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.
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- Masters of cinema: Agnes VardaCourse start date: Sat 1 Apr 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Paul Sutton2019 was marked by the death of a true mistress of world cinema, Agne`s Varda. We will introduce you to her oeuvre, from La pointe courte (1955) to her final work, Varda par Agnes (2019), exploring her status as a ‘feminist’ icon. The digital was central to her later career, making her, perhaps, a multi-media artist rather than just a film director.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00 - Television screenwriting: a taster
Course start date: Sat 1 Apr 2023Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Jim HillDo you want to write for an ongoing TV drama or pitch your own idea for a television series? Start your screenwriting journey on this practical short course. Examine the structure of an episodic TV drama, and explore approaches to the genre in a fun, supportive environment.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £35.00 - The 60 minute writerCourse start date: Tue 10 Jan 2023 (and 7 other dates)
Location on this date: Online (other locations are available)
Tutors: Tasha KavanaghFit 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.
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 £50.00 - Picture book writingCourse start date: Mon 13 Feb 2023 (and 3 other dates)
Location on this date: Online (other locations are available)
Tutors: Lou KuenzlerWould 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.
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 £50.00 - Craft focus: character in fictionCourse start date: Sat 29 Apr 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Tasha KavanaghIn fiction, character and plot are inseparable elements of craft. Without characters there can be no action or plot. In this short course you will learn how to create characters that can drive a narrative forward and deepen its themes.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £35.00 - Strange tales and dark dreams: Fantasy, horror and surrealism in European cinemaCourse start date: Sat 29 Apr 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Jon WisbeyExplore a selection of films from the early days of European cinema, and later, that draw on a range of key genre traditions, but which have also acquired significant critical reputations, with their memorable visual qualities and unsettling narratives lending them an enduring place in both cinema and popular culture. Strange tales and dark dreams to fascinate, horrify and astound you.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00 - Focus on: HopperCourse start date: Sat 29 Apr 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Rachel SandersStudy Hopper’s key works, including 'Automat' and 'Nighthawks', within the context of biography, social and political events, and movements such as Regionalism, Social Realism and American Scene painting.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00 - The rise and fall of the Mughal EmpireCourse start date: Sat 29 Apr 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ellen CarpenterOn this introductory course we will follow the fortunes of the Mughal Emperors, rulers of Northern India from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries. What were their contributions to the religious, political and cultural life of northern India?Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00 - Looking back: the Ottoman Empire, 1299-1922Course start date: Sat 6 May 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Martin JorgensenWant to know more about the history of the Ottoman Empire and its legacies in the modern Middle East? Join us on this course to get an introduction.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00 - Women behind the camera: in Hollywood and beyondCourse start date: Sat 13 May 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Ellen CheshireSince 1952, the British Film Institute through its magazine, Sight and Sound, has conducted a poll of film critics every decade to find out what are the Greatest Films of All Time. When the latest poll was published in December 2022 it sent #FilmTwitter into a tailspin. There seemed to be some surprise that a film few had seen and was directed by a woman had now taken that top spot. In this Study Day we will look at the women directors whose films feature on 2022 poll.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00 - Dickens' LondonCourse start date: Sat 13 May 2023
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 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00 - Developing your fairytaleCourse start date: Sat 13 May 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Nicole AcquahAlready devised a cunning plan for your own fairytale? This fun workshop coaches students on how to add an extra dash of magic into the cauldron while writing in the fairytale genre.
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 £35.00 - Turkey: the first hundred yearsCourse start date: Sat 13 May 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Michael BloomfieldGoing to Türkiye? Done our Ottoman courses and looking for your next course? Why not join this course and explore the history of Turkey since its formation to its recent renaming to Türkiye?Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00 - Getting published: a bootcamp for writersCourse start date: Sat 13 May 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Lisa GollPublishing insider Lisa Goll offers expert advice on how to impress a publisher, work with agents and become a star author.
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 £35.00 - Masterworks of Japanese Horror cinemaCourse start date: Sat 20 May 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Jon WisbeyRing (1998) established a 'J' horror phenomenon but the genre really began with Gojira/Godzilla (1954) and evolved through a series of popular, cult, and art house works featuring monsters, evil spirits, haunted videotapes and psychological terrors. This course explores a selection of key works in Japanese horror cinema, past and present, their critical reputation and impact on the horror genre.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00
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