group 2Course start date: Fri 30 Sep 2022
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Patricia SweeneyShare thoughts and ideas about what you are reading, with books chosen by the group. Please come to the first session with suggestions (contemporary fiction in paperback) and having read 'The Harlem Shuffle' by Colson Whitehead. Monthly meetings take place on 30 Sept, 4 Nov, 09 Dec; 27 Jan, 3 March, 31 March, 5 May, 2 June and 7 July.Full fee £189.00 Senior fee £151.00 Concession £123.00 - Latin American Literary ClassicsCourse start date: Fri 30 Sep 2022
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Richard NilandFrom Mexico to Patagonia, Latin America has produced some of the most spellbinding literature of the modern age. From dictatorship and death to national identity and the natural world, join us as we investigate the cultural heritage of the continent through some its most famous writers. Includes Jorge Luis Borges, Ernesto Sabato, Cesar Vallejo, Pablo Neruda, Juan Rulfo, Clarice Lispector, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez.Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £116.00 - Shakespeare and the Classical World: Timon of Athens, Coriolanus, Julius Caesar and Antony & CleopatraCourse start date: Fri 30 Sep 2022
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Peter BrennanAn exploration of four plays in which Shakespeare explores and elaborates themes and characters from the classical world whose spiritual, political and artistic example both fascinated and fuelled the European Renaissance. Beginning with presentations of two of the most celebrated idealist/misanthropes, we proceed to the transformation of Rome from republic to empire in two exemplary dramas whose combination of political dynamism and personal anguish has never been equalled.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £439.00 Senior fee £351.00 Concession £285.00 - Contemporary art in LondonCourse start date: Fri 7 Oct 2022
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Chantal CondronExplore and discuss contemporary art on show in London. Each week we’ll visit 1-2 commercial galleries or a public gallery and examine specific exhibitions of contemporary art across a range of media including painting, works on paper, photography, new media and sculpture.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £110.00 - Rise of the novel in the 18th centuryCourse start date: Fri 7 Oct 2022
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Megan BeechExplore the dynamic evolution of fiction throughout the 18th century, from the island life of Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe to the bold formal experimentation of Laurence Sterne’s Tristram Shandy. The course will also consider the role of women in the form and the factors in 18th Century society which contributed to the formation and enduring popularity of literature’s most well-known and widely read form.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £169.00 - Introduction to Latin American artCourse start date: Fri 13 Jan 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayExplore the art of Latin America from indigenous cultures to colonisation and through the revolutions of the 20th and 21st centuries.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £159.00 Senior fee £127.00 Concession £103.00 - Philosophy and cultural theoryCourse start date: Fri 13 Jan 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Barrie SelwynWe will look the philosophical underpinnings of culture through the writings of key philosophers who engage critically with the self images of the post enlightenment era. In particular we well look at Ideology, language and art in the context of cultural reproduction.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £259.00 Senior fee £207.00 Concession £130.00 - Norman and Plantagenet London 1000-1350Course start date: Fri 20 Jan 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Vanessa KingWe chart the impact of the Norman Conquest on the development of London and end by exploring how Londoners reacted to the Black Death with killed 50% of the inhabitants. There will also be a guided walk.Full fee £239.00 Senior fee £191.00 Concession £120.00 - The art and culture of 18th century LondonCourse start date: Fri 20 Jan 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Elizabeth EyresExplore Georgian painting, sculpture and architecture, and consider them within the context of the history and culture of the 18th century exploring museums, galleries and other places in London online.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £219.00 Senior fee £175.00 Concession £142.00 - London's quartiersCourse start date: Fri 20 Jan 2023
Location on this date: Mixed Mode (Online and In Person)
Tutors: Sue JacksonThrough 1 lecture and 7 guided walks, explore some of London’s quartiers – Soho, Mayfair, Covent Garden, Spitalfields, Clerkenwell, St James and Bloomsbury and understand how their very distinct characters were formed. The first session will be delivered via Zoom and other sessions will be guided walks.
London guide: Sue Jackson.
This course will be delivered online and in person. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £85.00
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