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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- Islamic art in 25 objects
Course start date: Wed 26 Apr 2023Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Anita ChowdryDiscover important objects of Islamic Art dating across a more than a millennium in London galleries. We will study world-famous objects, discover lesser known gems, study their context and understand how they relate to one another and the wider world.Full fee £109.00 Senior fee £87.00 Concession £71.00 - The art of ByzantiumCourse start date: Thu 27 Apr 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Anita ChowdryA study of the unique visual flavour of Byzantine art and architecture, the development of a range of craft industries, and the impact of Byzantium on other cultures.
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 - Hell, Heaven and Purgatory in the Middle AgesCourse start date: Thu 27 Apr 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Emma Rose BarberWhy were images to do with the afterlife so prevalent in the Middle Ages? Come, face your eternal destinies and look at images such as the Last Judgement, skeletons, filthy flesh, worms, ghosts and Hell mouths.Full fee £109.00 Senior fee £87.00 Concession £71.00 - Contemporary art in LondonCourse start date: Fri 28 Apr 2023
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 £129.00 Senior fee £103.00 Concession £84.00 - Women in art: 1900-1960Course start date: Tue 2 May 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Elizabeth EyresOn this course we shall explore and examine the considerable, and significant, contributions of women painters and sculptors to the avant-garde art world during the first half of the 20th century.
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 £111.00 Concession £90.00 - Writing for magazinesCourse start date: Wed 3 May 2023 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
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 - Stories of LondonCourse start date: Wed 3 May 2023
Location on this date: Blended (learn both online and in-person)
Tutors: Eleanor JacksonExplore London’s rich history in a series of guided walks. Each week we examine a different neighbourhood & era from the capital’s past. We look at its people, both rich and poor, & the events that shaped the city.
Initial lecture via Zoom followed by 6 guided walks.
This course will be delivered online and in person. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £75.00 - Poetic momentsCourse start date: Thu 4 May 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Laurie SmithWhat makes some poets seize the moment in which they live, and write about it in poems which become famous and much loved? Some poems capture the spirit of their time so memorably that we feel they will always be read and admired. How does this happen?Full fee £139.00 Senior fee £111.00 Concession £90.00 - Looking at design: Arts and Crafts to Art DecoCourse start date: Sat 6 May 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Rachel SandersStudy the design reform movements – Arts and Crafts, Aesthetic Movement, Art Nouveau and Art Deco – and analyse a wide range of products, including fashion and textiles, graphics, furniture and architecture within their social, historic and artistic context. Includes a museum visit.Full fee £139.00 Senior fee £111.00 Concession £90.00 - America in the 40s: culture and societyCourse start date: Tue 9 May 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Mark Malcomson, Mick McAloon, Dale Mineshima-Lowe, Trish Shaw, Patricia Sweeney, Ian TucknottThe bombing of Pearl Harbor brought Americans into WW2, while the European need for goods pulled the USA out of the Depression of the 30s, providing new opportunities for women, African Americans and other people of colour. Post-War America saw a new energy, of hope but also despair. This online intertextual course explores the political, social and cultural context of 1940s America through a study of the literature, history, music, film and art of the period. With different tutors for each specialism, the course provides a 'taster' in each subject as a gateway to further study in understanding this fascinating period in American culture and society.
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 £109.00 Concession £71.00 - A history of global capitalismCourse start date: Mon 15 May 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Dale Mineshima-LoweWant to understand the history of global capitalism. Join Dr Mineshima-Lowe to learn about the historical transitions towards what we know as capitalism today – evolution of capital, the role of the state, labour, competition, race, and innovation-automation.Full fee £139.00 Senior fee £111.00 Concession £70.00 - How to Read a Film: A Beginners' Guide to CinemaCourse start date: Tue 21 Feb 2023 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online (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.
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 £111.00 Concession £90.00 - Island adventure storiesCourse start date: Wed 24 May 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Fiona McCullochDiscover and discuss a selection of novels set on desert islands. Why are adventure tales often set on islands? Are these islands paradises or purgatories? Who are civilised characters and who are savages? Why? Since Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe (1719), we have been spellbound by stories of shipwreck and survival, so we will explore this further in novels that come after Crusoe, known as 'Robinsonnades'.
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 £109.00 Concession £71.00 - Pre-Columbian cultures - part 2: Mexico and North AmericaCourse start date: Wed 24 May 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Max CarocciExplore the little known history of pre-Columbian civilizations North of Mexico and their links to Aztec and other Mexican cultures.
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 £90.00 - Writing romanceCourse start date: Thu 1 Jun 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sophie McKenzieIt is a truth universally acknowledged that a writer in possession of a single pen can compose an unforgettable romance novel. This six-week course will guide students through the plotting of modern romance stories.
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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