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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- Romanesque art, culture and societyCourse start date: Thu 28 Sep 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Andreas PetzoldThe Romanesque is the first international style since antiquity, and one of the most inventive and creative periods in the history of art. The course takes a thematic approach to this fascinating period and provides an introduction to the main themes and works of art and architecture from this period; it is based on the tutor's book 'Romanesque Art.'.Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £116.00 - Exploring literature: an introduction to prose and poetry
Course start date: Thu 28 Sep 2023Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Kate WilkinsonThis course introduces you to a variety of prose texts and poems from the nineteenth century to the present. Explore how poems work both ‘on the page’ and as spoken words. Reading novels and short stories, we’ll think about writers’ narrative techniques, characterisation and social context. Come and discover what’s distinctive about these different forms of literature.Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £116.00 - Modern French literature Course start date: Fri 29 Sep 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Richard NilandExplore modern French literature in translation, discussing literary style, themes, and contexts as a way of sharing and developing responses to celebrated French writers. From Cendrars and Céline to Modiano and Ernaux, come discover poetry, prose, fiction, and autobiography by essential French authors of the past one hundred years.Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £116.00 - The myth of the American West in 20th and 21st century literatureCourse start date: Tue 3 Oct 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Caroline Millar‘The West is a country in the mind, and so eternal.’ Archibald McLeish
The idea of the American West has captured the imagination of writers for decades, perhaps even centuries. This course offers an opportunity to read, explore and discuss a selection of novelists, short story writers, poets and essayists as they depict and debate the American West through the written word.
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 £143.00 Concession £116.00 - Great essayists: humourists, firebrands and provocateursCourse start date: Mon 23 Oct 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Richard NilandFrom Henry David Thoreau and George Orwell to James Baldwin and Rebecca Solnit, the essay exists as a literary vehicle for urgent ideas in a range of skillfully controlled literary voices. This class examines the work of classic essayists, delving into the work of both impassioned and reflective non-fiction writers. - The City of London: the Square Mile Course start date: Wed 25 Oct 2023 (and 3 other dates)
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Paul SinclairExplore the City’s development from Roman and medieval times through to the Tudors and Stuarts.
This course will comprise of 8 walks starting with Roman London. First meeting place at Monument station on the Monument side.Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £116.00 - Renaissance art: making, locating and viewingCourse start date: Wed 8 Nov 2023
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Emma Rose BarberThis course explores the Making, the Locating and the Viewing of Renaissance paintings in the collection of the National Gallery. This course takes place at the National Gallery.Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £116.00 - Transports of delight: London's railway stations Course start date: Tue 9 Jan 2024
Location on this date: Blended (learn both online and in-person)
Tutors: Eleanor JacksonLondon's stations see over 1 billion journeys annually, but the buildings themselves are often ignored. Explore a different station and environs each week, discovering the architecture, history, stories and future of these lifelines of London. The course starts with an initial zoom lecture followed by a series of walking tours.
This course will be delivered online and in person. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information. - City of words: further adventuresCourse start date: Thu 11 Jan 2024
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Eleanor JacksonLondon luxuriates in literary references. We follow the footsteps of the authors, poets and playwrights, and some of their creations, as we walk a brand new neighbourhood each week, exploring the literary connections.
London guide: Eleanor Jackson. First meeting point at Green Park tube station, street level, Piccadilly South side.
London guide: Eleanor Jackson. - Latin American literary classicsCourse start date: Fri 19 Jan 2024
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 of its best writers.Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £116.00 - Global arts of AfricaCourse start date: Fri 19 Jan 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Thomas BalfeThis course introduces major forms of African art in their regional and global contexts. It studies classical traditions of carving, metal casting, architecture and textile arts as well as twentieth-century and contemporary developments, including the work of photographers and conceptual artists.Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £116.00 - London's quartiers
Course start date: Fri 19 Jan 2024Location on this date: Blended (learn both 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. - Rome: from Republic to Empire - 120 BC to 20 ADCourse start date: Tue 23 Jan 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sean GabbIn 120 BC, Rome was a city-state with functioning republican institutions that made room for a substantial element of democracy. It was also the dominant power in the Mediterranean World. By 20 AD, Rome was the capital of an autocratic empire that covered virtually the whole of the Mediterranean World and most of its surrounding territories. Between these dates, Rome saw the collapse of its ancient governing institutions in an orgy of political assassination, civil wars, purges, and military dictatorships.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information. - The poetry of modernity: Baudelaire, Dickinson, Rilke, MandelstamCourse start date: Thu 25 Jan 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Stephen WinfieldFollow the paths taken by four of the most courageous, life-affirming, uncompromisingly individual poets of the modern era, as they confront the challenges of psychological, sexual and artistic alienation (Baudelaire), religious and political conformity (Dickinson and Mandelstam), and of a world lost to materialism and the march of technology, devoid of all spirituality (Rilke: “You must change your life”).
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 £143.00 Concession £116.00 - Heaven and hell in world religionsCourse start date: Mon 29 Jan 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Vanessa KingCompare and contrast the afterlife beliefs of the five major religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Explore how these ideas developed and influenced each other.Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £179.00 Concession £116.00
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