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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- Lunchtime lecture: Vincent van Gogh - London, Paris, and JapanCourse start date: Wed 27 Sep 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Julia MusgraveFollow Vincent van Gogh from London to Paris in the late 19th century and discover the artistic influences and friendships that informed his 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 - Friday lates: the East India Company and the passion for chintz
Course start date: Fri 29 Sep 2023Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Anita ChowdryExplore the story of how Indian painted and printed cottons became an important trade commodity for the Western domestic market, and the far-reaching impact of their design and manufacture.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information. - A sense of place: Constable’s HampsteadCourse start date: Tue 3 Oct 2023
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Marilyn GreeneExplore Georgian and Regency Hampstead walking in the footsteps of John Constable and seeing places he painted and quotes about his thoughts and feelings on Hampstead and his art.Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £8.00 Concession £7.00 - Lunchtime lecture: The Other Story – introducing the BLK Art GroupCourse start date: Wed 4 Oct 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayGet to know the ground-breaking art and ideas of the BLK Art Group, the early 1980s art and activist community whose work still shapes our conversations about art and culture in the UK today.
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 - Friday lates: the Bauhaus in London Course start date: Fri 6 Oct 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Julie BarlowThe Staatliches Bauhaus opened its doors in Weimar, Germany in 1919. Fourteen years later it was shut down by the Nazis. Celebrate 100 years of Modernism in architecture and design and discover how Bauhaus style spread to London.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information. - ‘Making Connections: Reviewing Film Remakes’Course start date: Tue 10 Oct 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Paul SuttonFilm remakes often get a bad press, but there is frequently more to them than meets the eye. Whether a remake of an older classic, as in the case of Gus van Sant’s reworking of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, for example, or the Hollywood remake of a cherished European film, these types of film reveal a set of complex cultural, national, industrial and perhaps even psychological connections. Join us to explore what makes a remake and to critically analyse some filmic examples.
This session is part of the 2023 Mental Wealth Festival hosted by City Lit and partners.Full fee £5.00 Senior fee £5.00 Concession £5.00 - Connecting through collaborative writingCourse start date: Wed 11 Oct 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Brian MullinTwo (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 - The poetry of connectionCourse start date: Thu 12 Oct 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ellen CranitchOn this short course, part of City Lit’s Mental Wealth Festival, you will experiment with the aspects of poetry that create connection.Full fee £5.00 Senior fee £5.00 Concession £5.00 - How memory interweaves psyche and bodyCourse start date: Fri 13 Oct 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Anita KasabovaHow does memory connect body and psyche?
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £5.00 Senior fee £5.00 Concession £5.00 - History, memory and mental wealth: why we need to talk about empireCourse start date: Fri 13 Oct 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Martin JorgensenFormally, European imperialism ended decades ago. Yet, the different legacies still affect the world and many societies today. Join us for a discussion on why we need to talk about empire and mental wealth. This session is part of our Mental Wealth Festival hosted by City Lit and partners.Full fee £5.00 Senior fee £5.00 Concession £5.00 - Friday lates: psychogeography: the art of getting lost Course start date: Fri 13 Oct 2023 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Christopher CollierFrom pub crawls to punk rock, via comic books, action painting and Hegelian philosophy; hear the unlikely tale of the Situationists: international artist-revolutionaries who tried to change the world itself into a work of 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 - Art history taster
Course start date: Mon 11 Sep 2023 (and 15 other dates)Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayCurious about art history? Join us for this taster session where we explore different ways into visual art and its histories, from the ancient to the contemporary.
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 - Constable and the British landscape traditionCourse start date: Tue 17 Oct 2023
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Marilyn GreeneDiscover the development of the British Landscape tradition from the 18th and 19th centuries. The Victoria and Albert Museum has the largest collection of John Constable sketches in the world, and we will discuss the works on display in detail and compare with works by J.W.M Turner and other artists on display.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00 - Barack Obama: An unexpected PresidentCourse start date: Thu 19 Oct 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Mark MalcomsonIn the space of five years, Obama went from a little-known community activist to President of the United States. As America’s first African-American President he will hold an important place in history but it also worth reflecting on the man, his presidency and his legacy seven years after he left the White House.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £19.00 - Friday lates: from objects to finds - archaeological artefacts from the dig to the displayCourse start date: Fri 20 Oct 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Simone ChisenaDiscover what turns an object into a museum-worthy showpiece as we follow the fascinating path from the shadows of the trenches to the lights of the gallery.
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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