Online History Courses
Take a closer look at the events, people and ideas that have shaped our world with City Lit’s online history courses. Whether you're fascinated by ancient civilisations, medieval Europe, modern politics or global history, our expert-led courses offer flexible and engaging learning — all from the comfort of your own home.
Explore key historical periods, movements and cultural changes, and gain insight into the social, political and economic forces that have influenced the course of history. With live interactive sessions, group discussion and guidance from experienced tutors, you'll build knowledge, develop critical thinking and share your passion for the past with fellow learners.
Our online history courses are open to adults of all ages — no prior experience required. Whether you're returning to study or exploring history for the first time, you'll find a welcoming, supportive environment to feed your curiosity and expand your understanding.
Explore our online history courses today and connect with the stories that continue to shape the world we live in.
125 courses available
- London on the Move: How Street Objects Shaped the City
From sedan chairs and hackney coaches to black cabs, gas lamps and red telephone boxes, London’s streets are full of objects that tell stories. Join Hazel Baker on this online course to learn what these objects might teach us about London's extraordinary history.
Online
Mon 18 Jan 2027Hazel BakerFull fee £139.00 Senior fee £111.00 Concession £90.00 
Sensing the Past: '6 Senses' in Historical ContextJoin Dr. Linsey Hunter to discover the history of 6 senses: sight, hearing, taste, touch, smell...and the belief in the ability to see beyond the rational world. How were these senses understood by people in the past?
Online
Tue 19 Jan 2027Linsey HunterFull fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £97.00- The CIA in Africa: Coups, Conspiracy and Covert Action
Discover a fascinating and undercover world of the American CIA's involvement in coups and regime change in Africa on this exciting online course.
Online
Tue 19 Jan 2027Oren GruenbaumFull fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £84.00 - Seventy years in the Soviet grip: the experience of the people of Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia within the USSRJoin us to explore the long period during which the different nations of the South Caucasus were part of the Soviet Union, starting with their annexation and ending with the break-up of the Soviet state seventy years later, which resulted in renewed independence for the three republics. This experience was at different times revolutionary, traumatic, stultifying and nation-shaping.
Online
Thu 21 Jan 2027David RowsonFull fee £189.00 Senior fee £189.00 Concession £123.00 - Chinese History Friday Late: Women in China
Trace the history of women in China from imperial times to the present, exploring how gender roles were defined, lived, and contested. It highlights both dominant ideals and diverse experiences, showing how women’s lives were shaped by social norms, cultural traditions, and historical change.
Online
Fri 22 Jan 2027Qiuyang ChenFull fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00 - Meet the Scientists: Edward Jenner
Meet Edward Jenner and explore Jenner's role the development of the first smallpox vaccine in the context of the impact of smallpox on previous societies, together with Jenner's impact and legacy.
Online
Mon 25 Jan 2027David IngledewFull fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00 - Gujarat: 4,000 Years of Trade, Faith and Migration
Discover Gujarat-where ancient trade routes and modern industry converge.
Online
Mon 25 Jan 2027Ketan VariaFull fee £89.00 Senior fee £89.00 Concession £58.00 - A short history of the Indian subcontinentThe India subcontinent is unique in its heritage and history. Join us for a tour of of the period from Pre-Aryans (c5000 BCE) to the start of the Mughal empire.
Online
Wed 27 Jan 2027Ketan VariaFull fee £239.00 Senior fee £239.00 Concession £155.00 - London History Lectures: Streets Coloured Black and Blue: Charles Booth’s Notebooks And The Revelation Of London Poverty
The notebooks that late-Victorian sociologist Charles Booth and his assistants kept of their explorations of late-Victorian London poverty are unparalleled in the detail and colour they provide for the modern researcher. Their inquiry led to the creation of the famous ‘Poverty Map’ - a colour-coded chart of socio-economic London lives. Join Sarah Wise to discover their significance for London's history.
Online
Wed 27 Jan 2027Sarah WiseFull fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00 - ‘My heart’s in the Highlands’: The medieval Highlands and Islands
Discover the history, culture, politics, peoples and places of the Highlands and Islands during the medieval period, which encompasses the Norse, Picts, Gaels, Scots and more!
Online
Wed 27 Jan 2027Linsey HunterFull fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £97.00 - Global History Friday Lates: tea & tea trading
Explore the fascinating history of tea consumption in Britain and the global trade networks that brought it here.
Online
Fri 29 Jan 2027Linsey HunterFull fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00 - Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £97.00
- From markets to malls: the history of shopping in LondonFrom the City markets and shops of Cheapside (Medieval London’s Oxford Street) we move via the historic specialist shops of St James’s to the grand department stores and London markets. Discover how Londoners changed their shopping habits through the years and learn about the history of some of our most famous stores. A shop founded by a royal footman, a 17th century hatter, the department store owner who went to jail for expanding his business and the store which was the scene of its owner’s murder all feature.
Online
Mon 1 Feb 2027Diane BursteinFull fee £29.00 Senior fee £29.00 Concession £19.00 - 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
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