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.

Filters

Items 1-15 of 37

Page
per page
Set Descending Direction
  1. Full fee £139.00 Senior fee £139.00 Concession £70.00
    Rating:
    80% of 100
  2. Full fee £139.00 Senior fee £139.00 Concession £70.00
  3. World cinema
    Course start date:  Thu 11 Jan 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Gillian McIver
    Have you ever wondered what lies beyond Hollywood? Are you interested in films from across the globe? Then this six-week introductory course is for you. We will consider alternative cinemas to the dominant North American industry and will focus each week on a selection of illustrative films from movie producing continents such as India, Asia, South America and Africa.



    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
    Rating:
    93% of 100
  4. Starting your novel: intensive
    Evening
    Course start date:  Mon 15 Jan 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Sarah Leipciger
    Got a great idea for a novel? Jump start your project in this supportive, intensive course that covers craft basics such as character and plot. For fiction writers with some experience, and for those comfortable working at a fast pace.



    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 £65.00
    Rating:
    100% of 100
  5. Five revolutionary exhibitions in art history
    Evening
    Course start date:  Tue 16 Jan 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Henry Martin
    From the opening of the Louvre in 1793 to the present-day Venice Biennale, this course uses five exhibitions (in Anglo-European history) as a jumping off point to explore and examine art-historical and contemporary themes and talking-points, including nationalism, modernism, colonialism, identity politics and representation.



    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
  6. Ways into creative writing: intensive
    Evening
    Course start date:  Wed 1 Nov 2023 (and 9 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Online

    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 Senior fee £139.00 Concession £70.00
    Rating:
    100% of 100
  7. Writing for magazines
    Evening
    Course start date:  Tue 31 Oct 2023 (and 4 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Yvonne Singh
    Get inspired to write on this practical course for freelance journalists and bloggers. Learn to carry out research, interview people, pitch and publish stories, and build your presence on social media.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £139.00 Senior fee £139.00 Concession £70.00
    Rating:
    98% of 100
  8. Freelance writing and blogging
    Evening
    Course start date:  Thu 18 Jan 2024 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Yvonne Singh
    Get inspired to write on this practical course for freelance journalists and bloggers. Learn to carry out research, interview people, pitch and publish stories, and build your presence on social media.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £139.00 Senior fee £139.00 Concession £70.00
    Rating:
    100% of 100
  9. Towards freedom: from Christina Rossetti to Sylvia Plath
    Evening
    Course start date:  Tue 23 Jan 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Laurie Smith
    We look at how some women poets challenged the expectations of their families and the society in which they lived (reflected in the male-dominated publishing world of their time) to create highly original poetry which changed people’s views of what poetry could achieve.











    ).
    Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £97.00
  10. Fin de siecle writers: Oscar Wilde to Olive Schreiner
    Evening
    Course start date:  Mon 29 Jan 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Megan Beech
    This online course will look at the unique style of writers who emerged at the end of the nineteenth century. We’ll explore fin de siècle writers who were grappling with new questions of modernity. Using the exciting backdrop of the 1890s, this course explores the cultural innovations of the period alongside the works of Oscar Wilde and other writers of this period.



    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 £97.00
  11. Unreliable and impossible storytellers: Hotel World, Elizabeth is Missing, Lincoln in the Bardo, Piranesi
    Evening
    Course start date:  Tue 30 Jan 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Kate Wilkinson
    This course focuses on the intriguing and unlikely storytellers at work in recent fiction. How do we believe a story told by a woman who has dementia or a man who thinks that only fifteen people ever lived? What do we think when a dead person is telling the story, or a ghost? What are we to make of these improbable and sometimes unsettling stories? Can these unusual narrators open up new ways of thinking about the world?
    Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £97.00
  12. 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 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £77.00
    Rating:
    84% of 100
  13. Once upon a time in New Hollywood: '70s cinema
    Course start date:  Thu 1 Feb 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  John Wischmeyer
    New Hollywood is a state of mind, not just a place on a map of LA—a film movement led by film school graduates (so there’s hope for you yet) with a passion for filmmaking and the desire to challenge a stagnant status quo. They formed a new wave, working within the studio system but bringing an independent and radical perspective to mainstream filmmaking. These ‘movie brats’ included George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Peter Bogdanovich, Brian De Palma, Francis Ford Coppola. And don’t forget Robert Altman. (See separate but related courses on Robert Altman, Francis Coppola, David Lynch and the Coen brothers).



    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 £97.00
Page
per page
Set Descending Direction

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