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.
Filters
- Strange tales and dark dreams: Fantasy, horror and surrealism in European cinemaCourse start date: Sat 29 Apr 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Jon WisbeyExplore a selection of films from the early days of European cinema, and later, that draw on a range of key genre traditions, but which have also acquired significant critical reputations, with their memorable visual qualities and unsettling narratives lending them an enduring place in both cinema and popular culture. Strange tales and dark dreams to fascinate, horrify and astound you.
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 - Focus on: Hopper
Course start date: Sat 29 Apr 2023Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Rachel SandersStudy Hopper’s key works, including 'Automat' and 'Nighthawks', within the context of biography, social and political events, and movements such as Regionalism, Social Realism and American Scene painting.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00 - The rise and fall of the Mughal EmpireCourse start date: Sat 29 Apr 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ellen CarpenterOn this introductory course we will follow the fortunes of the Mughal Emperors, rulers of Northern India from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries. What were their contributions to the religious, political and cultural life of northern India?Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00 - Writing inspiration jamCourse start date: Sun 30 Apr 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sue HealyThis fun, inspiring day workshop explores the many sources of inspiration available to writers in their everyday lives.
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 £19.00 - Women in art: 1900-1960Course start date: Tue 2 May 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Elizabeth EyresOn this course we shall explore and examine the considerable, and significant, contributions of women painters and sculptors to the avant-garde art world during the first half of the 20th century.
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 £111.00 Concession £90.00 - Looking at Indigenous art in London galleriesCourse start date: Tue 2 May 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Francesca CavalloJoin us for an introduction to Indigenous Art through visits to London museums and galleries. From the Tate to the British Museum with some galleries in between, we explore how the art of indigenous cultures, past and present, are displayed and discussed in London.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £103.00 Concession £84.00 - Stories of LondonCourse start date: Wed 3 May 2023
Location on this date: Blended (learn both online and in-person)
Tutors: Eleanor JacksonExplore London’s rich history in a series of guided walks. Each week we examine a different neighbourhood & era from the capital’s past. We look at its people, both rich and poor, & the events that shaped the city.
Initial lecture via Zoom followed by 6 guided walks.
This course will be delivered online and in person. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £75.00 - Archaeology of LondonCourse start date: Mon 9 Jan 2023 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Jill HummerstoneExplore the archaeology and history of London through its cultural monuments, topography and material remains to more fully appreciate the rich archaeological evidence of the capital.
Tutor: Jill Hummerstone. Tutor :Jill Hummerstone.Full fee £259.00 Senior fee £207.00 Concession £130.00 - Get together and readCourse start date: Thu 19 Jan 2023 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Claire AllenEnjoy talking with other people about the things you have read? Want to share great stories, poems and drama? Come along and join the conversation. The group is led by a shared reading practitioner trained by The Reader Organisation.Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £50.00 - 'The Noise of Time': Russian poetry and society from Mayakovsky and Pasternak to Brodsky and StepanovaCourse start date: Thu 4 May 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Stephen WinfieldExplore the ways in which the leading Russian poets of two contrasting periods – the early 20th century, from the Silver Age to the Revolution, and the late 20th – 21st centuries, from the end of the Soviet era up until our own time - responded and are still responding to the pressures of a society in the grip of profound political change.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £110.00 - Poetic momentsCourse start date: Thu 4 May 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Laurie SmithWhat makes some poets seize the moment in which they live, and write about it in poems which become famous and much loved? Some poems capture the spirit of their time so memorably that we feel they will always be read and admired. How does this happen?Full fee £139.00 Senior fee £111.00 Concession £90.00 - Visionary experiments: American art of the 1940s and 50sCourse start date: Fri 5 May 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayExplore American art during and just after World War II. From abstraction expressionism to social justice in photography and printmaking see how the US's unique context created the foundation for experimental and transgressive art.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £109.00 Senior fee £87.00 Concession £71.00 - Introduction to Tate BritainCourse start date: Fri 5 May 2023
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Chantal CondronEach week, we'll explore a different aspect of the permanent collection at Tate Britain, looking at artworks from the 16th to the 21st centuries. This course is gallery based.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £110.00 - From Caligari to Touch of Evil: Expressionism in the CinemaCourse start date: Fri 5 May 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Jon WisbeyCharacterised by chiaroscuro, or high contrast lighting, and similarly stylised narratives, the expressionist film informs German cinema of the 1920s, French poetic realism of the 1930s, and the American and European film noir of the 1940s and 1950s. This course explores a range of key examples of expressionist cinema drawn from these contexts and asks why the style continues to fascinate us.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £99.00 Concession £64.00 - Everyday life in London: 1350-1500Course start date: Fri 5 May 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Vanessa KingWhere and how did Londoners live? What did they eat and drink? What illnesses did they suffer from, how were they treated and how did they deal with sanitation? These and other questions will be addressed on this course.
Please note this course will have a break week on Friday 7 July.Full fee £259.00 Senior fee £207.00 Concession £130.00
Can't see a course you want?
Add this category to your waiting list to set up alerts and we will update you when new courses are released online.
Add me to waiting list