Learning about the world around us

Here at the WEA we offer a huge range of humanities and science courses, with something for everyone.  

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If you’re interested in the natural world, our geography and environment courses are the perfect choice. Our packed curriculum explores some of the biggest issues facing society, such as climate change and the fight against the destruction of some of Earth’s most precious resources. The option to learn in person or online means that our geography courses can whisk you away to a far-flung corner of the globe, all without you ever having to leave your own home. 

Studying a science

If you choose to take one of our psychology courses you’ll be immersed in the study of the human mind. With options to learn about memory and identity, you’ll get the chance to explore and debate some of the most famous psychological experiments.  

There’s also Sociology too, a subject that focuses on human behaviour, interaction, and relationships. If you’d like to explore some of the biggest questions in life, then our philosophy courses are for you. Small class sizes mean that you’ll get to discuss and debate in a supportive environment, all with an experienced tutor on hand.  

Attend a Humanities and Science course near you  

Whether you choose to learn from the comfort of your own home or opted for face-to-face learning at a local community venue, you’ll be taught by a talented tutor who is an expert in their subject. Our learning experience sets us apart from other providers, with learners regularly highlighting the difference that an encouraging environment makes. 

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Care 2 Seated Yoga

All our Care2 courses are completely free for unpaid carers (or those who have previously been carers). You do not need to receive a carer's allowance to qualify. If you are unsure, please contact our call centre advisors who will be able to assist you. When you are constantly busy, stressed, overwhelmed, emotionally and energetically drained, yoga is quite possibly the last thing you feel like doing! But did you know that rather than taking more energy, the practice of yoga actually gives you more? It’s a great way to rest and revive, relieve the feeling of overwhelm, and work out the tension from your body that’s keeping you in a state of stress? Just a few minutes of gentle movement coordinated with your breath helps to calm the nervous system, quieten the mind, and allows all the systems of your body to work more efficiently. Most people don’t realise there are over one hundred different styles of yoga, so if you’ve tried a class before but felt it wasn’t for you, here’s your chance to try another! Chair yoga is a great way to enjoy many of the benefits of a mat-based practice without the need for equipment and props, or the ability to get up and down from the floor. It is a safe way for anyone living with a disability, or managing an injury or condition such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, or arthritis to improve balance, mobility, circulation, and energy, without putting strain on joints or vulnerable areas of the body

Course Information

Dates:
Sat 28/09/2024 -
Sat 28/09/2024
Times:
10:00am - 11:30am
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Billericay Reading Rooms (Billericay)
73 High Street
Billericay
CM12 9AS
Tutor:
Stephanie Driver
Course code:
Q00018909
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £6.30

Archaeology: Archaeology of Castles in Northern England and North Wales

Uncover the history and architectural significance of castles in Northern England and North Wales with this archaeological course. Ideal for history buffs and archaeology enthusiasts alike.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 01/10/2024 -
Wed 06/11/2024
Times:
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Michael Nevell
Course code:
Q00016678
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £37.00

History: 3 Maritime Themed Sessions – Essex, East Anglia and East Coast Waters

Join guest tutor Andy Beharrell on this fascinating insight into the history and events around the Essex, East Anglia and East Coast Waters. Each week will have a different theme starting with the shipwrecks around East Anglia, followed by The Maunsell Forts and ending with From Tierra Del Fuego to Essex. The course will be in the historic venue of The Reading Rooms at Billericay, Essex.

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 02/10/2024 -
Wed 16/10/2024
Times:
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Duration:
3 sessions
Location:
Billericay Reading Rooms (Billericay)
73 High Street
Billericay
CM12 9AS
Tutor:
Guest Speaker
Course code:
Q00018066
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £30.00

History: Musicals- The Weird and Wonderful

A history course based on some well-known musicals. Writers of musicals often dealt with complex social, political and historical issues while also providing an entertaining show with great songs, but in this course we’ll look at some unexpected, surprising and even ill-conceived inspirations for musicals, some of which were very successful, some of which were not. The course includes the background to musicals by Rodgers and Hammerstein, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, Stephen Sondheim, but also lesser-known writers whose work has become very successful and has acquired a cult following.  At the end of the course, you will be able to: - Discuss how Evita and Call Me Madam are influenced by the writers' personal viewpoints of the societies they are describing - Give examples of how fairy tale conventions are overturned in Frozen and Into The Woods - Identify some of the classic films, stories and characters that fed into horror musicals like Rocky Horror Show and Sweeney Todd. - Discuss why "bad taste" is such a prevalent feature of modern musicals, like the Producers and Little Shop of Horrors. - Identify some of the issues that caused a few of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musicals to fail.

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 02/10/2024 -
Wed 13/11/2024
Times:
10:15am - 11:45am
Duration:
7 sessions
Location:
The Wycliffe Rooms
Freemasons Hall
George Street
Lutterworth
Leicester
LE17 4ED
Tutor:
David Price
Course code:
Q00018813
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £44.10

WEA Membership

For just £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’ annual conference.

Just add us to your basket to sign up today!

Membership Information

Duration:
12 months
Fee:
£15

Nature, Ecology & Permaculture: Earth on Fire

This course offers a comprehensive introduction to volcanoes, exploring their locations, mechanisms, and profound impacts on both life and landscapes. Students will delve into the geological processes that drive volcanic activity, understand the distribution of volcanoes across the globe, and study the various types of eruptions. The course also examines the environmental and societal effects of volcanic activity, from the creation of new landforms to the challenges posed by volcanic hazards. Through a blend of lectures, case studies, and hands-on activities, participants will gain a deep appreciation for these powerful natural phenomena.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 03/10/2024 -
Thu 31/10/2024
Times:
10:30am - 12:30pm
Duration:
4 sessions
Location:
Poringland Community Centre (Poringland)
Overtons Way
Poringland
NR14 7WB
Tutor:
Charles Lewis
Course code:
Q00018002
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £33.60

History: 17th Century Fashion

Fashion reflects the influence of politics, trade, social exchange and foreign encounter. In this course, we will explore the changing fashions of seventeenth-century Britain. Alongside sessions that consider the history of fashion are practical, hands-on sessions that explore the materials used, and construction techniques employed by makers of the period. You may not be an expert by the end, but you will have first-hand understanding of how, and with what, clothing of the 17th century was made.

Course Information

Dates:
Sat 05/10/2024 -
Sat 14/12/2024
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Location:
Redbridge Institute of Adult Education (
Gaysham Avenue
Gants Hill
Ilford
IG2 6TD
Tutor:
Amy Miller
Course code:
Q00017282
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £100.00

History: Burying the Ghosts: one "lucky" woman's story of escape from Nazi Germany

A talk on the insidious process of changing hearts and minds - from humanity to inhumanity. The talk follows the experience of the author's mother who was 14 when Hitler's Nazi government came to power in her home town of Saarbrucken in Germany. It will consist of historical information and lively readings from Burying the Ghosts to allow the audience to understand these momentous times from a personal perspective.

Course Information

Dates:
Sat 05/10/2024 -
Sat 05/10/2024
Times:
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
St John's United Reform Church Orpington
Lynwood Grove
Orpington
BR6 0BG
Tutor:
Guest Speaker
Course code:
Q00017274
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £10.00

History: China 1796 to the present – Fall of the Qing – 1796-1912 (Part 1)

From the zenith of the Qing Empire in 1796 we trace the decline of China’s imperial reach through the 19th century. Western incursions and humiliations, the role of religion and opium, wars, reforms and rebellions will all be covered up to the fall of the dynasty in 1912 and the formation of China’s first republic. Major personalities such as the Empress Dowager Cixi, Sun-Yat-Sen, the Last Emperor and many more will be considered. We will consider the nature of court rule, the development of society and the economy as well as art, literature and philosophy.

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 07/10/2024 -
Mon 25/11/2024
Times:
10:15am - 12:15pm
Duration:
8 sessions
Location:
Petts Wood Memorial Hall (Petts Wood)
200 Petts Wood Road
Petts Wood
BR5 1LA
Tutor:
Laurie Johnston
Course code:
Q00017270
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
0 places remaining
Status:
Waiting list
Fee range
Free to £80.00

History: The Decline of the Ottoman Empire 1800-1892

The once mighty Ottoman Empire lost some of its lustre during the 18th Century. After its armies reached the walls of Vienna in 1683 the boundaries of the Sublime Porte contracted in a series of military, diplomatic and economic reverses. This course considers the ways in which the Ottomans responded to a changing world in the 19th century, seeking to preserve their position within it. We examine questions of politics, religion, language, culture and economics whilst all the while having an eye towards the consequences for the region, Europe and the world then and now

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 07/10/2024 -
Mon 09/12/2024
Times:
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Laurie Johnston
Course code:
Q00017426
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
8 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £74.00

History: The 12th Century Civil War for the Crown of England

This course looks at the troubled years after 1140, when England was ravaged by civil war and had two rival monarchs: the Empress Matilda, the daughter of King Henry I and her cousin, King Stephen. The Empress spent 17 years trying to secure her birthright. These years were called ‘The Anarchy’ by historians because of the destruction wreaked by both sides on villages and towns across southern England and the breakdown of law and order. The course explores the reasons why William Adelin’s sister, the Empress Matilda never achieved the Crown.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 08/10/2024 -
Tue 19/11/2024
Times:
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Duration:
7 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Michael Long
Course code:
Q00017706
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
7 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £51.80