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 online and in-person learning. 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. See our guide to online learning for more information about accessing our live online courses.

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  1. Full fee £109.00 Senior fee £109.00 Concession £55.00
    Rating:
    96% of 100
  2. The Victorians: art, architecture and design
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 20 Jan 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Rachel Sanders
    Explore the visual culture of Victorian Britain through a range of artworks and disciplines including painting, sculpture, architecture, graphic design, furniture, fashion, and textiles. Includes a visit to the V&A Museum.
    Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £64.00
  3. Partition in India and Pakistan
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 20 Jan 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Mirza Jaffer Abid
    In 1947 British India was partitioned. This resulted in an estimated one million deaths, the largest migration of people in modern history and the formation of India and Pakistan. What were the forces which led to Partition? When did the political and cultural factors that precipitated Partition emerge and accordingly, when did partition begin?
    Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00
  4. Ghetto uprising 1943: Jewish life and death in Warsaw
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 20 Jan 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  David Rosenberg
    In April 1943, some 40,000 starving people were still incarcerated in terrible conditions within the Warsaw Ghetto. A few hundred among them – predominantly young people – led an armed rebellion against the Nazis. This course conveys the incredible story of their uprising but also reveals the background of Warsaw's vibrant but increasingly endangered Jewish life in the decades before the uprising. It describes the many forms of resistance that took place after the Nazi invasion, highlights key individuals who played a role, and provides an opportunity to reflects on different aspects of this tragic but inspiring episode during the Holocaust.
    Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00
    Rating:
    100% of 100
  5. Picture book writing
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sun 29 Oct 2023 (and 7 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Online

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



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £139.00 Senior fee £139.00 Concession £70.00
    Rating:
    98% of 100
  6. The Coen brothers: road trips through Hollywood
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sun 21 Jan 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  John Wischmeyer
    The Coens’ Blood Simple (1984) was a new kind of film noir set in Texas. A career later they returned to post-Civil War Texas to re-make True Grit (2010). This map of their USA trips through Raising Arizona (1987), then mainstreams to Fargo (1996), but somehow never far from Hollywood and its genres: Barton Fink (1991), O Brother, Where Art Thou (2000), or Hail, Caesar (2016). If their America was No Country For Old Men (2007), then where art they now? (See separate but related courses on Once Upon a Time in New Hollywood, Robert Altman, Francis Ford Coppola, and David Lynch).
    Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00
  7. Creation myths in the ancient near East
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 27 Jan 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Ann Jeffers
    Come and explore with us the idea of ‘myth’. We will look at creation myths in Ugarit, in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, ancient Greece and in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible.
    Full fee £59.00
    Rating:
    100% of 100
  8. Sherlock Junior at 100
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 27 Jan 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Graham Rinaldi
    Buster Keaton’s virtuoso silent comedy Sherlock Jr celebrates 100 years. In this heroic masterpiece, Keaton displays his film-making skills with gags, stunts, ground-breaking special effects and importantly his love affair with the magic of the moving image.
    Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00
  9. Writing flash fiction: getting started
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 27 Jan 2024 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Lucy Popescu
    Flash fiction is the art of telling small stories that make a big impact. Learn how to harness the power of economy in this practical short course. Suitable for those with some experience of creative writing.



    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
  10. Philosophical life coaching
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 27 Jan 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Tim Lebon
    Philosophical life coaching helps you lead a more satisfying and meaningful life by using insights and methods from the great thinkers. This introductory workshop will show you some of the most interesting ways it can be of help. No previous experience required.
    Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00
    Rating:
    88% of 100
  11. Tutankhamun: The Pharaoh behind the Gold Mask
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 27 Jan 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Rosalind Janssen
    Go behind the Gold Mask and get to know the real Pharaoh Tutankhamun. Where was he born and raised, and who were his parents? Did he have a coronation and how long did he rule? What happened during his reign? Did he have children, and how and when did he die? We discover whether the famous tomb and its contents helps to answer any of these questions. The final session will be a visit to the Petrie Museum to examine artefacts which reveal Tutankhamun and his times.
    Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00
  12. Aliens, mutants and paranoia: American sci-fi cinema of the 1950s
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sun 28 Jan 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Jon Wisbey
    Science fiction (SF) cinema of the 1950s drew on the social, political and technological concerns of the period, producing a rich body of films that reflect these themes. Looking at a range of American SF films of the period, this course considers the ways in which these films accommodate such issues, their function as popular, genre cinema, their production contexts, and the way that critics have understood them.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00
  13. The Quakers: an introduction
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 3 Feb 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Bruce Johnson
    Quaker 'discernment' is used by big business for consensus decision-making, while Quakers are often invited to areas of conflict as mediators and peace-builders. This introduction to Quakers tries to explain why.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00
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