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.

Filters

Items 61-75 of 186

Page
per page
Set Descending Direction
  1. Philosophy and tyranny
    Course start date:  Thu 2 May 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Karl White
    What is the relationship between Philosophy and Tyranny? Have philosophers supported tyrannical rule throughout history? Have they spoken truth to power or have they instead colluded and strengthened its grip?
    Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £110.00
  2. Twenty-first Century Folklore: myth and magic in the global world
    Evening
    Course start date:  Thu 2 May 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Katie Goss
    This online course focuses on innovative short fiction from around the globe which reworks folkloric traditions to grapple with conditions of twenty-first century life. As well as engaging with the unique folkloric influences each text draws on, we’ll consider the complexities of the present that they are addressed to – and how the rising popularity of ghost stories, fairy tales, dark fables and surreal myths suggests a renewed fascination with the intrigues of the mysterious, monstrous and inexplicable.



    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
  3. Historical fiction: reimagining and rewriting
    Course start date:  Thu 2 May 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Kate Wilkinson
    What’s the unique appeal of historical fiction? Why do we read it, and what are we looking for? This course investigates historical fiction written in the twenty-first century and how it reimagines the past for us as contemporary readers. Reading novels and short stories set in the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, we’ll explore historical fiction’s strategies, challenges and pleasures: how it can bring unknown stories into view and rewrite what we think we know. Includes Francis Spufford's Golden Hill (2016), Emma Donoghue's The Woman who Gave Birth to Rabbits (2002) and Maggie O'Farrell's Hamnet (2020).
    Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £116.00
  4. The Worlds of Contemporary Travel Literature
    Evening
    Course start date:  Fri 3 May 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Rebecca Jones
    Explore new directions in contemporary travel literature, as authors from across the world take the genre beyond the colonial European gaze that once characterised it. We examine themes such as diaspora, postcolonialism, language and ethics, looking at classic texts by Caryl Phillips, Pico Iyer and Jamaica Kincaid, and recent works by Emmanuel Iduma, Noo Saro-Wiwa, and Raja Shehadeh.
    Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £99.00 Concession £64.00
  5. Magnificence and display under the Tudors
    Course start date:  Fri 3 May 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Vanessa King
    Explore how the Tudors cultivated the art of magnificence in the form of pageants, tapestries, paintings, jewellery and dress to detract from what was essentially a weak dynasty.
    Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £97.00
  6. An introduction to film
    Evening
    Course start date:  Fri 3 May 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Jon Wisbey
    Develop your critical understanding of cinema through a range of concepts and critical approaches in film studies, including narrative, genre, spectatorship, authorship and directors, popular cinema, art cinema, national cinema and early film, along with technological developments including the transition to sound, while we view and discuss a range of key films from cinema's history as examples.



    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
    Rating:
    90% of 100
  7. An introduction to art history: interpreting theory
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 4 May 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Rachel Sanders
    Explore a variety of art movements, from Romanticism to American Social Realism through an introductory study of the writing of art theorists and commentators who have made a significant contribution to the Art History discipline.
    Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £149.00
  8. Tales of transformation: Ovid’s Metamorphoses
    Evening
    Course start date:  Tue 7 May 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Nikoletta Manioti
    So many works of arts refer, in one way or another, to Ovid's Metamorphoses. In this course, you'll become familiar with some of the most memorable stories in this masterpiece and begin to understand why its stories are - and have been - so universally fascinating and influential.



    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 £58.00
  9. Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £110.00
  10. Discovering Victorian London: empire, enterprise and education
    Course start date:  Tue 7 May 2024

    Location on this date:  Blended (learn both online and in-person)

    Tutors:  Eleanor Jackson
    Victorian London shaped today's city. Discover the lasting legacy of the Victorian age, uncover its secrets, and meet some of the characters who created one of the world's greatest cities.



    Initial lecture via zoom followed by 7 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 £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £116.00
    Rating:
    100% of 100
  11. Introduction to Charles Booths’ London
    Evening
    Course start date:  Tue 7 May 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Sarah Wise
    During this six-week course, we will explore aspects of Charles Booth’s landmark survey ‘Life & Labour of the People in London’, published in 17 volumes between 1889 and 1903.



    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
    Rating:
    97% of 100
  12. America in the 70s: culture and society
    Evening
    Course start date:  Tue 7 May 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Pauline Greene, Mark Malcomson, Paul Sutton, Patricia Sweeney, Ian Tucknott
    Journey through the history, literature, film, music and art of the 70s, an era of economic struggle and cultural change. While America continued to reflect aspects of 60s social upheaval, a more energised 'New Right' was emerging in defense of political conservatism and the traditional family, schisms that still exist today. We investigate the cross currents across the many facets of the 70s through a 'taster' of each subject area.



    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
  13. Sweet Thames, run softly: a cultural exploration
    Evening
    Course start date:  Wed 8 May 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Eleanor Jackson
    The Thames runs like a silver thread through London’s history. It has been a muse & inspiration for centuries. This course examines its impact on our city, how it’s enriched & influenced our lives, both upstream & down.



    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:
    95% of 100
Page
per page
Set Descending Direction

Can't see a course you want?

Add this category to your waiting list to set up alerts and we will update you when new courses are released online.

Add me to waiting list