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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- Spectacles of the Ancient worldCourse start date: Thu 11 May 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Michael BloomfieldThis course explores some of the most elaborate and powerful displays of the Graeco-Roman world. Designed to entertain, inform, and elicit support, often at times of great political or religious significance, they were unforgettable, and have long exercised an influence on our own understanding of the nature of power.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00 - Japanese crime fictionCourse start date: Thu 11 May 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Beatrice Ashton-LelliottJapanese crime literature is reaching new audiences, with many classics being translated into English for the first time. This course explores a range of Japanese mysteries, detectives and their recurring themes, from ‘locked room’ classics to the dark side of human nature – with many murders along the way!
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 £64.00 - Exploring medieval literature: late medieval dramaCourse start date: Mon 15 May 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Thomas WhiteShakespeare and the Globe Theatre loom large in the history of drama in England. But what came before the Bard? What is the history of drama in the period before named playwrights were producing scripts for professional actors to perform in front of paying audiences? This course will cover the dramatic works of the late medieval period (c. 1350-1550), their fascinating cultural, social, and political contexts, and their influence on the development of drama in England.
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 £45.00 - The French RevolutionCourse start date: Thu 18 May 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Zoe QuinnIn 1789 ordinary French people successfully rebelled against the absolute monarchy and privileged nobility. Find out how the struggle over the social and political system which would replace the Ancien Regime would divide both France and Europe. Tutor: Zoe Quinn.Full fee £89.00 Senior fee £71.00 Concession £45.00 - American politics for beginnersCourse start date: Sat 20 May 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sandra CarvalhoIn this introductory onlline course, you will explore the historical roots and evolution of American democracy, as well as current trends in the country’s national politics.
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 £71.00 Concession £58.00 - Ways into Advanced Film Studies: Film theory
Course start date: Tue 30 May 2023Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Paul SuttonThis advanced level film studies course will introduce you to a range of theoretical approaches to the study of film. It will consider some of the earliest attempts to think about film, studies that borrowed methodologies from other disciplines. As early as 1915, for example, writers were applying psychology to film analysis, exploring the emotional responses of audiences to this still new medium. Early theorists argued for film as a distinct art form, and we will examine a number of their key texts. In the 1960s, film studies began to develop as a specific subject of study in universities in the US and the UK, once again deploying perspectives from other subject areas. We will examine a number of these theories and consider their continued importance for the analysis and understanding of film today.Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £99.00 Concession £64.00 - Reading Images: Exploring Film studiesCourse start date: Wed 31 May 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Cristina MassaccesiThis comprehensive introductory course provides an overview of the main historical, technical and theoretical aspects of filmmaking and film analysis. In its exploration of aspects of film theory as it relates to film aesthetics and film history, the course develops certain ideas with rigour and depth.Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £99.00 Concession £64.00 - Histories and memories of empireCourse start date: Wed 31 May 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Martin JorgensenWe live in a world that still defined by different forms of imperial subjugation, but the former colonies and metropoles remember the colonial and imperial past very differently. Join us for an introduction to how the different communities and populations around the world remember and live with their imperial pasts.
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 - The history of the FBI: 1908-1976Course start date: Mon 5 Jun 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Dafydd TownleyThe online course will assess the impact of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the leadership of its first Director, J. Edgar Hoover, on US politics, society and culture from its beginnings in 1908 until 1976.
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 - Chinese history for beginnersCourse start date: Mon 5 Jun 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Louise GreenWant to dip into Chinese history? Join this beginners' course in Chinese History and learn about China's political, social, cultural and economic history, alongside major events of Chinese history.Full fee £89.00 Senior fee £71.00 Concession £45.00 - Russia-Chinese relations since 1989Course start date: Tue 6 Jun 2023
Location on this date: Online
Sino-Russian relations in the post-Cold War period have been described as one of the most perplexing and debated topics in academic and policy circles. But what makes this particular relationship so interesting? How strong is their relationsship? Will they become an alliane and what would that mean for the rest of the world?
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 - The British empire in sub-Saharan AfricaCourse start date: Tue 6 Jun 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: James StannardFrom transatlantic slavery to the fall of apartheid, this course examines Britain’s major projects and legacies in sub-Saharan Africa.
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 - An introduction to feminist politicsCourse start date: Wed 7 Jun 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Want to know how feminism has developed to its many forms today and also discuss challenges of feminism in the poltical world? Join us to learn more!Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £50.00 - The worlds of Orson WellesCourse start date: Thu 8 Jun 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Richard NilandThis class explores the work of Orson Welles, examining his performances, films, and persona in the context of the literary, cinematic, cultural worlds that inspired him. We explore Welles’s engagement with modern culture through his absorption and reworking of different art forms, from drama and poetry to cinema and magic.Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £99.00 Concession £64.00 - Farms to Finance: an introduction to political economyCourse start date: Sat 10 Jun 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: James StannardHuman economies have many foundations, from agriculture to banking. Some are unstable, yet we often feel powerless to change them - even when they threaten our survival. Are there alternatives? Join ud online to learn more.
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 £64.00
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