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.
Study in-person at City Lit or offsite, or online from the comfort of home, with interactive classes that allow you to participate in discussions with fellow adult students. We offer daytime, evening and weekend courses, both short and long. For more information on our online courses, please see our guide to online learning.
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.
- Ways into creative writing: an introduction
Course start date: Fri 10 Jun 2022 (and 4 other dates)Location on this date: Online (other locations are available)
Tutors: Eleanor PennyNot 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 £52.00 - The Renaissance in UmbriaCourse start date: Fri 10 Jun 2022
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Lydia GoodsonExplore the Italian Renaissance from Umbria, the land of Raphael and Perugino. Expand your knowledge beyond Florence, Rome and Venice to discover the artistic treasures of this little-studied region of Italy.
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 £103.00 Concession £79.00 - The American West in LiteratureCourse start date: Fri 10 Jun 2022
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Richard NilandThis class examines the literary history of the American West, delving into its iconic representation in literature from the 19th century to the present day. By looking at an exciting range of texts, the class explores literature’s longstanding and ongoing fascination with the culture, politics, and art of the American West.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £79.00 - Seminal films of the 1980sCourse start date: Fri 10 Jun 2022
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Mick McAloonIn the 1980s, as Hollywood rejected the auteur-driven movies of the 1970s in favour of “high-concept” action films (Top Gun, Days of Thunder) there were still filmmakers – Martin Scorsese, Agnès Varda, Jane Campion and Spike Lee – who continued to expand the art form. Drawing from Europe, Britain, New Zealand and America, this course explores some of the defining films of a much-maligned decade.
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 £97.00 - Friday lates: 'the future is now', an introduction to video artCourse start date: Fri 10 Jun 2022
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Irina ChkhaidzeExplore the early history of video art, its rise as a medium and its significance as a contemporary art practice. We focus on the influential video works from the 1960s-1980s.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00 - 'We're still here': new contemporary painting in the UKCourse start date: Fri 10 Jun 2022
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Chantal CondronLiving in a digital age, is contemporary painting ‘redundant'? This four week course explores how alive and kicking contemporary painting is in Britain. Discover how exciting, new UK-based artists use both experimental and traditional painting approaches to address issues of identity, history and personal experience.
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 £60.00 - Life writing: a tasterCourse start date: Fri 10 Jun 2022
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Claire CollisonThis inspiring workshop encourages students to explore a range of techniques and approaches for writing about your own life.
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 £28.00 - Micro-memoir: a tasterCourse start date: Fri 24 Jun 2022
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Julie GartonA life is measured in moments as well as momentous occasions. This fun day workshop coaches students in the art of micro-memoir. Can you write about an instant that changed you in 200 words or less?
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £8.00 - Judaism and Modernist Literature: from Kafka to Clarice LispectorCourse start date: Fri 24 Jun 2022
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: James LevequeThis course will examine the contributions of Jewish writers in the developments of literary Modernism, from the beginning of the 20th century. We will develop an understanding of how Jewish writers deployed the techniques and themes developed in Modernist writing to approach a series of topics, such as the Jewish family and his or relation to the national body, the Jew as racialised figure and anti-semitism, and the Jewish scriptural traditions.
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 £103.00 Concession £79.00 - Friday lates: Jean-Michel Basquiat and Kara Walker - representing historyCourse start date: Fri 24 Jun 2022
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayExplore how Basquiat and Walker, two of contemporary art’s most important voices, use art history, from Ancient Egypt to Abstract Expressionism, to get viewer's thinking about contemporary issues of racism, gender and representation.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00
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