Explore History, Politics & Economics
Fascinated by the past? Wishing to keep up to date with current affairs? Itching to develop a deeper understanding of democracy and capitalism? There's a course for you at City Lit.
We offers a wide range of history, politics and economics courses on weekdays, evenings and weekends. Our courses vary from skills-based courses on oral and family history projects, to the history of empire, the history of London and the study of global powers and international politics.
Gain critical thinking and analytical skills
Courses in the Humanities help you understand our world today, and the history that has informed the political, social and economic dynamics of modern times. Our courses, including short day courses, lectures and longer-term study over several weeks or whole terms, aim to inform you of the issues that interest and matter to you. Our courses also encourage the development of wider skills such as critical thinking and analysis, listening and discussion skills, and evidence-based interpretation.
Learn from expert tutors
Our tutors are experts in their fields and come from a range of backgrounds, and include academics, experienced educators, serving politicians, acclaimed authors and renowned guides.
Browse our range of courses below to choose your perfect option: both complete beginners and returning students are equally welcome.
359 courses available
History and memory in the United States of AmericaLearn how history is remembered and contested in the United States of America. This study day examines key historical narratives, monuments, and the role of public memory in nation-building, highlighting debates over race and ethnicity, identity, and representation.Keeley Street
Sat 3 Oct 2026Olivia DurandFull fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00- The Byzantine Empire
Explore the dramatic history of the Byzantine Empire from its Roman roots to its fall in 1453. This course offers a concise yet penetrating look at an empire that shaped both Europe and the Islamic world.
Online
Mon 5 Oct 2026Sean GabbFull fee £189.00 Senior fee £151.00 Concession £123.00 - History taster: Puerto Rico
A concise exploration of Puerto Rico’s unique journey from empire to US territory and the identity questions that remain.
Online
Tue 6 Oct 2026Anna GrimaldiFull fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00 - From the Restoration Era to the Glorious Revolution, 1660-1688: court, society and culture during the reigns of Charles II and James II.
Brothers in arms...? Join us to explore the restoration of the Stuart monarchy under King Charles II, the turbulent succession of his brother James II, and the resulting Glorious Revolution, tracing the political, religious and social events that reshaped England in the late 1600s.
Keeley Street
Tue 6 Oct 2026Ellen CarpenterFull fee £239.00 Senior fee £191.00 Concession £155.00 - London Calling: popular music, society and culture 1955–2025
The sites, sounds and hidden stories of London’s music scenes from the dawn of the rock’n’roll era through the punk explosion to today, explored via walking tours of four musically rich neighbourhoods. Tutor: professional guide and music enthusiast Aiden Mcmanus.
Off Site
Wed 7 Oct 2026Aidan McManusFull fee £149.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £97.00 - London History Lectures: The World of the London Bodysnatchers, 1800-1832
In this illustrated talk, Sarah Wise - author of The Italian Boy: Murder and Grave Robbery in 1830s London - takes us on a tour of some of London’s lesser-known graveyards, and surveys some of the highly unsentimental folk who profited from other people’s deaths and family bereavements. Some of them even turned to murder.
Online
Wed 7 Oct 2026Sarah WiseFull fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00 - Contested histories: monuments, memory and power
Why do we build monuments? What do they commemorate and what do they leave out? This course explores how memorials shape and are shaped by politics, memory, and power.
Keeley Street
Thu 8 Oct 2026Vincent MarquisFull fee £139.00 Senior fee £111.00 Concession £90.00 - The History of History
What are the tools and techniques used by historians and what influences the practice of writing history and how it is presented from era to era? Join Professor Pamela Pilbeam to learn more.
Keeley Street
Fri 9 Oct 2026Pamela PilbeamFull fee £239.00 Senior fee £191.00 Concession £155.00 - History, memory and mental wealth: why we need to talk about empireFormally, European imperialism ended decades ago. Yet, the different legacies still affect the world and many societies today. Join us for a discussion on why we need to talk about empire and mental wealth.
Keeley Street
Fri 9 Oct 2026Martin JorgensenFull fee £10.00 Senior fee £10.00 Concession £5.00 - The City of London: the Square Mile
Explore the City’s development from Roman and medieval times through to the Tudors and Stuarts. This course will consist of 8 walks starting with Roman London.
Full fee £249.00 Senior fee £199.00 Concession £162.00 - Umayyads (661-750) and Abbasids (750-1258): the first dynasties that ruled the Islamic world
This study day will delve into the main political and cultural events that characterise the history of the Umayyads and the Abbasids.
Keeley Street
Sat 10 Oct 2026Roberta MarinFull fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00 - Influential Women of the Islamic Empires
A whistle stop tour of almost 1300 years of Islamic Empires, meeting some of the remarkable women that created Islamic history along the way.
Keeley Street
Sun 11 Oct 2026Tas RahmanFull fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00 - Victorian Soho: Sex, Shopping, Tourism and Anarchy
The West End was a heady mix of glamorous shopping emporia, political refugees from Europe, street-based and brothel-based prostitution, and the general public just enjoying a day or evening ‘Up West’. Join Dr. Sarah Wise to learn more on this 2 hour guided walk of Soho.
Off Site
Wed 14 Oct 2026Sarah WiseFull fee £39.00 Senior fee £31.00 Concession £25.00 - The French Revolution
Few events in history have reshaped the world like the French Revolution. It overthrew a monarchy, challenged centuries-old traditions, and unleashed forces that still shape our lives today-democracy, nationalism, and the rights of citizens.
In this course, we’ll explore the Revolution’s dramatic highs and brutal lows: from the storming of the Bastille and the fall of the monarchy to the Terror and the rise of Napoleon. Along the way, we’ll meet idealists, radicals, reformers, and opportunists, and examine the big ideas-liberty, equality, fraternity-that lit a fire across Europe.
Keeley Street
Wed 14 Oct 2026Zoe QuinnFull fee £149.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £97.00 - Can't pay? Won't Pay! A history of the Poll Tax
The course examines what has been described as the most celebrated disaster in post-war domestic British politics - the Poll Tax of 1988-94.
Keeley Street
Sat 17 Oct 2026David IngledewFull fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00
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