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. Friday Lates: Pacific Portraits - British artists, Pacific sitters and their impact on 18th century portraiture
    Evening
    Course start date:  Fri 21 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    From Joshua Reynold's portrati of Omai to portraits made during the voyages of Captain James Cook, discover how encounters with Pacific Islanders changed the course of British eighteenth-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
  2. Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £10.00 Concession £10.00
    Rating:
    98% of 100
  3. Lunchtime lecture: Van Gogh's Art History
    Course start date:  Mon 8 Jul 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Sarah Jaffray
    What influenced the art of Vincent van Gogh? From 17th century Dutch still lives to symbolist poetry, Japanese prints and French realist painting we explore how van Gogh’s study of art history shaped his art practice and subject matter.



    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 £10.00
  4. Van Eyck and the Pre-Raphaelites
    Course start date:  Mon 8 Jul 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Emma Rose Barber
    Explore the work of Van Eyck in relation to Holman Hunt and the Pre-Raphaelites more generally; consider how this 15th century painter influenced artists some 300 years later.



    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 £15.00 Concession £12.00
  5. Fra Filippo Lippi and Fra Angelico – the two monastic painters
    Course start date:  Tue 9 Jul 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Emma Rose Barber
    Join us for a close reading of the works of Fra Filippo Lippi and Fra Angelico, two of 15th century Italy's most influential artists. We study their techniques, their subject matter and how they communicated narratives in painting. Explore all the wonderful tactile visual details they added to the works.



    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 £15.00 Concession £12.00
  6. Aesop's fables: an introduction
    Course start date:  Tue 16 Jul 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Maria Contos
    Aesop’s fables have been used through history to clarify important issues within society. Investigate their perseverance through history and why they continue to be relevant today.
    Full fee £49.00 Senior fee £39.00 Concession £32.00
  7. Picture book writing: a taster
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 3 Aug 2024 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Andrew Weale
    Would you like to write a picture book text for young children? This taster course is designed for children's writers and for illustrators wishing to write their own stories; a starter course to develop both your ideas and your technique.



    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 £35.00
    Rating:
    100% of 100
  8. Creative non-fiction: a taster
    Evening
    Course start date:  Wed 4 Sep 2024 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Julie Garton
    Have you had experiences that will move, delight or entertain readers? This taster session in creative-non fiction explores approaches to capturing your most poignant moments and crafting them into inspiring pieces of literature.



    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 £10.00
    Rating:
    95% of 100
  9. Poetry: a taster
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sun 8 Sep 2024 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Julie Irigaray
    This short, fun workshop is the perfect starting point for students who are writing for the first time or new to poetry. Join us for thought-provoking writing exercises and poetry theory for beginners.



    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 £10.00
    Rating:
    90% of 100
  10. Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £10.00 Concession £10.00
    Rating:
    100% of 100
  11. Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £10.00 Concession £10.00
    Rating:
    100% of 100
  12. Grammar for ancient languages: an introduction
    Evening
    Course start date:  Tue 24 Sep 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Suitable for complete beginners of ancient languages. Become familiar with the key grammar terminology and concepts that will enhance your learning. Highly recommended if you are starting to learn an ancient or classical language.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £49.00 Senior fee £49.00 Concession £32.00
  13. Connecting through collaborative writing
    Course start date:  Wed 9 Oct 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Brian Mullin
    Two (or more!) heads are better than one! Collaborate with others to create short pieces of theatre, using everyone's skills and ideas to tell collective stories.
    Full fee £5.00 Senior fee £5.00 Concession £5.00
  14. Gothic language: a taster
    Evening
    Course start date:  Wed 9 Oct 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Stephen Pollington
    Discover the ancient language spoken by the Goths, an ancient Germanic population from Scandinavia who settled in North-Eastern and Eastern Europe.



    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
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