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.Read less
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Flags decoded: Latin AmericaDiscover the political symbolism and history behind the flags of Latin America.
Online
Mon 14 Sep 2026Sebastien ArdouinFull fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00- The many faces of timeDo we perceive time or the passage of events? Einstein famously considered time - or the distinction between past, present, and future - as an illusion. We examine subjective time or how we experience time, discussing the roles of memory, emotion, and narrative.
Online
Mon 14 Sep 2026Anita KasabovaFull fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00 - America's world: US foreign policy in the 21st Century
US foreign policy has reshaped the world since 9/11. This course tells the story of how and why. Over six weeks, you'll trace America's wars, alliances, and rivalries from the Bush Doctrine to the present, debating the big decisions through presidential speeches and primary sources.
Online
Mon 14 Sep 2026Dafydd TownleyFull fee £189.00 Senior fee £189.00 Concession £123.00 - What is Social Anthropology: The birth of the discipline 19th-20th CenturyThis ‘What is Social Anthropology?’ course, will introduce you to the 19thC birth of the discipline, an understanding of cross-cultural human behaviour and the similarities and differences between societies on a global and local level.
Online
Mon 14 Sep 2026Yasmin HalesFull fee £189.00 Senior fee £189.00 Concession £123.00 - The big questions we face: a taste of politics and economicsBorders, conflicts, citizenship, elections, activism and global politics. We see these topics on the news every day. Some seem connected, others less so. Join our politics taster to get perspective and an overview of our politics courses.
Online
Tue 15 Sep 2026Caglar EzikogluFull fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00 - The Golden Age of Japanese Cinema: Ozu, Kurosawa and Mizoguchi
This course examines the transformative period of Japanese cinema during its so-called Golden Age (from late 1940s to early 1960s), a time when Japan’s traditional film studio system was at its peak, and several iconic directors, including Akira Kurosawa, Yasujiro Ozu, and Kenji Mizoguchi, were making their most iconic films. We will discuss, analyse, and contextualise several of these directors’ films, as well as look at films by other directors of that period, such as Mikio Naruse and Masaki Kobayashi, and more. We will consider the socio-political and film industry contexts which shaped the films, including the cultural meanings behind the samurai genre, the post-war Occupation of Japan by Allied Forces, and the international impact of Japanese cinema on global filmmaking.
Online
Tue 15 Sep 2026Jean-Baptiste de VaulxFull fee £239.00 Senior fee £239.00 Concession £155.00 - Blood, pain and infection: how surgery was transformed from 1840 to the present day
The course examines key developments in surgery, as a critical aspect of modern medicine, between 1840 and the present day.
Online
Tue 15 Sep 2026David IngledewFull fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £97.00 - Rising powers: China, from Mao to XiThe spectacular rise of China is one of the most significant developments of the last decades. What explains it and what does it mean for China itself and the world?Full fee £329.00 Senior fee £263.00 Concession £214.00
- Global encounters: the Silk RoadsTravel nearly 2000 years of history along the Silk Roads across Eurasia and China and explore the cross-cultural impact generated through the expansion of trade.
Online
Tue 15 Sep 2026Vanessa KingFull fee £189.00 Senior fee £151.00 Concession £123.00 - Art history and cinemaSince cinema's earliest days, literature has provided movies with stories. But there is another way of looking at film: through its relationship with painting, the oldest of the art forms.
We’ll look at paintings by Friedrich, Titian, Hopper, Bacon, Delaroche and many more. We’ll view Red Desert, Pan’s Labyrinth, Easy Rider - looking at realism, surrealism and more.
As you can see, all of these are quite different! Let’s see how movies connect us to art history.Online
Tue 15 Sep 2026Gillian McIverFull fee £189.00 Senior fee £189.00 Concession £123.00 - Sustainable Development and Global Risks
This course explores why greater global cooperation is needed if sustainable development goals are to be achieved in the face of global risks.
Online
Wed 16 Sep 2026Anita PunwaniFull fee £89.00 Senior fee £89.00 Concession £58.00 - Exploring British cinemaDefining itself around themes such as realism, class and national identity, and differentiating itself from Hollywood and other national cinemas, British cinema has found critical and popular acclaim both domestically and internationally. This course explores key themes and developments in British cinema, past and present, through a range of films, filmmakers and critical concepts and responses.
Online
Wed 16 Sep 2026Jon WisbeyFull fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £97.00 - Colonial America 1492-1776On this interactive lecture introductory course we will explore the political, social, and cultural development of colonial America in the period 1492-1776.
Online
Thu 17 Sep 2026Dafydd TownleyFull fee £189.00 Senior fee £189.00 Concession £123.00 - European history: from Pen to Print 600-1650
From medieval manuscripts to explosive print culture, this course uncovers censorship, book markets, pamphlets, and changing readerships between 600 and 1650-revealing how texts shaped belief, authority, and society.
Online
Fri 18 Sep 2026Vanessa KingFull fee £279.00 Senior fee £223.00 Concession £181.00 - Europe in the Age of Discovery 1400-1500
Explore the growth and expansion of post-plague Europe thatwitnessednot onlythe splendour of Burgundy,the rise of printing,unification of Spainandthe Renaissance,butalsothe Age of Explorationthat led tocolonialism and slavery
Online
Fri 18 Sep 2026Vanessa KingFull fee £279.00 Senior fee £223.00 Concession £181.00
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