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. Full fee £139.00 Senior fee £139.00 Concession £70.00
    Rating:
    100% of 100
  2. Full fee £139.00 Senior fee £139.00 Concession £70.00
  3. Understanding racism in Britain
    Course start date:  Wed 17 Apr 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Gabriel Olumide Apata
    The course examines the history and nature of racism in British society. It asks: how racist is Britain and how is that racism expressed in different areas of life? Join us to engage these difficult but important questions.
    Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £97.00
  4. A history of global capitalism
    Course start date:  Wed 17 Apr 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Vina Theodorakopoulou
    Want to understand the history of global capitalism. Join Dr. Vina Theodorakopoulou to learn about the historical transitions towards what we know as capitalism today – evolution of capital, the role of the state, labour, competition, race, and innovation-automation.
    Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £97.00
  5. Full fee £139.00 Senior fee £139.00 Concession £70.00
    Rating:
    96% of 100
  6. Cuneiform. An introduction for beginners
    Course start date:  Fri 19 Apr 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Hugo Cook
    This four-week course provides a foundation in Old Persian Cuneiform, allowing students to explore the words and world of the ancient Persians. The class will be held at City Lit and includes visits to the British Museum.
    Full fee £139.00 Senior fee £139.00 Concession £90.00
  7. Origins of the Italian Renaissance: The Primitivi
    Last Few Places
    Course start date:  Fri 19 Apr 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Simone Chisena
    Discover the history, politics and intellectualism that fuelled the Italian Renaissance. Explore the art of Giotto and his peers from a new perspective.



    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 £119.00 Concession £97.00
  8. The rise and fall of Oscar Wilde
    Last Few Places
    Course start date:  Mon 22 Apr 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Julian Birkett
    Oscar Wilde was the most controversial writer of late Victorian Britain. He was famed for his wit, extravagant lifestyle, and sexual adventures. His plays and his sensational novel The Picture of Dorian Gray were celebrated and admired. But his scandalous trial and conviction “for gross indecency with men” ruined him, and he ended his life in Paris, destitute and alone. His dramatic trial marked a turning point in British attitudes to sex and culture.
    Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £97.00
  9. Women in Philosophy
    Evening
    Course start date:  Mon 22 Apr 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Jessica Feely
    This course examines the work of five women philosophers and their contribution to social and political philosophy in the twentieth and twenty first century. The thinkers covered are: Agnes Heller (1929 – 2019), Julia Kristeva (1941), Gayarti Chakrabarty Spivak (1942), Angela Davies (1944) and Nancy Fraser (1947).



    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 £97.00
  10. Art and critical theory: vision and gaze
    Evening
    Course start date:  Tue 23 Apr 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Irina Chkhaidze
    Explore the role of critical theory within the field of art history, and learn new ways of thinking about art by focusing on the topics of vision and gaze.



    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 £97.00
  11. The occult on screen
    Course start date:  Tue 23 Apr 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Gillian McIver
    Surprisingly, not every film that features the occult is a horror film. Certainly, many of them are; we will consider classics such as Haxan from 1922, Rosemary’s Baby, The Craft, Angel Heart, The Witch and Hereditary. Other films, such as Kenneth Anger's Lucifer Rising and A Dark Song, attempt to treat the occult seriously as secret or hidden knowledge. We'll examine the cultural backdrop of occult films and questions of representation, gender relations, and spirituality.
    Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £97.00
  12. The History of the Irish short story: from early Joyce to Claire Keegan
    Last Few Places
    Course start date:  Tue 23 Apr 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Richard Niland
    The short story has come to be seen as one of Irish Literature’s most celebrated forms of expression. From the early stories of George Moore and James Joyce, to modern classics by John McGahern, William Trevor and Claire Keegan, the short story has allowed Irish writers to pick apart the complexities of Irish society in powerful, precise and poetic terms. This course will explore some of the most iconic short stories of twentieth-century Irish literature.
    Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £97.00
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