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.
- Masters of cinema: Wes AndersonCourse start date: Thu 17 Oct 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Graham Rinaldi“I have a way of filming things and staging them and designing sets. There were times when I thought I should change my approach but in fact, this is what I like to do. It’s sort of like my handwriting as a movie director.” Explore the signature style and adventurous cinema of Wes Anderson from coming of age films through stop motion animation to comedy dramas.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £49.00 Senior fee £49.00 Concession £32.00 - Competitive cities in the global political economyCourse start date: Thu 17 Oct 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Caglar EzikogluExamine the dynamic relationships between cities, exploring their local uniqueness and global interconnectedness in the modern economies.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £119.00 - US Election Countdown: 3 weeks outCourse start date: Thu 17 Oct 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Mark MalcomsonAs we approach the most important US Election in modern times, we will explore what is happening nationally and also on a state-by-state basis. We will reference election history to give context to give and understanding of what is going on and hopefully give an idea of how things might evolve.
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 - Art & warCourse start date: Thu 17 Oct 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Elizabeth EyresArt representing issues of war, conflict and revolution is usually either an expression of triumph or loss. But who decides? What is such art for and what can it hope to achieve? Attitudes to war have changed significantly and this course considers responses to conflict in painting, sculpture, photography, performance art and architecture spanning the globe and across different eras.
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 £84.00 - Feminism in modern and contemporary artCourse start date: Thu 24 Oct 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Irina ChkhaidzeDiscover important modern and contemporary artists whose work can be broadly linked to the feminist project. We will discuss the political and social contexts in which the artworks were created.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £169.00 Concession £110.00 - Human Rights Law: Are human rights universal?Course start date: Thu 24 Oct 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Joshua HeppleThis course will serve as an introduction to human rights. Join to get a basic but solid understanding of human rights and how they work in practice.Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £129.00 - Writing romanceCourse start date: Wed 30 Oct 2024 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Eleanor PennyIt is a truth universally acknowledged that a writer in possession of a single pen can compose an unforgettable romance novel. This interactive course will guide students through the plotting of modern romance stories.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £75.00 - Lunchtime lecture: Vanitas, a matter of life and deathCourse start date: Thu 31 Oct 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayExplore the concept of vanitas in works of art from across time and place. Vanitas as a subject, an idea, helps us consider the temporary beauty of our world. Join us for a new perspective on an old subject.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £10.00 Concession £7.00 - Beyond the headlines: From exceptionalism to the rise of the Far-Right: Contemporary Issues in French politicsCourse start date: Thu 31 Oct 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Salome IetterThis course provides an introduction to key debates and developments in contemporary French politics, connecting Republicanism, the entrenchment of neoliberalism in the 1980s and the rise of the far-Right.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £169.00 Concession £110.00 - The pre-socratic philosophers: philosophy in the beginningCourse start date: Thu 31 Oct 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: John GoffThe beginnings of philosophy and science are found in the thinking of early Greek, ‘Presocratic’, philosophers. Who were they? Why is their thinking still relevant?
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £77.00 - US Election Countdown: one week outCourse start date: Thu 31 Oct 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Mark MalcomsonAs we approach the most important US Election in modern times, we will explore what is happening nationally and also on a state-by-state basis. We will reference election history to give context to give and understanding of what is going on and hopefully give an idea of how things might evolve.
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 - Irish history & identity 2 : From the coming of the English invasion in 1169 to the Coronation of Henry VIII as King of Ireland in 1541.Course start date: Thu 7 Nov 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Colm HickeyAlthough inextricably linked to Britain, Ireland’s history, identity, and nationhood has equally been shaped by its relationship with Europe. This course traces Ireland’s development from the coming of the English invasion in 1169 to the Coronation of Henry V111 as King of Ireland in 1541.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £110.00 - US Election: The ResultCourse start date: Thu 7 Nov 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Mark MalcomsonTwo days after the election, we will explore what has happened and see where things stand. Analysing the results on a state by state basis will give us an idea of how the Democrats and Republicans have done both in terms of the Presidency and Congress.
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 - Emily Dickinson & Sylvia Plath: bursting all the doorsCourse start date: Thu 7 Nov 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Stephen WinfieldSpend four weeks in the company of two of the greatest voices in American Poetry, up close and across the whole range of their outputs - poems, letters, fiction, children’s stories, envelopes, visual art, herbarium – paying attention to the personal and social circumstances that made their work possible and each woman’s bid for creative freedom so exemplary.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £95.00 Concession £77.00 - The world in black and red: painting in ancient GreeceCourse start date: Thu 7 Nov 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Simone ChisenaDelve deep in the world of Ancient Greek pottery and explore its vivid representations of gods, heroes and mythical past.
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 £84.00
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