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 writing creative non-fiction and American history and politics.
Study online from the comfort of home, with interactive classes that allow you to participate in discussions with fellow adult students. We offer daytime, evening and weekend courses, both short and long. For more information, please see our guide to online learning.
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 online now.
- Queen Victoria's heyday: Britain and Ireland 1848-1861Course start date: Mon 20 Sep 2021
Location on this date: Online
Aspects covered include the nature of government and Empire, franchise reform and peace movements; Florence Nightingale, The Crimea and health reform; the role of religion and developments in science; the Arts and the Great Exhibition.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £239.00 Senior fee £191.00 Concession £105.00 - The Scottish EnlightenmentCourse start date: Mon 20 Sep 2021
Location on this date: Online
The centre of intellectual life in Great Britain was, in the late 18th and early 19th century, not
Oxford, Cambridge, or London… it was Glasgow and Edinburgh. The Scottish Enlightenment
made a unique contribution to the development of economics, history, philosophy,
sociology, and more that is still with us today. This course identifies the main thinkers,
debates, and contributions and places it within the context of the time.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £159.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £70.00 - Developing your poetry
Course start date: Tue 21 Sep 2021 (and 1 other date)Location on this date: Online
For those familiar with the basics of poetic form, this intermediate course explores craft and content through reading exercises, writing exercises and constructive feedback. Ideal if you have already attended 'Ways into poetry'.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £209.00 Senior fee £209.00 Concession £84.00 - Poetry workshop: intensiveCourse start date: Tue 21 Sep 2021
Location on this date: Online
Want to have your poems critiqued in a supportive environment? This intensive poetry workshop focuses on offering feedback to poets who have already written a selection of poems and are looking to push their writing further.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £52.00 - Writing non-fiction for children: an introductionCourse start date: Tue 21 Sep 2021
Location on this date: Online
Learn how to write children’s non-fiction on this exciting and interactive course encompassing classic fact book, biography and narrative. You will also get an opportunity to practise and get some feedback on your writing.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £52.00 - Great Historical NovelsCourse start date: Tue 21 Sep 2021
Location on this date: Online
Historical fiction is enjoying a boom. Authors are recreating ancient Rome, Tudor England, medieval Europe and Civil War America while writing prequels and sequels to Homer and Jane Austen. We’ll be reading and discussing some classics of the genre from Mary Renault’s admired evocation of ancient Greece The King Must Die to novels by Alice Walker and James Meek and Virginia Woolf’s Orlando.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £121.00 - Introduction to moral philosophyCourse start date: Tue 21 Sep 2021
Location on this date: Online
What’s the right thing to do? But what does ‘right’ actually mean? And what reason do I have to do it? Join us as we grapple with these fundamental questions. No class on Tues 26th October.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £219.00 Senior fee £219.00 Concession £134.00 - Television screenwritingCourse start date: Tue 21 Sep 2021
Location on this date: Online
Do you want to write a drama script for television? What do you write and where do you start? Through exercises and examples this course will assist you in developing your own projects.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £209.00 Senior fee £209.00 Concession £84.00 - Advanced playwritingCourse start date: Tue 21 Sep 2021
Location on this date: Online
Dive deeper into the key elements of writing for the theatre, gain fresh critical insight into your own writing, and produce a new draft of your work. This online course is designed for experienced playwrights who have work in-progress.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £219.00 Senior fee £219.00 Concession £88.00 - Creative non-fictionCourse start date: Tue 21 Sep 2021 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
Explore practical and imaginative approaches to creative non fiction, including travel writing, life writing and the essay. Analyse published work, produce your own pieces, and benefit from detailed feedback.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £209.00 Senior fee £209.00 Concession £84.00 - Writing Post-Colonial LondonCourse start date: Tue 21 Sep 2021
Location on this date: Online
Migration from once-colonised countries to the old imperial centre has transformed London demographically and culturally. This course offers an opportunity to critically read a selection of novels, poetry and cinema written by writers and filmmakers of migrant and diaspora heritage that examine life in contemporary multicultural and postcolonial London. We will be focusing on how this select body of work interrogates legacies of colonialism, racism and socio-economic inequality as well as offering a creative space for investigating London’s place as a multicultural metropolis.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £91.00 - Introduction to political philosophyCourse start date: Tue 21 Sep 2021
Location on this date: Online
What are the ends and means of politics? Interweaving modern history and politics with key philosophical texts, study and debate the ideas, ideologies and concepts underpinning our thinking about the organisation of society.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £179.00 Concession £109.00 - Writing for childrenCourse start date: Tue 21 Sep 2021 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Always wanted to write a children's book? This practical course will develop your ability to write for different age groups and genres of contemporary children's fiction. (Please note this two-term course is payable in two instalments.).
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £389.00 Senior fee £389.00 Concession £156.00 - The essay - academic writingCourse start date: Tue 21 Sep 2021
Location on this date: Online
A crash course in essay writing – beginnings, middles and ends. Suitable for students on A-level and access courses or undergraduates.
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 £40.00 - Autobiographical writing: an introductionCourse start date: Tue 21 Sep 2021
Location on this date: Online
This short course explores the basic elements of writing autobiography drawing on memories, diaries, photos, dreams and fantasies with a focus on the forms of autobiography, memoir and the personal essay.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £52.00
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