Culture, History & Humanities classes in London and online

Explore how colonial Mexico transformed into an independent nation and how its early political struggles shaped the country we know today.

Step into the courtroom of history and put one of the world’s most legendary-and controversial-figures under the spotlight. Was Genghis Khan a ruthless conqueror or a visionary leader who reshaped the world? In this lively taster course, you’ll take on the role of historical detective, weighing evidence and forming your own verdict on the founder of the Mongol Empire.

A lively introduction to Swedish, Danish and Norwegian, exploring how these closely related languages work, what makes them unique, and how culture shapes the way they are spoken today.

Discover the political symbolism and history behind the flags of Latin America.

Learn how to evaluate and discuss films while enjoying a working example of a City Lit Film Studies class. In this class we will view and explore clips from a number of films, including popular remakes, enabling us to consider and compare themes and techniques from differing filmmaking countries. There will be a chance to review - in brief - film courses at City Lit (September - December 2026).

In his literary essay On Fairy Stories, J.R.R. Tolkien famously wrote that “in human art, fantasy is a thing best left to words”. Despite this claim, The Lord of the Rings is arguably one of the most profitable media franchises of the 21st century. It has inspired academy-award winning films and record-breaking TV series, and continues to generate material that resonates with new generations of fans to explore. This course will explore the history of adapting Tolkien to the cinema, considering not only what was altered or left behind in attempts to turn Tolkien’s vast mythology into the stuff of popular cinema, but what might also have been enhanced as a result.

(Dr.) Alexander Sergeant is an award-winning film historian and theorist. His varied research interests include the history of popular culture, particularly within the US, and the intersection between film and philosophy. He is the author of Encountering the Impossible: The Fantastic in Hollywood Fantasy Cinema (2021), and co-editor ofFantasy/Animation: Connections Between Media, Mediums & Genres (2018). He is the co-founder of the popular website Fantasy-Animation.org and co-host of the Fantasy/Animation podcast.

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.

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.