Weird and wonderful City Lit

The name Disney is synonymous with the story of American animation. In this course, we will learn about the history of the Disney Animation Studio during the lifecycle of its founder, Walt Disney. We will explore the origins of the studio within the context of early American animation, and discuss key films from its ‘classic’ era of production, including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Pinocchio (1940) and Bambi (1942).







Dr Alexander Sergeant is an award-winning film historian and theorist. His varied research interests include the history of popular culture, particularly within the US, and the intersection between film and philosophy. He is the author of Encountering the Impossible: The Fantastic in Hollywood Fantasy Cinema (2021), and co-editor ofFantasy/Animation: Connections Between Media, Mediums & Genres (2018). He is the co-founder of the popular website Fantasy-Animation.org and co-host of the Fantasy/Animation podcast.

Compare and contrast the afterlife beliefs of the five major religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Explore how these ideas developed and influenced each other.

Do we perceive time or the passage of events? Einstein famously considered time – or the distinction between past, present, and future – as an illusion. We examine subjective time or how we experience time, discussing the roles of memory, emotion, and narrative.

The British isles were once covered in temperate rainforests. Join Chantal Woodrun to discover these landscapes and what still remains of them.

Join our Global History Friday Late session to explore the history of chocolate from its origins in the Americas to its widespread consumption as a global commodity in the modern period.

Do parallel universes exist? We will see how modern physics does not rule out this possibility and how some theories and observations may even imply that our universe is just one of many.

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.

In his literary essay On Fairy Stories, J.R.R. Tolkien famously wrote that “in human art, fantasy is a thing best left to words”. Despite this claim, The Lord of the Rings is arguably one of the most profitable media franchises of the 21st century. It has inspired academy-award winning films and record-breaking TV series, and continues to generate material that resonates with new generations of fans to explore. This course will explore the history of adapting Tolkien to the cinema, considering not only what was altered or left behind in attempts to turn Tolkien’s vast mythology into the stuff of popular cinema, but what might also have been enhanced as a result.

Eating for a happy mind: how food can influence your mood and energy levels, which foods will enhance brain function, energy levels and positive thought and which will do the opposite!