Courses - Online & in London

Discover the ancient and highly therapeutic practice of Indian head massage. Learn how tension is held in the neck and shoulders and how to alleviate this in family and friends by practising a basic routine.

Journey through the history, literature, film, music and art of the 70s, an era of economic struggle and cultural change. While America continued to reflect aspects of 60s social upheaval, a more energised 'New Right' was emerging in defense of political conservatism and the traditional family, schisms that still exist today. We investigate the cross currents across the many facets of the 70s through a 'taster' of each subject area.



This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.

This essentials course will give you the foundations of the political system in the United Kingdom, whilst also enabling you to use your newly acquired knowledge to discuss and debate current affairs matters in real time.

This course explores some of the most elaborate and powerful displays of the Graeco-Roman world. Designed to entertain, inform, and elicit support, often at times of great political or religious significance, they were unforgettable, and have long exercised an influence on our own understanding of the nature of power.

Consolidate your upper intermediate level of French in this lively and interactive class. You will consolidate and further practise the main topics and grammar points studied on a level 3 upper course, through a variety of speaking and listening activities. The course is suitable if you are attending a level 3 upper course or if you have an equivalent level of French.

Stained glass has been described as the most original and important medium in the high Middle Ages. The Victoria and Albert Museum has one of the finest and most comprehensive collections of stained glass in the world, spanning the twelfth century to the modern period. The course will provide an introduction to this medium and the collection of it in the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Learn to play 'filmi' songs from Bollywood movies that incorporate Indian traditional raga, bhangra rhythms and elements of contemporary pop. For all instrumentalists and singers,including improvisers, at intermediate and advanced level. Learning will be in the aural tradition, though music will be provided.

Take a virtual tour of the ‘must see’ pilgrimage sites of medieval Europe. Pick up tips from William Wey, a seasoned pilgrim of the fifteenth century, as you plan your trip to Jerusalem.



This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.

The 2016 referendum result was one of the most significant events in recent British history. How can novels, written in that moment, shed light on the run-up to the vote and its immediate aftermath?



On this course we’ll study three fascinating and powerful novels, by Ali Smith, Anthony Cartwright and Adam Thorpe, exploring their stories and the backdrop they present of Britain’s divisions and connections.



This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.

How do you define magic and divination? Why has the Western world traditionally viewed magic as opposed to religion and science? These and other issues will be discussed in this thought-provoking course.



This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.

Flaubert est le contemporain de Baudelaire et, comme l’auteur de « Les Fleurs du mal », il occupe une position charnière dans la littérature du XIXème siècle. À la fois contesté pour des raisons morales et admiré pour sa force littéraire de son temps, il apparaît aujourd'hui comme l'un des plus grands romanciers de son siècle, avec en particulier « Madame Bovary », roman qui fonde le bovarysme, puis « L'Éducation sentimentale ». Il se place entre le roman psychologique de Stendhal et le mouvement naturaliste de Zola et Maupassant, ces derniers considérant Flaubert comme leur maître. Lui-même fortement marqué par l'œuvre d’Honoré de Balzac dont il reprendra les thèmes sous une forme très personnelle - « L'Éducation sentimentale » est une autre version de « Le Lys dans la vallée » et « Madame Bovary » s'inspire de « La Femme de trente ans » - il s'inscrit dans sa lignée du roman réaliste. Il est aussi très préoccupé d'esthétisme, d'où son long travail d'élaboration pour chaque œuvre : il teste ses textes en les soumettant à la fameuse épreuve du « gueuloir », qui consiste à les lire à pleine voix, parfois pendant des heures. On a également souvent souligné la volonté de Flaubert de s'opposer à l'esthétique du roman-feuilleton, en écrivant un « roman de la lenteur ». Enfin, son regard ironique et pessimiste sur l'humanité fait de lui un grand moraliste. Son « Dictionnaire des idées reçues » donne un aperçu de ce talent.







This course is designed for both advanced French learners as well as native speakers of French.



This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.