Explore Culture, History & Humanities Courses
Explore our extraordinary range of Humanities courses and lectures. We offer both introductory and specialist in-depth courses to suit all levels of interest and experience, from one-off courses in History, Politics, and Economics to in-depth courses in Art History, Film Studies, Literature, and Science and Nature.
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.
- City Lit gift vouchers - the perfect gift
Looking for that perfect present? Treat someone to the gift of learning with a course at City Lit. Available from £10, our gift vouchers can be used to book a place on any of our courses, from London walks and food tasting to museum visits, poetry and much more. Simply purchase your voucher and the recipient can choose from thousands of courses, at a time which suits them.Full fee £10.00 - Behavioural economics in everyday life Course start date: Tue 14 Jul 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Vina TheodorakopoulouDiscover how behavioural economics explains everyday choices. Explore how biases shape decisions in policy, business and personal life and learn how behavioural insights can help us make better, more informed choices.
Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £103.00 Concession £84.00 - Aesop's fables: an introduction Course start date: Tue 14 Jul 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Maria ContosAesop’s fables have been used through history to clarify important issues within society. Investigate their perseverance through history and why they continue to be relevant today.Full fee £49.00 Senior fee £39.00 Concession £32.00 - The labours of Hercules and Theseus Course start date: Wed 15 Jul 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Maria ContosDiscover the legendary labours of two of Greek mythology’s greatest heroes: Hercules and Theseus. Learn about the psychological and philosophical themes embedded in their myths and explore why these heroes continue to captivate audiences across cultures and generations.
Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £30.00 - Exploring Covent Garden’s Theatre History: Inigo Jones, SamuelCourse start date: Wed 15 Jul 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Vernon ThompsonExplore the historical context of a particular area in London’s Theatreland and three figures associated with its development through three walks that start in the classroom.
Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00 - The Lord Protector's wife: The Court and Kitchen of Elizabeth CromwellCourse start date: Thu 16 Jul 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ellen CarpenterMeet Elizabeth Cromwell, the enigmatic wife of Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell. What can we learn about Elizabeth's life and reputation from contemporary sources during her husband's rise to power, whether Royalist propaganda, portraits, or her letters to her husband? Is there more to Elizabeth than meets the eye?
Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00 - The trial of Socrates Course start date: Thu 16 Jul 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Anna BulmerThe trial of Socrates in 399 BC has long been notorious as the moment when democratic Athens condemned an apparently innocent and aged philosopher to death. Discover more about this trial and debate its proceedings and outcome.
Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00 - Land Acknowledgement and Racial Justice: Approaches from Different Settler Societies Course start date: Fri 17 Jul 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Olivia DurandLearn about the origins and purpose of land acknowledgements in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and beyond. Examine their role in racial justice, Indigenous sovereignty, and whether they create real change or remain symbolic gestures.
Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00 - The writings of Cicero: an introduction Course start date: Fri 17 Jul 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sean GabbAn introduction to one of the most influential and prolific Roman writers, Cicero, his life and works.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00 - Doing Anthropology: Ethnographic Research Methods Course start date: Sat 18 Jul 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Yasmin HalesThis Anthropology weekend workshop will introduce students to what anthropologists ‘do’ in the field and explore various ways to research the rich diversity of societies and human behaviour. Learners will critically address how ethnographic research methods have changed from 19thc classical to 21st contemporary data and digital research collection today and apply this to their own cultural fieldwork projects.
Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £97.00 - South Asian Heritage Month at City Lit - the Muslin Trust and heritage fabrics from BangladeshCourse start date: Sat 18 Jul 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Martin JorgensenJoin the Muslin Trust at City Lit to learn more about the global history of heritage fabrics from Bangladesh as part of the South Asian Heritage Month at City Lit.
Full fee £0.00 - Neurosis on FilmCourse start date: Sat 18 Jul 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Mary WildNeurosis may have disappeared from psychiatry, but in cinema, it thrives. This course explores how film portrays anxious, obsessive, and self-sabotaging characters grappling with repression and existential doubt. Through Freud’s psychoanalytic lens, we’ll explore some of cinema’s most fascinating neurotics.
Mary Wild is a film lecturer and podcaster with an academic background in psychoanalytic theory. Her research interests include cinematic representation of the unconscious, surrealism, mental illness, feminine subjectivity, the horror genre, and auteur studies.
Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00 - Cultural Connections: Venice & Western Asia (With V&A visit)Course start date: Mon 20 Jul 2026 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: T HussainDuring this study day we will gain a brief introduction to the history of the relationship between Western Asia, North Africa and the Italian States, with particular reference to Venice. Contrary to long-held misperceptions of hostility and confrontation, the relationship between these important regions was highly nuanced. The evidence paints a picture of trade, diplomacy and mutual connectivityvia material culture. Am at the City Lit, pm at the V & A.
Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00 - India in the 21st Century Course start date: Mon 20 Jul 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Reshmi BanerjeeIndia, the world’s largest democracy has witnessed substantial growth and progress in the last two decades. Apart from being a vibrant democracy, the country has marched ahead in diverse sectors ranging from an economic growth which has been fast-paced accompanied by effective social welfare policies to path-breaking infrastructural development and space research. The course aims to reflect on India’s success story and challenges as well as examine the ways and means in which it can continue to make a mark on the global stage.
Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £45.00 - South Asian Heritage Month at City Lit - Mapping the British Raj : 19thC Politics, Power and Pollution Course start date: Tue 21 Jul 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Yasmin HalesThis session will highlight how 'disease maps’ produced under the British Raj were viewed as administrative tools of Colonial control, and not neutral representations of public health. Politics, purity and pollution became entwined with Colonial medical cartography, in the attempt to spatialise disease and manage the empire.
Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00
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