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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- America in the 50s: culture and societyCourse start date: Tue 3 Oct 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Mark Malcomson, Mick McAloon, Dale Mineshima-Lowe, Ian TucknottWe will explore the political, social and cultural context of 1950s America through a study of representative and
sometimes surprisingly radical literature, history and film of the period. We will also have an overview of important
themes of the 1950s in art and music. The course has different tutors for each specialism, providing different ways
in to understanding the decade.
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 - An historical tour of drama from William Shakespeare to Caryl ChurchillCourse start date: Tue 3 Oct 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Laura BaggaleyOn this whistle-stop tour of British Drama, visit five time periods from the 16th Century to the 20th Century, and rediscover what makes these great classics such perennially popular plays: William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing (1598), Aphra Behn's The Rover (1677), Richard Brinsley Sheridan's The Rivals (1775), Oscar Wilde's Lady Windemere’s Fan (1892) and Caryl Churchill's Top Girls (1983).
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 - The 60 minute writer: intensiveCourse start date: Thu 5 Oct 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Lucy PopescuFit 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 £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £35.00 - Colour in medieval art
Course start date: Fri 6 Oct 2023Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Andreas PetzoldColour is an all pervasive and fundamental aspect of medieval art, but one that is largely neglected in art historical studies.This course looks at some of the main themes relating to colour such as symbolism, materials, theory and key developments.
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 - Contemporary art in London Course start date: Fri 6 Oct 2023 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Chantal CondronExplore and discuss contemporary art on show in London. Each week we’ll visit 1-2 commercial galleries or a public gallery and examine specific exhibitions of contemporary art across a range of media including painting, works on paper, photography, new media and sculpture.Full fee £179.00 - Nineteenth century French fictionCourse start date: Fri 6 Oct 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Beatrice Ashton-LelliottNineteenth-century France was full of intrigue and squalor. Even a century after the upheaval of the French revolution, the country continued to grapple with issues of hierarchy, capitalism, and inevitable family dramas. In this course we’ll explore these themes through three of the most successful writers of this period: Zola, Maupassant and Flaubert.
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 - Reading fairytales: happy every after?Course start date: Wed 11 Oct 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Fiona McCullochReading a selection of classic fairy tales, we will explore how fairy tales evolve by reading different versions, including ‘Little Red Riding Hood’, ‘Snow White’, ‘Cinderella’, ‘Hansel and Gretel’, ‘Beauty and the Beast’, and ‘Bluebeard’, investigating how fairy tales evolve by reading different versions,.
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 £179.00 Concession £116.00 - Avant-garde women: art innovations of the 20th & 21st centuries Course start date: Thu 12 Oct 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Irina ChkhaidzeDiscover the work of prominent modern and contemporary women artists from the early twentieth century to the present, looking at the political and social transformations reflected in the artworks.
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 £179.00 Concession £116.00 - The art of the Burgundian Netherlands c. 1360-1480 Course start date: Tue 17 Oct 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Julia MusgraveExplore how the extravagant lifestyle of the Burgundian court provided opportunities for an opulent Burgundian style to be developed and disseminated across Europe in the late middle ages and into the renaissance.Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £97.00 - National Gallery Course start date: Wed 18 Oct 2023 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Leslie PrimoDiscuss a differently themed group of paintings each week in front of the pictures. An opportunity to understand our national collection in greater depth.Full fee £249.00 - The mirror of nature: art and culture in the 17th century Course start date: Wed 18 Oct 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Leslie PrimoThe 17th century produced some of the greatest artists of all time: Rubens, Rembrandt, Velazquez and Bernini to name but a few. Explore the work of these key artists and understand the history, styles and ideas that shaped the century.Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £97.00 - Contemporary Ukrainian fiction and poetryCourse start date: Thu 19 Oct 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Stephen WinfieldExplore major novels and short fictions by three leading figures, Yevgenia Belorusets, Serhiy Zhadan and Andrey Kurkov, placed within the context of modern Ukrainian literature as a whole, the remarkable flowering that followed independence in 1991 and the resilience and imaginative vitality of its poets and novelists in face of the escalating conflict from 2014.
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 £119.00 Concession £97.00 - Thinking through philosophy: a guideCourse start date: Mon 23 Oct 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Christopher HornerWhat is morality and what is it based on? Is the mind a ghost in the machine?
What can I really know? This is a beginner’s introduction to how philosophy tackles questions like these and many others.Full fee £99.00 - 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.Full fee £179.00 - Ways into poetry: a gentle pace
Course start date: Thu 1 Jun 2023 (and 2 other dates)Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Eleanor PennyAre you brand new to writing poetry? Do you want to build your confidence in a supportive environment alongside other beginners in the craft? This gentle short course guides students taking their first steps on the path to becoming a poet.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £109.00
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