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Our languages and culture courses span the length and breadth of England and Scotland, with the option to study online or in person at a time that suits you. Whether you鈥檙e looking to learn a new language and immerse yourself in another country, or you simply wish to indulge in your love and fascination of film, we have the course for you. 

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Our creative writing courses will nourish your inner writer, providing you with a platform to develop your love of poetry, non-fiction or script development. If literature courses are more your kind of thing, then you鈥檙e in luck too, as there are a wide range of topics to choose from.  

Literary greats and great periods in history

Our language courses offer you the perfect opportunity to immerse yourself in a completely new culture, developing your skills so that you can speak confidently in countries right across the world. German, Italian and Greek are just a few examples of the language courses we have to offer, with many others taking place throughout the year.  

As you鈥檇 expect, literary greats such as Agatha Christie and Shakespeare feature regularly. There鈥檚 also the option to examine other time periods in English literature too, helping you develop your critical reading and analysis skills - perfect whether you鈥檙e a beginner or more experienced in the subject.  

If you prefer history then you鈥檝e got a choice too, from courses on subjects you鈥檇 expect such as the first world war, or art history and studying the works of iconic painters such as Salvador Dali. 

Support and guidance

Whatever course you choose, you'll learn in a supportive environment where the class sizes are small, ensuring you get the attention you deserve, with an experienced and qualified tutor on-hand to guide you through your learning too.  

A lot of our cultural learning is delivered by our branch network: learn more here.

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Literature: British Colonial & Post Colonial Literature 10

This course will explore the following texts: Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad; Short Stories by Kipling; The Siege of Krishnapur - JG Farrell; The Jewel in the Crown - Paul Scott, and The English Patient - Michael Ondaatje. The course will track the decline of Empire and the concomitant social and political uncertainty, the relationship between the colonial and the colonised Other, and develop themes relating to identity and the subjective nature of historical revision. There will be ample scope for discussion of at times difficult and controversial debates, and we will focus on the continuing relationship that exists between contemporary writers and later writers vis-a-vis issues of guilt and responsibility.

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 09/09/2024 -
Mon 18/11/2024
Times:
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Stephen Smith
Course code:
Q00017456
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
8 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢74.00

Art Appreciation: Renaissance Beauty in the work of Leonardo da Vinci and Albrecht D眉rer

This course in art appreciation provides close attentions to particular works of art from two important artists, Leonardo da Vinci and Albrecht D眉rer, working in Europe in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. The focus will be upon specific paintings, drawings and prints in relation to their concept of beauty. The course will present a range of work by both artists and each week will select one work for a Close View and detailed attention. Particular attentions will be given to D眉rer鈥檚 painting in Venice and to his woodcuts and engravings; to Leonardo鈥檚 drawings and to his work in Milan.

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 09/09/2024 -
Mon 30/09/2024
Times:
10:30am - 12:30pm
Duration:
4 sessions
Location:
The Kindle Centre (Hereford)
ASDA
Belmont Road
Hereford
HR2 7JE
Tutor:
Allen Fisher
Course code:
Q00016513
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
7 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢33.60

Literature: Victorian Literature Through the Decades - The 1830s

During this friendly course you will have the opportunity to consider a number of novels that were published in the 1830s as the start of an exploration of literature published through the decades of Victoria鈥檚 long reign. In order to get some sense of how literature was beginning to cross borders in this decade, you will look at works by English authors and also a French and an American writer. The following works will be studied: Old Man Goriot (Honor茅 de Balzac, 1835); The Vicar of Wrexhill (Frances Trollope, 1837); The Pickwick Papers (Charles Dickens, 1837); The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket (Edgar Allan Poe, 1838).

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 10/09/2024 -
Tue 10/12/2024
Times:
2:30pm - 4:30pm
Duration:
14 sessions
Location:
Exeter Community Centre (Exeter)
17 St. Davids Hill
Exeter
EX4 3RG
Tutor:
Greta Depledge
Course code:
Q00016877
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢109.20

Art Appreciation: An Introduction to How to Look at Paintings.

Have you ever wondered how to look at a painting or what draws you to it? This session will give you an introduction and some key pathways to develop your understanding and appreciation of paintings. Looking at how the painter makes depth and Space or how the painter uses colour and light. We will mainly study the technical and visual aspects of a painting: What is a painting made of? And how to look at its scale, format, composition, colours, lines and texture? This is quite literally an 鈥渆ye-opener鈥, and should make your next visits to art galleries even more enjoyable!

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 10/09/2024 -
Tue 10/09/2024
Times:
2:00pm - 5:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Caroline Levisse
Course code:
Q00018680
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
0 places remaining
Status:
Waiting list
Fee range
Free to 拢12.00

51风流官网 Membership

For just 拢15 a year, you can:

  • Join our popular, award-winning weekly lecture series,
  • Access an archive of over 100 past lectures,
  • Get priority online and phone booking for autumn courses (England only),
  • Receive our Highway magazine and access back issues,
  • Attend our members鈥 annual conference.

Just add us to your basket to sign up today!

Membership Information

Duration:
12 months
Fee:
拢15

Creative Writing: Read Like a Writer

We鈥檒l read a wide-range of short stories, memoir and novel extracts from diverse genres and authors. Each week we鈥檒l be assigned two texts for close reading before the class. In class, the tutor will facilitate discussion around the techniques used and set a short writing exercise to practice a technique.

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 11/09/2024 -
Wed 09/10/2024
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Nicola Torode
Course code:
Q00017744
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
3 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢37.00

Creative Writing: Creative Writing Workshop

This course will help to develop and channel your writing ability, whether as a hobby or for publication. The emphasis is on individual development, with discussion of many aspects of writing. You will be invited to read your work and have feedback in a constructive and friendly setting. All forms are included; short stories, novels, plays, feature articles, poetry, autobiography and memoirs. We will have discussions on many aspects of writing and short exercises in class. All you need is an interest in developing and enjoying creative writing skills. For developers and beginners, who are welcome.

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 11/09/2024 -
Wed 13/11/2024
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Stella Stocker
Course code:
Q00009413
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢74.00

Art Appreciation: The Art and Artists of World War One

In this course, we will explore the visual culture in Europe during World War One. From official war art, to soldiers鈥 sketchbooks, from world-famous artists to anonymous draughtsmen, we will study and discuss a broad range of attitudes to war. We will study many British artists, but also German, French, Italian, and American ones. We will study great works of art, learn a lot about the history of the war from a British and Western perspective, and discuss the role of art and artists during wartime, as well as in the aftermath of war.

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 11/09/2024 -
Wed 20/11/2024
Times:
1:00pm - 3:00pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Caroline Levisse
Course code:
Q00017433
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
3 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢74.00

Music Making: Beginners

Come and join us on this friendly and supportive course which will support you on your journey from music listener to music maker! Try out a range of different music making activities that will allow you to develop and explore your music making skills, as well as building your knowledge of practical music theory. The course includes activities to explore your potential in music making on a physical or virtual keyboard, as well as wider music making skills including singing, digital music making and performing. You will be supported and encouraged to share recordings of your music making with the group.

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 11/09/2024 -
Wed 11/12/2024
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
12 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Lorna Poole
Course code:
Q00018341
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
1 place remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢88.80

British Literature 1980 - 2011 (Part 1)

On this course we will examine the following novels: The Stranger鈥檚 Child - Alan Hollinghurst. Last Orders - Graham Swift. A Pale View of Hills - Kazuo Ishiguro Innocence - Penelope Fitzgerald The Hundred and Ninety-Nine Steps - Michel Faber. These texts will take us inside contemporary British fiction, and earmark those authors who have contributed to the evolution of a distinctive voice in British fiction in the last fifty years, from the years of Thatcher, New Labour to the present. We will explore each writers鈥 techniques and themes, and how they address the themes of British identity. Discussions will be lively with plenty of opportunities to voice your opinions.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 12/09/2024 -
Thu 21/11/2024
Times:
2:15pm - 4:15pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Location:
Friends Meeting House (Sutton)
10 Cedar Road
Sutton
SM2 5DA
Tutor:
Stephen Smith
Course code:
Q00017587
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
3 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢100.00

Art Appreciation: Art and the Arts in 1920s

The course will explore the enriching links between stories, art and music, concentrating of works from 1920s. From the surrealistic art in France and expressionist art in Germany to the many operas, ballets and symphonies which characterise that tumultuous period. In America, it is frequently referred to as the "Roaring Twenties" or the "Jazz Age", while in Europe the period is sometimes referred to as the "Golden Twenties" because of the economic boom following World War I (1914鈥1918). French speakers refer to the period as the "Ann茅es folles" ("crazy years") emphasizing the era's social, artistic, and cultural dynamism.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 12/09/2024 -
Thu 17/10/2024
Times:
10:30am - 12:30pm
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
Enfield Baptist Church (Enfield) (Enfiel
Cecil Road
Enfield
EN2 6TG
Tutor:
Colin Lomas
Course code:
Q00017290
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
7 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢72.00