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. Philosophy and cinema encounters
    Evening
    Course start date:  Fri 21 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Daniel Weizman
    We explore the intersection of film and philosophy, engaging with the works of influential thinkers and film makers. Together, we discover how cinema opens new possibilities to examine enduring philosophical questions concerning the mind, reality, identity, and ideology.
    Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £97.00
  2. Greek myths: ancient truths, modern mystery
    Evening
    Course start date:  Tue 2 Jul 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Maria Contos
    Myth permeated all aspects of ancient society and much the same can be said today. Investigate the relevance and perseverance of the Greek myth and why these tales continue to fascinate.
    Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £77.00
    Rating:
    80% of 100
  3. The Odyssey reading group (in translation)
    Evening
    Course start date:  Thu 11 Jul 2024

    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
  4. Oral Storytelling and Historical Narratives
    Evening
    Course start date:  Wed 17 Jul 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Maame Blue
    Using Afro-Caribbean oral storytelling techniques, Black British history and contemporary literature, develop your creative writing and narrative storytelling abilities with this 6-week online course.



    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 £66.00
  5. Autobiographical writing: intensive
    Evening
    Course start date:  Mon 22 Jul 2024 (and 3 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Paul Laffan
    This shorter version of our introductory autobiographical writing course covers the basic elements of the genre, drawing on memories, diaries, photos, dreams and fantasies with a focus on the forms of autobiography, memoir and the personal essay.



    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
  6. Art history and cinema
    Course start date:  Tue 17 Sep 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Gillian McIver
    Since cinema's earliest days, literature has provided movies with stories. But there is another way of looking at film: through its relationship with painting, the oldest of the art forms.



    We’ll look at paintings by Friedrich, Titian, Hopper, Bacon, Delaroche and many more. We’ll view Red Desert, Pan’s Labyrinth, Easy Rider – looking at realism, surrealism and more.



    As you can see, all of these are quite different! Let’s see how movies connect us to art history.



    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 £84.00
  7. Exploring British cinema
    Evening
    Course start date:  Wed 18 Sep 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Jon Wisbey
    Defining itself around themes such as realism, class and national identity, British cinema continues to find critical and popular acclaim, both domestically and internationally. This course explores British cinema, past and present, through a range of critical concepts and approaches, films - including both popular and art house - and filmmakers, and considers its function as a national cinema.



    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
  8. How should we reason? An introduction to logic
    Course start date:  Thu 19 Sep 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Oliver Josiah
    Philosophical Logic is the study of the rules of correct reasoning. This course will introduce you to some widely accepted rules of correct reasoning and teach you how to describe these rules with mathematical precision.



    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:
    100% of 100
  9. City Lit evening reading group
    Evening
    Course start date:  Mon 25 Sep 2023 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Claire Allen
    Share thoughts and ideas about what you are reading, with books chosen by the group. Please come to the first session with suggestions (contemporary fiction in paperback) and having read The Fortune Men by Nadifa Mohamed. Monthly meetings on 25 Sept, 23 Oct, 27 Nov; 15 Jan, 19 Feb, 18 March, 29 April, 10 June, and 08 July.



    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
  10. Modern Chinese cinemas: from Wong Kar-wai to Hou Hsiao-hsien
    Evening
    Course start date:  Fri 27 Sep 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Jean-Baptiste de Vaulx
    This course examines a range of filmmakers and movements within the various threads making up Chinese cinemas: from Mainland China (directors such as Zhang Yimou and Jia Zhangke), Hong Kong (Wong Kar-wai and Ann Hui), Taiwan (Edward Yang and Hou Hsiao-hsien), Malaysia, and Singapore. Historical context and critical perspectives will also be covered to shed light on Chinese cinemas.



    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 £84.00
  11. Reading for writers: the short story (a fortnightly course)
    Evening
    Course start date:  Tue 16 Apr 2024 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Annabel Banks
    The best way to write good short stories is to read a lot of good ones first. Dive into the best of short fiction, explore point-of-view, character and pacing, and begin to apply the lessons learnt to your own writing in this fortnightly course.



    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
  12. America in the 20s: culture and society
    Evening
    Course start date:  Tue 1 Oct 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Pauline Greene, Mark Malcomson, Dale Mineshima-Lowe, Paul Sutton, Patricia Sweeney, Ian Tucknott
    From the Jazz Age and the Harlem Renaissance, to Prohibiton and the Depression, this online intertextual course explores the political, social and cultural context of 1920s America through a study of 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 £119.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £77.00
  13. From the Land of the Rising Sun: an introduction to Japanese Literature
    Evening
    Course start date:  Thu 3 Oct 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Woody River
    Explore the strange and beautiful world of Japanese literature from the 17th century to the present. Follow the footsteps of a medieval travelling poet, delve into the Tokyo pleasure district, view Hiroshima through the eyes of survivors after the atomic bombing, and interpret dreams to illuminate Japanese history and culture. Using art, photography, history and film, you will explore poems, journals, short stories and novels by ten of Japan’s most important writers.



    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 £84.00
    Rating:
    95% of 100
  14. Argonautica: reading group (in translation)
    Evening
    Course start date:  Tue 8 Oct 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Nikoletta Manioti
    A reading group focusing on the Argonautica by the Greek poet Apollonius of Rhodes (in English translation).



    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
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