Courses in war and society
War both affects and springs from society and is therefore something we need to understand and challenge.
City Lit was established to offer learning opportunities in the humanities after the First World War, with veterans being amongst our first learners. Our courses also ran in air raid shelters during the Second World War. In this way, City Lit shares with humanity how war has been part of our journey.
There is a need for us all to understand the causes, impacts and legacies of conflict and wars, past, present and future. To support that commitment and apply our heritage, this collection of inter-disciplinary courses explores the relationship between philosophical, historical and sociological perspectives of war and society.
- Ghetto uprising 1943: Jewish life and death in WarsawCourse start date: Sat 18 Jan 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: David RosenbergIn April 1943, some 40,000 starving people were still incarcerated in terrible conditions within the Warsaw Ghetto. A few hundred among them – predominantly young people – led an armed rebellion against the Nazis. This course conveys the incredible story of their uprising but also reveals the background of Warsaw's vibrant but increasingly endangered Jewish life in the decades before the uprising. It describes the many forms of resistance that took place after the Nazi invasion, highlights key individuals who played a role, and provides an opportunity to reflects on different aspects of this tragic but inspiring episode during the Holocaust. - US controversies: McCarthyism and the Red ScareCourse start date: Sat 1 Mar 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Brian KennedyThe years from 1950 to 1954 are often depicted as a time when there was witch hunt for secret communists in the United States. We will study the events of those years, while also placing them in broader context. - Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £110.00
- Indian Women and the RajCourse start date: Sat 8 Mar 2025
Location on this date: Online
Explore the representations and reality of Indian women’s lives during the British colonial era. Why does gender history matter and what can it tell us about the history of British colonialism and India?
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information. - Modern France: from the Paris Commune to the Vichy RegimeCourse start date: Thu 24 Apr 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sebastien ArdouinAfter uncertain beginnings, the Third republic managed to survive numerous crises until the defeat of 1940 sealed its fate. Re(discover) this exciting period, its actors and how their policies shaped modern France.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information. - Global issuesCourse start date: Tue 29 Apr 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sebastien ArdouinThrough the study of some of the key actors and main issues that affect people across continents, you will gain the skills and knowledge to analyse today’s world and the challenges we all face.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information. - Contemporary Middle-Eastern politicsCourse start date: Wed 7 May 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Nomaan HanifThe Middle East remains the global hotbed of conflict and instability where religion still plays a dominant role in the life and politics of society. This course will aim through a combination of teaching and participant discussion to provide some historical perspective and connect, evaluate and understand contemporary geopolitics, diplomacy and events in the region. Tutor: Noman Hanif.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information. - Modern France: from de Gaulle and the Resistance to MacronCourse start date: Thu 5 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sebastien Ardouin(Re)discover France's complex politics during the Fourth and Fifth Republics, and the social challenges and tensions the country faced both at times of growth and modernisation and of crisis and doubts.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information. - Christians, Muslims and Jews in Medieval SpainCourse start date: Tue 5 Nov 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Michael SchraerThrough interactive lectures and discussions the course explores the idea of tolerant coexistence of religious groups under Islamic rule and after Christian re-conquest; how, by 1525, Catholic supremacy led to the Inquisition, expulsion of the Jews and banning of Islam. Tutor: Michael Schraer.Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £95.00 Concession £77.00
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