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. The Maya Calendar: Circles Of Time
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 1 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Gary Retallick
    The Maya Calendar, previously little known outside the realm of academic research, rose to worldwide prominence in 2012, since the cycle of the Calendar ended on 21st December of that year and the myth arose that the world would end when that cycle of the Calendar ended. This misinterpretation of the Calendar arose out of a lack of understanding of Maya culture, an understanding which can be obtained, at least in part, through a careful analysis of the Calendar itself.
    Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £59.00 Concession £38.00
  2. Philosophy and the psyche
    Course start date:  Mon 3 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Anita Kasabova
    What is the psyche and how is it lodged in the body? This course explores the psyche and its connections with the body through a philosophical lens from the ancient Greeks to current discussions.



    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 £79.00 Concession £64.00
  3. Medieval Drama: the Mystery Cycles
    Evening
    Course start date:  Mon 3 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Rachel Buglass
    This course explores the Medieval Mystery plays, also known as the York Corpus Christi plays, focusing on the oldest of the four great cycles of biblical drama that have survived from late Medieval England. We will consider theatrical conventions, costumes and props, the performances and open-air staging of the plays and the medieval guilds and writers that were responsible for them.



    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
  4. Ways into advanced film studies: film theory
    Course start date:  Tue 4 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Paul Sutton
    This advanced level film studies course will introduce you to a range of theoretical approaches to the study of film. It will consider some of the earliest attempts to think about film, studies that borrowed methodologies from other disciplines. As early as 1915, for example, writers were applying psychology to film analysis, exploring the emotional responses of audiences to this still new medium. Early theorists argued for film as a distinct art form, and we will examine a number of their key texts. In the 1960s, film studies began to develop as a specific subject of study in universities in the US and the UK, once again deploying perspectives from other subject areas. We will examine a number of these theories and consider their continued importance for the analysis and understanding of film today.
    Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £99.00 Concession £64.00
  5. Modern African history: understanding the state and economy since independence
    Evening
    Course start date:  Tue 4 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Ingrid Aguiar Schlindwein
    Explore post-colonial Africa's political, economic, and social journey since independence. Gain insights into state building, governance, development, and identity, fostering a holistic understanding of Africa's historical evolution.



    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
  6. The criminalization of protests and democracy in Western Europe
    Evening
    Course start date:  Tue 4 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    This course looks at the responses of Western European governments to recent protests and asks what the increasing criminalisation of protests means for the state of democracy in these countries.
    Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £99.00 Concession £64.00
  7. The Portuguese Empire; establishment, world-making, demise and legacies
    Evening
    Course start date:  Wed 5 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Ingrid Aguiar Schlindwein
    A journey through the rise and fall of the Portuguese Empire. Uncover pioneering navigation, understand colonial societies in Brazil, Africa, and Asia through their economies, culture, independence struggles, and legacies.



    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 £55.00 Concession £45.00
  8. Movements in art: Impressionism
    Course start date:  Wed 5 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Elizabeth Eyres
    Study the work of a controversial group of painters working in and around Paris from the late 1860s and 1870s and explore how these artists re-thought their creative practice in response to modern life.



    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 £55.00 Concession £45.00
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  9. The beauty of the medieval manuscript
    Course start date:  Thu 6 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Emma Rose Barber
    It is generally accepted that medieval illuminated manuscripts are very beautiful things. Something to do with all that gold-leaf maybe. While we cannot hold them in class, close-up digital reproduction will allow us to see if they really are as beautiful as we are told. Indeed, are none of them ugly? Join this course to find out.



    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 £79.00 Concession £64.00
  10. The Politics of the NHS from 1945 to 2024
    Evening
    Course start date:  Thu 6 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    This course will provide a reflection on contemporary debates around the National Health Service in the UK and relate them to its historical settings.
    Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £64.00
  11. George Eliot: Middlemarch
    Last Few Places
    Course start date:  Thu 6 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Sophie Oxenham
    This short literature course will explore George Eliot’s novel, ‘Middlemarch’ (1871-2). Considered by many to be the greatest nineteenth century novel, we explore its narrative methods and characterisation, its rich engagement with the ideas and concerns of its age, and above all, its deep humanity that still resonates today.
    Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £64.00
  12. Introduction to Marxist philosophy
    Evening
    Course start date:  Thu 6 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Oliver Josiah
    This course is intended as an introduction to the philosophy of Karl Marx and later Marxists such as Vladimir Lenin, Eduard Bernstein, and Rosa Luxemburg.



    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
  13. The Norwich School - a unique society of landscape painters
    Course start date:  Fri 7 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Elizabeth Eyres
    On this course you will study the fascinating work of the 19th century Norwich School, a loose association of generations of painters from artistic families who worked in Norwich, Norfolk, one of the most important and wealthy regional capitals of the day. You will explore the beautiful landscapes produced by these artists and also discover work produced by remarkable women in the group.



    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 £55.00 Concession £45.00
  14. A divided dynasty: the Great Seljuks in Iran (1040-1157) and the Sejuks of Rum in Anatolia (1081-1307)
    Course start date:  Fri 7 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Roberta Marin
    After leaving behind the steppes of Central Asia, the Seljuks abandoned nomadism, converted to Islam and settled in Iran and later also in Anatolia.
    Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00
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