Explore Culture, History & Humanities Courses
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.
- Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs: part 2Course start date: Fri 9 May 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Hugo CookFollow-on course from the Introduction. This four-week course uses British Museum objects related to ancient Egypt to broaden and deepen students' knowledge of Egyptian Hieroglyphs. The course will be held in Covent Garden, with frequent visits to the British Museum.Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £129.00 - Friday lates: The body as image and material in 20th century artCourse start date: Fri 9 May 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Irina ChkhaidzeExplore the representation of body and body-related practices by prominent modern and contemporary artists of the twentieth century.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00 - Writing and rewriting fairytales
Course start date: Sun 11 May 2025 (and 2 other dates)Location on this date: Online
Tutors: KR MoorheadOnce upon a time there was a City Lit workshop all about writing fairytales. The quest: to inspire writers to pen stories of love, fear, forests, revenge, dragons, witches, kings, queens, frogs and magic.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Philosophy and the meaning of lifeCourse start date: Mon 12 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Karl WhiteSome philosophers have insisted that philosophy should explain the meaning of our existence. What does it mean for us to be? And how then should we live? This course examines some seriously philosophical answers.
- German Idealism from Kant to Hegel: the beginnings of continental philosophy Course start date: Mon 12 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Christopher HornerGerman philosophers created the most ambitious and imaginative systems of thought of modern times against the backdrop of revolution and war. This creative and speculative beginning to modern continental philosophy is an exciting intellectual adventure. - Craft focus: grammar, syntax, and style for creative writers Course start date: Mon 12 May 2025 (and 3 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: William BradyGreat poetry and prose begin when the writer puts the right words in the right places. Learn how and why the rules and conventions of language matter in this new course, which combines creative writing with a review of essential points of grammar.Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £179.00 Concession £90.00 - Anthropology of space, place and the cultural landscape Course start date: Mon 12 May 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Yasmin HalesThis is an introductory and interdisciplinary course which ranges beyond social anthropology to explore aspects of cultural geography, philosophy, psychology, art and architectural history, enriching your theoretical and ethnographic understanding of the cross cultural meaning of space within the built environment. - How to read a film: a beginners' guide to cinema Course start date: Tue 4 Nov 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Paul SuttonThis online 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.Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £97.00 - Heaven and hell in world religionsCourse start date: Tue 13 May 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Vanessa KingCompare and contrast the afterlife beliefs of the five major religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Explore how these ideas developed and influenced each other.Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £199.00 Concession £129.00 - Philosophy and the selfCourse start date: Tue 13 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ariel KernbergWho am I? Is there such a thing as “my true self”? These and related questions will be looked at from various philosophical perspectives.
NB There will be no class on 26/05/26.Full fee £259.00 Senior fee £259.00 Concession £168.00 - Understanding the dynamics of the Middle East: Turkish Politics since the early republican periodCourse start date: Tue 13 May 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Caglar EzikogluJoin Dr. Çaglar Ezikoglu to explore Turkish politics from the early republican period to today, understanding key developments, ideologies, and their impact on the Middle East.Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £77.00 - London in WritingCourse start date: Tue 13 May 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Kate WilkinsonCome and explore London in writing! On this course we’ll study fiction and non-fiction texts about London. Contemporary perspectives on the city include two recent novels: Happiness by Aminatta Forna and Light Perpetual by Frances Spufford.Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £77.00 - Ruling Russia: Tsars, Revolutions, Civil War , and the Triumph of Lenin (1860-1924)Course start date: Tue 13 May 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Zoe QuinnThis course explores the transformative period of Russian history from 1860 to 1924, encompassing the autocratic rule of the Tsars, the revolutionary upheavals of 1905 and 1917, the chaos of the civil war, and the consolidation of the Bolshevik regime. Students will examine key events, figures, and ideologies that shaped modern Russia, delving into the complexities of political, social, and economic changes during this era.
Please note: this course includes much of the material covered in previous Russian Revolution courses at the City Lit. Moreover this course is taught at an introductory level. Tutor: Zoe Quinn.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £169.00 Concession £110.00 - In Conversation with Hallie Rubenhold Course start date: Wed 14 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Join us at City Lit for an event with Hallie Rubenhold to celebrate her new book, Story of a Murder: The Wives, The Mistress and Dr Crippen. Hosted by City Lit Principal Mark Malcomson CBE, the conversation will focus on Hallie's feminist retelling of the infamous true-crime story of Dr Crippen. The event includes an audience Q&A, followed by a drinks reception and book signing.
Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £10.00 Concession £10.00 - Labour unions in the 21st century: relevant or a thing of the past?Course start date: Wed 14 May 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Caglar EzikogluExplore the evolving role of labour unions in modern society, examining their relevance and impact in the 21st century.Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £119.00
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