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.
Courses available both in-person and online
We offer a range of 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, you’ll receive the same great City Lit experience. See our guide to online learning for more information about accessing our live online 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.
- The Black Death
Course start date: Mon 19 Sep 2022Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Vanessa KingThe study of the social and economic impact of the disease known as the Black Death that spread throughout the world in the 1340s and continued to flare up intermittently thereafter throughout Europe and beyond.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £219.00 Senior fee £219.00 Concession £110.00 - Ways into creative writingCourse start date: Thu 5 May 2022 (and 19 other dates)
Location on this date: Online (other locations are available)
Want to have a go at creative writing in a supportive environment? Join one of these introductory courses. Guided exercises will give you the tools to explore language creatively and find your own writing voice.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £209.00 Senior fee £209.00 Concession £105.00 - Political communication in the West in the 20th centuryCourse start date: Mon 19 Sep 2022
Location on this date: Keeley Street
In the 2000s we saw the political communication move online, using social media, AI, network analysis etc. It is almost hard to imagine the times before this paradigm. Join Dr. Christian Schnee to explore political communication in the 20th century.Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £50.00 - The Golden Age of the British Short Story 1890-1914Course start date: Mon 19 Sep 2022
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Julian BirkettThe years 1890 to 1914 were a golden age for British writers of short stories. As the country moved from Victorian certainties to an unknown, possibly exciting, possibly frightening future, writers found the short story form perfectly suited to their concerns. The roll call is an impressive one: from Kipling, Hardy, HG Wells and Conan Doyle through Chesterton and Conrad to Katherine Mansfield and DH Lawrence.Full fee £219.00 Senior fee £175.00 Concession £142.00 - The Russian Empire 1700-1917Course start date: Mon 19 Sep 2022
Location on this date: Online
This module examines the history of the Russian Empire from the reign of Peter the Great to the Revolution of 1917 and the rise of Lenin to power.
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 - A history of London: 1815-1845Course start date: Tue 20 Sep 2022
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Mike BerlinHow did London and Londoners experience the period of repression and reform that followed the long French wars? How did London develop and what was the impact of the railways?Full fee £219.00 Senior fee £175.00 Concession £110.00 - American Gothic: the darker side of fictionCourse start date: Tue 20 Sep 2022
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Julian BirkettExplore and discuss the work of great 19th and 20th century writers such as Hawthorne. Melville, Edgar Allan Poe, Emily Dickinson and Flannery O’Connor – and learn about the dark streak that runs through so much of the best American literature.Full fee £219.00 Senior fee £175.00 Concession £142.00 - Writing non-fiction for children: an introductionCourse start date: Tue 20 Sep 2022 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Catherine IngramLearn how to write children’s non-fiction on this exciting and interactive course encompassing classic fact book, biography and narrative. You will also get an opportunity to practise and get some feedback on your writing.
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 - US history for beginnersCourse start date: Tue 20 Sep 2022
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Dafydd TownleyThis online course offers a brief examination of, and introduction to, the political, economic, social and cultural aspects of the United States, 1608 - 2001.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £89.00 Senior fee £89.00 Concession £45.00 - Writing an academic essayCourse start date: Tue 20 Sep 2022 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street (other locations are available)
Tutors: Sinead KeeganA crash course in essay writing – beginnings, middles and ends. Suitable for students on A-level and access courses or undergraduates.Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £99.00 Concession £50.00 - Autobiographical writing: an introductionCourse start date: Tue 20 Sep 2022 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Julie GartonThis short course explores the basic elements of writing autobiography drawing on memories, diaries, photos, dreams and fantasies with a focus on the forms of autobiography, memoir and the personal essay.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £65.00 - How to Read a Film: A Beginners' Guide to CinemaCourse start date: Mon 9 May 2022 (and 4 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street (other locations are available)
Tutors: Paul SuttonThis course will develop your critical appreciation of the cinema by teaching you how to read and understand film texts. We will look at the elements that underpin film form – narrative, mise en scène, cinematography, editing and sound – alongside its historical development. We will consider film style by exploring classical, post-classical and art cinema and we will examine influential critical modes of analysis, such as genre, authorship and spectatorship.Full fee £109.00 Senior fee £109.00 Concession £71.00 - Starting your novelCourse start date: Mon 25 Apr 2022 (and 6 other dates)
Location on this date: Online (other locations are available)
Tutors: Vicky GrutGot a great idea for a novel? Jump start your project in this supportive course that covers craft basics such as character and plot. Ideal for writers of fiction with some experience who have an idea for a novel.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £209.00 Senior fee £209.00 Concession £105.00 - Fakes and forgeriesCourse start date: Wed 21 Sep 2022
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayWhat gives an artwork get its value? Investigate the very fine boundary between the real and the fake and who makes the call by looking at various interpretations of authenticity.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £109.00 Senior fee £87.00 Concession £71.00 - Writing for magazinesCourse start date: Tue 24 May 2022 (and 6 other dates)
Location on this date: Online (other locations are available)
Tutors: Susan GrossmanGet 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 £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £65.00
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