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 in-person and online learning.

Learn in the centre of London with our in-person courses. Our purpose-built facilities in Covent Garden mean we are ideally located and easy to get to. 

See our guide to online learning for more information about accessing our live online courses.

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.

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  1. Ancient Greek drama: an introduction
    Last Few Places
    Course start date:  Tue 30 Apr 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Maria Contos
    Have a taste of exploring the ancient Athenian stage, and how they still speak to us about the challenges we face today.
    Full fee £109.00 Senior fee £87.00 Concession £71.00
  2. Homes, houses and art in Europe: 1900-1960
    Course start date:  Tue 30 Apr 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Emma Rose Barber
    Knock on the door of artists’ houses and studios from 1900-1960 to experience exciting and visually dazzling spaces created over the course of their careers. At a time when artists were beginning to forge their own brave new visual worlds, this course considers what the homes might tell us about the artists and how they wanted their homes to be seen. This is the second part of a series on Homes and Houses; it can also be taken without having done the previous course.
    Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £95.00 Concession £77.00
  3. British literature of the 1980s: the Granta generation
    Evening
    Course start date:  Tue 30 Apr 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Lewis Ward
    Who were considered the ‘Best of Young British Novelists’ in 1983, and what became of them? What do their styles and topics reveal about the decade, looking back from 40 years on? Read extracts by all twenty writers plus novels by Pat Barker, Graham Swift and Julian Barnes.
    Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £97.00
  4. Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £95.00 Concession £77.00
  5. The Iliad reading group (in translation)
    Last Few Places, Evening
    Course start date:  Wed 8 May 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Justin Murray
    Come and explore Homer's great epic tale 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
  6. Full fee £139.00 Senior fee £139.00 Concession £70.00
    Rating:
    80% of 100
  7. How to read a film: a beginners' guide to cinema
    Course start date:  Mon 13 May 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Paul Sutton
    This 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 £149.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £97.00
    Rating:
    87% of 100
  8. The detective in popular modern crime fiction
    Last Few Places
    Course start date:  Tue 14 May 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Christine Hawkins
    What sells crime novels? Does knowing about the detective's other life make readers appreciate or rate their detective skills more? Why does the figure of the male detective remain so dominant in the genre, especially given that many of the texts are by female authors? We will analyse and the discuss the development of the male detective figure in recent crime fiction, including 'A certain Justice' by P.D. James, 'In the Woods' by Tana French and 'Career of Evil' by Robert Galbraith.
    Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £97.00
  9. Art in Britain since 2000: where are we now?
    Course start date:  Thu 16 May 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Chantal Condron
    Discover how exciting, new UK-based artists use both experimental and traditional approaches to art to address issues of identity, history and personal experience.
    Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £95.00 Concession £77.00
  10. Full fee £139.00 Senior fee £139.00 Concession £70.00
    Rating:
    100% of 100
  11. Figures in British politics and society you need to know!
    Course start date:  Tue 28 May 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Gabriel Olumide Apata
    The aim of this course is to bring to the forefront those, in British politics and society, who may have been confined to the fringes of history, simply been forgotten about, not fully understood or had their stories altered to fit a certain narrative. Curious? Join us to learn more!
    Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £97.00
  12. Ways into creative writing: a gentle pace
    Evening
    Course start date:  Wed 29 May 2024 (and 4 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Henry Martin
    Are you brand new to creative writing? Do you want to build your confidence in a supportive environment alongside other beginners? This gentle short-course guides students taking their first steps on the path to becoming a creative writer.



    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
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