Courses in London & Online

Since the seventeenth century, coffee has had a mixed reputation. Discover how coffee has transformed from being seen as subversive and emasculating to, allegedly, replacing tea as the nation’s most popular beverage.

The cities of Trieste and Gorizia, on today's Italian North-Eastern border, had a very complicated history in the 19th and 20th century. In this session you will discover the key historical events that marked these lands. From the divisions caused by the two world wars to the choice of Gorizia/Nova Gorica as EU's Capital of Culture 2025.

London has been muse, magnet and mecca to writers for 400 years, home to Shakespeare's successes, Dickens' dramas and Wilde's witticisms. After an introductory lecture (via zoom) we walk a different London neighbourhood each week exploring its literary connections.Break week/No class: 09/10/25. Initial lecture is on zoom . This is followed by 7 guided walks.

Throughout the 1920s, Europe struggled with political and economic (re)construction and stabilisation. If some progress was made in part of the continent, wartime promises of a better and democratic Europe were shattered by the Great Depression.

London was shaped by its architects, engineers, bricklayers, navies etc. Our lecture and walks examine London’s buildings and the men (and women) who worked throughout history to create this eclectic and wonderful city.



First lecture will be delivered via zoom followed by 8 guided walks. Break week/no class 09/10/25.

We chart the fortunes of the first four crusades and the rise and fall of the kingdom of Jerusalem using Christian and Muslim sources. Why did these events occur and what were the consequences?

Travel 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.

The course examines the main developments in British political history between 1886-1906 from the formation of Lord Russell’s Whig Government to the demise of Balfour’s Conservative Government in 1905.

On this interactive lecture introductory course we will explore the political, social, and cultural development of colonial America in the period 1492-1776.

Explore reasons for the fall of Rome and the emergence of the ‘barbarian’ kingdoms of western Europe. Was it really ‘the Dark Ages’? Were the Vikings simply long-haired tourists who occasionally beat up the natives?

The First World War didn’t erupt overnight—it was the result of decades of tensions, miscalculations, and fatal decisions. This course explores the long-term rivalries, shifting alliances, and short-term crises that led Europe to the brink in 1914. How did political ambitions, military strategies, and diplomatic failures push the world into an unprecedented conflict? Join us as we unravel the complex path to war and ask: was the catastrophe inevitable, or could history have taken a different turn?

Join us for an introduction to the major themes of imperial history in the past 200 years of African history, where we will contextualise many of the trends and challenges in the continent today and view Africa in a new light.