Beginners History, Culture & Humanities Courses
Start your journey into the world of history, culture and humanities with City Lit’s beginners courses. Our expert-led courses provide a friendly and accessible introduction to these fascinating subjects, perfect for those new to the topic or looking to return to learning.
Whether you’re interested in exploring history, cultural studies, literature or philosophy, our beginners courses offer a supportive environment for you to learn at your own pace. With live sessions, group discussions, and tutor guidance, you’ll be able to engage with thought-provoking content and develop your skills in a relaxed, interactive space.
Join us today and take your first step into the world of history, culture and humanities with City Lit.
- Global encounters: the Silk Roads
Course start date: Tue 15 Sep 2026Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Vanessa KingTravel 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.Full fee £189.00 Senior fee £151.00 Concession £123.00 - Global encounters: meet the Mongols Course start date: Tue 15 Sep 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Vanessa KingAt its height the Mongol empire stretched from the Sea of Japan to eastern Europe. We explore how the Mongols interacted with the nations they conquered.Full fee £189.00 Senior fee £151.00 Concession £123.00 - Art history and cinema Course start date: Tue 15 Sep 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Gillian McIverSince 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.Full fee £189.00 Senior fee £189.00 Concession £123.00 - Blood, pain and infection: how surgery was transformed from 1840 to the present day Course start date: Tue 15 Sep 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: David IngledewThe course examines key developments in surgery, as a critical aspect of modern medicine, between 1840 and the present day.
Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £97.00 - Rising powers: China, from Mao to Xi Course start date: Tue 15 Sep 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Sebastien ArdouinThe 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 - Literature taster: poetry Course start date: Wed 16 Sep 2026 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Sophie OxenhamCurious about reading poetry? Join us for this taster session to boost your confidence and whet your appetite for further learning and exploration!
Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00 - History of economic thought: part 1Course start date: Wed 16 Sep 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Christian MichelWant to learn about the the development of economic ideas and how they tie in with political ideas? Join this course to strengthen your understanding.
Full fee £259.00 Senior fee £259.00 Concession £168.00 - Sustainable Development and Global RisksCourse start date: Wed 16 Sep 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Anita PunwaniThis course explores why greater global cooperation is needed if sustainable development goals are to be achieved in the face of global risks.
Full fee £89.00 Senior fee £89.00 Concession £58.00 - Tales from EverywhereCourse start date: Wed 16 Sep 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Aamer HusseinThis course looks at freshly translated or newly rediscovered gems of international writing from the second half of the 20th century. Texts include The Way to Colonos by Kay Cicellis (Greece); God’s Bits of Wood by Sembene Ousmane (Senegal); Behind the Portrait by Siburapha (Thailand); and Woman in the Pillory by Brigitte Reimann (Germany).
Full fee £279.00 Senior fee £223.00 Concession £181.00 - Exploring British cinemaCourse start date: Wed 16 Sep 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Jon WisbeyDefining 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.Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £97.00 - Economics for beginners Course start date: Thu 17 Sep 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Naresh SonparEconomics is about what drives human behaviour in making decisions faced with limited resources. Join this online course to learn how economic forces shape our world, from individual decision-making to how our political and social systems operate.
Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £97.00 - Global issues Course start date: Thu 17 Sep 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Sebastien ArdouinThrough the study of some of the key actors and main issues that affect people across continents, you will gain the skills and knowledge to analyse today’s world and the challenges we all face.Full fee £299.00 Senior fee £239.00 Concession £194.00 - The Cold WarCourse start date: Thu 17 Sep 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Alison ApplebyExplore how the 'Grand Alliance' of the USA, Britain and the USSR degenerated into a Cold War that divided Europe for forty years. See where the Cold War got hot in other parts of the world. Break week/no class 29/10/2026.
.Full fee £329.00 Senior fee £263.00 Concession £214.00 - An Accidental Empire? The British Empire 1500-1850 Course start date: Thu 17 Sep 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Colm HickeyJoin Colm Hickey to explore the history of the British Empire in the period 1500-1850. Overview sessions will be followed by the exploration of the history of different colonies around the Empire.
Full fee £239.00 Senior fee £191.00 Concession £155.00 - Colonial America 1492-1776 Course start date: Thu 17 Sep 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Dafydd TownleyOn this interactive lecture introductory course we will explore the political, social, and cultural development of colonial America in the period 1492-1776.Full fee £189.00 Senior fee £189.00 Concession £123.00
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