Cultural Studies Short Courses in London and Online

Are you trying to make sense of a world that feels increasingly unfamiliar and fractured in 2026?

This 2-hour taster sociology session invites you to look beyond traditional, historical sociology to examine the urgent intersections of belief systems, ideology, violence and power as we see it play out in global politics.

“Culture is one of the two or three most complicated words in the English language,” wrote the novelist, critic and cultural theorist, Raymond Williams. Yet we use to word daily and in a multitude of ways. Starting with a set of keywords, this course explores and attempts to define the ubiquitous and elusive term and simultaneously acts as an introduction to the relatively new discipline of Cultural Studies.

Catherine Berger holds a PhD in the History of Art from University College London, where she also taught for many years. She has worked as a tutor at the University of Basel and as a researcher at the University of Zurich and taught in various other institutions, including adult education and a secondary school. She has worked as an editor, written for publications and regularly translates essays and book chapters in her areas of expertise. The analysis of the relationship of cultural production to its social conditions is at the core of her work. Her interests and methods reach across disciplinary boundaries, interweaving visual culture with philosophy, sociology, political and economic theory, linguistics, literature, musicology and psychology, often with a focus on feminism, gender and theories of the maternal. A passionate teacher, Catherine works hard to create inclusive, supportive, student-centred learning environments.

This course focuses on contemporary current affairs and political issues, examining how they intersect with gender, women, and masculinity. It invites students to critically explore power, media, and global inequalities through a gendered lens.

Question what you know, explore what shapes society, and see the world beyond the textbook.

In this accessible, discussion‑led course, we explore the brain, technology and nature. Through short videos and practical activities, we learn how the brain can grow and change at any age - and why this matters for how people think and learn differently.

From glass ceilings to quiet revolutions-how far have we really come? Explore feminist thought through everyday life, resistance, and identity across work, family, media, and education.

In this six-week Cultural Studies course, we look at friendship and love between women and the path towards emancipation and social equality that female solidarity opens up. The patriarchy has cunning ways to appropriate women for its own purposes and continued dominance, by sowing discord, division and envy among groups that are not straight and male. But connection, community and care can be sites of the struggle to remake the world, as countless examples from past and present demonstrate.