Caribbean & American History Courses Online & In London
The histories of the landmass we now call the Americas are rich, complex, and still being written as new evidence emerges and material is reinterpreted via new questions and perspectives. In other words, the histories of the Americas offer not only different takes on the perhaps familiar histories of North America, but also new perspectives on and from Central America, the broader Caribbean, and South America.
There is much to explore; from the emergence of diverse North American and Caribbean societies and Central and South American empires built on agriculture and trade as well as the imperial and independent states that emerged in the centuries following the violent encounters with the Europeans to the new conflicts of the World Wars and the Cold War.
Violence, expansion, resistance, and revolution are central to the histories of the Americas, but far from all that define them.
Join us to learn about and engage with the various and rich histories of the Americas. We offer a range of courses, short and long, online and face-to-face courses as well as reading groups, exploring different aspects of the histories of the Americas.
23 courses available
America Divided: Lead up to the Mid-Terms 2Join City Lit Principal Mark Malcomson to discover why the US Mid-Term elections are among the most dramatic and high-stakes political events -and why they could matter far beyond America’s borders.
Online
Thu 22 Oct 2026Mark MalcomsonFull fee £29.00 Senior fee £29.00 Concession £19.00- Latin America: From the Cold War to the present(Re)discover the troubled but exciting political and socio-economic history of Latin America since the beginning of the Cold War, between dictatorship and democracy, boom and recession, and gain a deeper understanding of the current situation in the continent.
Keeley Street
Wed 28 Oct 2026Sebastien ArdouinFull fee £189.00 Senior fee £151.00 Concession £123.00 - The History of the FBI 1908-1976The online course will assess the impact of the Federal Bureau of Investigation under the leadership of its first Director, J. Edgar Hoover, on US politics, society and culture from its beginnings in 1908 until 1976.
Online
Mon 2 Nov 2026Dafydd TownleyFull fee £159.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £103.00 - The United and Disunited States of America 1776-1865This interactive lecture outline course explores the political, social, and cultural development of the United States from independence to the end of the civil war.
Online
Thu 5 Nov 2026Dafydd TownleyFull fee £189.00 Senior fee £189.00 Concession £123.00 - US midterms: results and consequences
Take stock of the fallout of the US Mid-Term elections with City Lit Principal Mark Malcomson-who won, who lost, and what it means for the future of American politics and the road to the next presidential race.
Online
Tue 17 Nov 2026Mark MalcomsonFull fee £29.00 Senior fee £29.00 Concession £19.00 - Latin American History Late: Che Guevara's RevolutionsWe're all familiar with the image of Ernesto 'Che' Guevara - but why is the idea of this man still so powerful, even 65 years after the Cuban Revolution? Join Dr Anna Grimaldi to explore Guevara's life, ideology, impact and legacies.
Online
Tue 17 Nov 2026Anna GrimaldiFull fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00 - How America replaced Britain in the Middle East 1945-2003This course charts the post 1945 entrance of the United States into the Middle East and the power struggle which ensued with Britain as a consequence. The course pierces the official discourse on the transatlantic relationship and provides a different perspective on how to understand and explain the volatile politics of the region.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00
- Change and Continuity in America 1865-1920On this interactive course we will explore the changes and continuities which took place in American politics, culture and society, from the end of the Civil War to the end of the Progressive Era.
Online
Thu 7 Jan 2027Dafydd TownleyFull fee £189.00 Senior fee £189.00 Concession £123.00 - The Watergate crisisThis course will examine the short and long-term causes of the Watergate crisis and the Nixon administration’s cover-up and the crisis impact on American politics and society.
Online
Mon 11 Jan 2027Dafydd TownleyFull fee £159.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £103.00 - Brazil, Chile & Argentina: an introductory history
This course traces how revolution, war, and political change shaped the nations of Southern Cone Latin America from empire to the present.
Online
Tue 2 Feb 2027Anna GrimaldiFull fee £89.00 Senior fee £89.00 Concession £58.00 - Slavery, enslavement & the CaribbeanApproximately 11 million Africans were enslaved and taken to the Americas. What was daily life like in plantation societies in the Caribbean colonies in the period 1609-1807 and how did new cultures develop over time?
Online
Thu 4 Feb 2027A. SFull fee £89.00 Senior fee £89.00 Concession £58.00 - Radicals and Capitalists in America 1890-1945On this introductory course we will explore political activists of the period across the political spectrum and the impact of economic fortune and misfortune on American societal developments, including the economic boom of the 1920s, the Wall Street Crash, and the Depression.
Online
Thu 18 Feb 2027Dafydd TownleyFull fee £189.00 Senior fee £189.00 Concession £123.00 - Independence Movements in South America: Liberation from Spanish ruleJoin us to discover independence movements in South America and the fight for liberation against Spanish rule, with reference to key iconic figures including Simón Bolívar and José de San Martín, and the role played by Indigenous Peoples and enslaved Africans.
Keeley Street
Sat 20 Feb 2027Maisa EdwardsFull fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00 - Native American history
This six-week interactive lecture outline course examines the history of indigenous populations in North America, from pre-contact societies to modern sovereignty movements.
Online
Mon 22 Feb 2027Dafydd TownleyFull fee £159.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £103.00 - McCarthy, McCarthyism and the Red Scare
The period 1950-1954 is often depicted as a time of witch hunts for secret communists in the United States. We will study the events of those years, while also placing them in broader context of US C20th history.
Keeley Street
Sat 27 Feb 2027Dafydd TownleyFull fee £49.00 Senior fee £39.00 Concession £32.00
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