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. Pioneering women at the National Portrait Gallery
    Last Few Places
    Course start date:  Tue 16 Apr 2024

    Location on this date:  Off Site

    Tutors:  Julie Barlow
    Meet some of history's most inspiring women, not only well-known pioneers but also women over the past five hundred years whose stories have been forgotten. Discover and celebrate their achievements.
    Full fee £29.00 Senior fee £23.00 Concession £19.00
    Rating:
    93% of 100
  2. Lunchtime lecture: John Singer Sargent - beautiful subversion
    Last Few Places
    Course start date:  Wed 17 Apr 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Sarah Jaffray
    Explore the historical context of John Singer Sargent’s fashionable portraits to better understand their depth and importance in modern art.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £10.00 Concession £7.00
  3. Friday lates: contemporary art in China - over the Great Firewall
    Course start date:  Fri 19 Apr 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Meitao Qu
    From creation to distribution, the explosion of digital technologies has transformed artmaking in a myriad of ways. In this session, we will journey across the Great Firewall to explore contemporary, new media art China.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00
  4. Friday lates: art and maps
    Last Few Places, Evening
    Course start date:  Fri 26 Apr 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Christopher Collier
    Maps have a long and fascinating history, yet it was really the 20th Century that saw them come alive as an artistic medium, as artists turned to them to explore their place in a disoriented world. Discover the many ways artists have worked with maps, from Surrealism through to Digital Media.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00
    Rating:
    80% of 100
  5. Global encounters: Europe and Africa, 1300-1600
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 27 Apr 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Vanessa King
    Explore European perceptions of Africa and its inhabitants: from misconstrued tales of monstrous races and the legendary Prester John, to the charting of the west coast and rise of the slave trade.
    Full fee £49.00 Senior fee £39.00 Concession £32.00
  6. Mews, monuments and museums: exploring SW7
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sun 28 Apr 2024

    Location on this date:  Off Site

    Tutors:  Marilyn Greene
    This circular walk explores the alleys lanes, squares and delightful mews houses and passes a disused tube station in the mainly in the Knightsbridge conservation area and contrasts with the grand museums, institutions and monuments built in South Kensington (Albertopolis) developed with profits of the Great Exhibition held in Hyde Park in 1851.



    Meets outside the main entrance to the V&A ends outside the Natural History Museum. Meets outside the main entrance to the V&A ends outside the Natural History Museum.
    Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00
  7. Friday lates: the body as image and material in 20th century art
    Evening
    Course start date:  Fri 3 May 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Irina Chkhaidze
    Explore the representation of body and body-related practices by prominent modern and contemporary artists of the twentieth century.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00
  8. Richard III: a medieval whodunit
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 11 May 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Vanessa King
    Who was responsible for the death of the princes in the Tower has to be the most publicised debate in British history. Does being a nice guy in the North mean you can’t be ruthless when the opportunity arises?
    Full fee £49.00 Senior fee £39.00 Concession £32.00
  9. City gardens of the Blitz
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 11 May 2024

    Location on this date:  Off Site

    Tutors:  Marilyn Greene
    Discover the delightful gardens of the City of London created from WWII bomb sites. Revealing the history of the sites - including past industrial buildings, Roman ruins, and the sites of a former Wren churches and a Roman bath house - this walk spans the length of the City.



    Starts Outside Café Nero Moorgate Station end St Dunstan in the East Garden. Starts Outside Café Nero Moorgate Station end St Dunstan in the East Garden.
    Full fee £29.00 Senior fee £23.00 Concession £19.00
  10. Archaeology of London gardens
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 11 May 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Jill Hummerstone
    In this course we explore the archaeological evidence used to uncover some of the hidden secrets of significant designed gardens in London and its outskirts, which has led to the attractive restoration of some of the parks and gardens enjoyed today.
    Full fee £49.00 Senior fee £39.00 Concession £32.00
  11. The US and immigration
    Course start date:  Mon 13 May 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Dale Mineshima-Lowe
    Join us for a short workshop exploring the issues of migration and immigration in modern American history.
    Full fee £49.00 Senior fee £39.00 Concession £32.00
  12. Friday lates: all about Eve - picturing the femme fatale in European art
    Last Few Places
    Course start date:  Fri 17 May 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Sarah Jaffray
    Discover the types of women who don't conform to social rules, who wield a supernatural power that destablises the status quo. From the threatening type to the empowered woman, join us for an exploration of the femme fatale in early modern and modern European art.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00
  13. Keats and eternity
    Last Few Places, Weekend
    Course start date:  Sun 19 May 2024

    Location on this date:  Off Site

    Tutors:  Laurie Smith
    In the house where many of them were written, we will explore why Keats’s poems are regarded as exceptionally beautiful. How did he achieve this? We will see that it wasn’t luck or simply inspiration, but the result of choices which reflect important aspects of Keats’ personality. Includes ‘Ode to a Nightingale’, Ode to a Grecian Urn’ and ‘To Autumn’.







    This course will take place at Keats House, 10 Keats Grove, Hampstead, London NW3 2RR.
    Full fee £49.00 Senior fee £39.00 Concession £32.00
  14. The US and poverty
    Course start date:  Mon 20 May 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Dale Mineshima-Lowe
    In this course we will examine the historical changes to poverty in the US and begin to unpick the causes and effects of poverty in one of the world’s wealthiest nations.
    Full fee £49.00 Senior fee £39.00 Concession £32.00
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