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History, culture & writing

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.

Courses available both in-person and online

We offer a range of long and short 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, we've got the class for you. See our guide to online learning for more information about accessing our live online courses.

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  1. Dickens' London
    Dickens' London
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 10 Jun 2023 (and 2 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Molly Rumbelow
    'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.' Enjoy this introduction to Dickens' work and the London of his time. Morning lecture at City Lit followed by a walk in the area of the city connected to his work.
    Full fee £59.00
    Rating:
    89% of 100
    7  Reviews Add Your Review
  2. Representing nature in early modern Europe
    Drawing by Durer of grass and plants growing from the earth
    Course start date:  Wed 21 Jun 2023 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Thomas Balfe
    Explore the links between the visual image and ideas of nature in early modernity (c.1500-1750). At this time, tools like the microscope were visualising nature in new ways, changes were afoot in how humans related to animals, and the environments of Asia and the Americas were becoming more familiar to Europeans. We will focus on how artists and skilled artisans engaged with these subjects.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £99.00
  3. Art and critical theory: rethinking 'nature'
    Evening
    Course start date:  Wed 28 Jun 2023 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Irina Chkhaidze
    Explore the role of critical theory within the field of art history, and learn new ways of thinking about art by focusing on how recent authors have been rethinking our understanding of nature.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £99.00
  4. Ways into creative writing: an introduction
    Woman holding pen and notebook and looking thoughtfully into the distance
    Evening
    Course start date:  Wed 17 May 2023 (and 2 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Tasha Kavanagh
    Not 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
    Rating:
    93% of 100
    26  Reviews Add Your Review
  5. The Odyssey reading group (in translation)
    The Odyssey reading group (in translation)
    Evening
    Course start date:  Wed 31 Jan 2024 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Justin Murray
    Homer’s epic tale of Odysseus’ journey home after the Trojan War may now be over 2,500 years old but it still has much to tell us about the Ancient Greek world that is still relevant today. Explore this great work in translation.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £119.00
    Rating:
    84% of 100
    5  Reviews Add Your Review
  6. Picture book writing
    Crayons in a jar resting on a black and white illustrated page
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 22 Jul 2023 (and 8 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Andrew Weale
    Would you like to write a picture book text for young children? This course is designed for children's writers and for illustrators wishing to write their own stories; a starter course to develop both your ideas and your technique.
    Full fee £99.00
    Rating:
    98% of 100
    19  Reviews Add Your Review
  7. Ways into creative writing: intensive
    Evening
    Course start date:  Wed 20 Sep 2023 (and 11 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Sarah Leipciger
    Not 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 £139.00
    Rating:
    100% of 100
    4  Reviews Add Your Review
  8. Hitchcock's British films
    Evening
    Course start date:  Wed 20 Sep 2023

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Jon Wisbey
    Alfred Hitchcock established his reputation early on in his British career, particularly with a series of thrillers that showcased his distinctive style. This course explores his British films and the factors that helped to shape his filmmaking and, subsequently, his reputation as a major film artist, while also considering his position in, and relationship to British cinema of the 1920s and 1930s.



    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 £64.00
  9. The 60 minute writer
    Hand writing in notepad with coffee mug in foreground
    Evening
    Course start date:  Wed 17 Jan 2024 (and 14 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Tasha Kavanagh
    Fit creative writing into your busy day: a relaxed, informal rolling programme for writers of all levels of experience who enjoy being thrown new ideas and experimenting with poetry and prose.
    Full fee £109.00
    Rating:
    96% of 100
    10  Reviews Add Your Review
  10. Mystery religions
    Course start date:  Wed 1 Nov 2023

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Ann Jeffers
    Mystery religions were very popular in the ancient world and were organised as voluntary associations. Their popularity is attested in writings and in material culture of the Greco-Roman world. They offered intense religious experiences outside the official, civic religions. The participants were initiated into the mysteries: whilst there is considerable variety in form and content, a belief in a form of salvation was a common denominator of many of these mystery religions. The question of the relationship between the mystery cults and Christianity will also be broached.



    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 £45.00
    Rating:
    80% of 100
    1  Review Add Your Review
  11. Philosophy reading group
    Evening
    Course start date:  Wed 1 Nov 2023

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Kate Banks
    Descartes’ Meditations is arguably the foundational text of modern Western philosophy influencing not only the what of philosophy, but the how and the why. Reading it together, we’ll discover the stone that created ripples still affecting our thinking today.



    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 £55.00 Concession £45.00
  12. Charlotte Bronte: Jane Eyre and Villette
    Course start date:  Wed 15 Nov 2023 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Sophie Oxenham
    This online Literature course focuses on two novels by Charlotte Brontë: Jane Eyre and Villette. We will develop an appreciation of Brontë’s narrative methods and concerns through close analysis of her language, alongside engaging with the literary, historical and critical contexts of these novels, and the Brontë ‘mythology’ itself.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £99.00
    Rating:
    100% of 100
    2  Reviews Add Your Review
  13. Reading images: exploring film studies
    Evening
    Course start date:  Wed 31 May 2023 (and 2 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Cristina Massaccesi
    This comprehensive introductory course provides an overview of the main historical, technical and theoretical aspects of filmmaking and film analysis. In its exploration of aspects of film theory as it relates to film aesthetics and film history, the course develops certain ideas with rigour and depth.
    Full fee £99.00
  14. Shakespeare's women: Rosalind, Ophelia, Lady Macbeth
    Course start date:  Wed 24 Jan 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Sophie Oxenham
    This online Literature course will look at three of Shakespeare’s female characters: Rosalind (As You Like It), Ophelia (Hamlet) and Lady Macbeth (Macbeth). We will consider their wit, madness and ambition, exploring Shakespeare’s language, the historical context, and the plays in performance.



    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 £55.00 Concession £45.00
  15. Exploring horror cinema
    Course start date:  Wed 28 Feb 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Jon Wisbey
    Explore the horror film through a range of key films, concepts and critical accounts of the genre. In doing so, we will consider its history and development and the ways in which different production contexts, for example, American, European and East Asian horror cinemas, have given rise to significant variations within the genre, with each having distinctive styles, themes and film 'cycles'.



    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 £64.00
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