Love to learn with the WEA

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

If you prefer history then you’ve got a choice too, from courses on subjects you’d 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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This course is available for WEA members only until 10 am on Wednesday 3rd July.

Art Appreciation: Picasso: Myth and Reality

Picasso is one of the 20th-century most well-known artists, a household name. In this course, we will learn about his personal life and his artistic career. As we do so, we will try and deconstruct the myth that exists around him both as a man and artist. Our approach will be chronological, starting in Spain, developing in Paris, and ending in Southern France, from 1881 to 1973. We will also address transversal themes, such as sculpture, Picasso’s family and lovers, the issue of collaboration, myth-making. Beyond developing your knowledge and understanding of Picasso’s art and life, this course will provide many opportunities to deepen your ability to analyse works of art (visual analysis and iconography).

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 17/09/2024 -
Tue 03/12/2024
Times:
1:30pm - 3:30pm
Duration:
12 sessions
Location:
St John's United Reform Church Orpington
Lynwood Grove
Orpington
BR6 0BG
Tutor:
Caroline Levisse
Course code:
Q00017294
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £120.00

This course is available for WEA members only until 10 am on Wednesday 3rd July.

Literature: Selected plays by Brian Friel

Plays of Brian Friel will be studied, read and workshopped. The group will discuss his stage devices and how his plays might be produced. We shall look at aspects of how he creates characters and tells epic stories on stage that resonate with current modern theatre audiences. His plays use intriguing theatrical metaphors and poetic structures to reflect on the ways in which Ireland has evolved, resisted and grown over its history. Friel’s writing produces powerful imagery on-stage that take audiences into the heart of the issues he explores. Over ten weeks, two to three plays will be discussed and workshopped to appreciate the various theatrical devices that Friel often uses.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 17/09/2024 -
Tue 26/11/2024
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Location:
The Greenleaf Centre (Walthamstow)
67-69 Greenleaf Road
Walthamstow
E17 6QP
Tutor:
Thomas Crowe
Course code:
Q00017604
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £100.00

This course is available for WEA members only until 10 am on Wednesday 3rd July.

British Literature in the 1950s

In this course we will discuss and analyse the following authors and their works. These are: Look Back in Anger - John Osborne. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie - Muriel Spark. The Vet's Daughter - Barbara Comyns. A Voice Through A Cloud - Denton Welch. A Kind of Loving - Stan Barstow. These texts are an eclectic blend of plays, novels and the autobiographical in the case of Denton Welch, an eccentric and now largely forgotten. There will be great scope for discussion and the voicing of opinions, and you will be encouraged to develop your own theories and interpretations in a supportive atmosphere.

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 18/09/2024 -
Wed 27/11/2024
Times:
10:30am - 12:30pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Location:
Duke Street Church
Quadrant Road
Richmond
TW9 1DH
Tutor:
Stephen Smith
Course code:
Q00017580
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £100.00

This course is available for WEA members only until 10 am on Wednesday 3rd July.

Music:

The course aims to encourage you to attend art exhibitions and/or musical events with a greater background knowledge in order to enhance appreciation. If actual attendance is not possible, to undertake independent research and hence, enjoy a more active and cultural lifestyle. The class also offers an opportunity for you to interact socially with like-minded people in intellectual pursuits. It also encourages you to acquire critical and analytical skills through debate and discussion. The course covers all styles and periods from the Renaissance to the present day. It is multi media to accommodate diverse learning styles and preferences. It is suitable for beginners and connoisseurs alike.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 19/09/2024 -
Thu 28/11/2024
Times:
1:30pm - 3:30pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Location:
Wanstead House (London)
21 The Green
Wanstead
London
E11 2NT
Tutor:
Andrew Rothwell
Course code:
Q00017607
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £100.00

WEA Membership

For just £15 a year, you can:

  • Join our popular, award-winning weekly lecture series,
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Just add us to your basket to sign up today!

Membership Information

Duration:
12 months
Fee:
WEA Membership

This course is available for WEA members only until 10 am on Wednesday 3rd July.

Literature: Nordic Noir

This course will examine the publishing phenomenon of Nordic Noir, locating its roots in the early twentieth century, before exploring four contemporary novels from the genre. Our texts will be Doctor Glas by Hjalmar Soderberg; Smilla’s Sense of Snow by Peter Hoeg; The Bird Tribunal - Agnes Ravatn; The Flatey Enigma - Viktor Arnor Ingolfson and Missing - Karin Alvtegen. These texts will take us inside the mind of Nordic Noir and we will evaluate the common features of the genre and its relationship with crime-fiction, horror and recent forms of Gothic literature. There will be ample scope for lively discussion in our sessions

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 19/09/2024 -
Thu 28/11/2024
Times:
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Duration:
11 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Stephen Smith
Course code:
Q00017459
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £74.00

This course is available for WEA members only until 10 am on Wednesday 3rd July.

Foreign Languages: Conversations on Art and Culture, in French

Would you like to learn about art and at the same time practice your French? This course is for you! During ten weeks, we will discuss a series of topics related to art and culture. The course aims to enrich your knowledge of art history, develop your French vocabulary, and boost your confidence when speaking French. Please see the longer description for a list of the themes we will study. . Language skills: This is not a language course. To follow this course, it is desirable to have a good level in French (probably upper intermediate, or B2 and above). The group will be small and the atmosphere relaxed and tolerant. If your French is a bit rusty, it is OK! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 19/09/2024 -
Thu 05/12/2024
Times:
1:15pm - 3:15pm
Duration:
12 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Caroline Levisse
Course code:
Q00017439
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £37.00

This course is available for WEA members only until 10 am on Wednesday 3rd July.

Literature: Twentieth Century Irish Poetry

Spanning the twentieth century as it does this course will witness women’s voices interacting with the history of political change, both domestically and internationally. Therefore, we will be able to trace themes such as enfranchisement and cultural emancipation in our texts. Set against a backdrop of political and cultural change, our texts will discuss women’s rights, gender and sexuality, and the woman’s right to imaginative emancipation also. Interacting with the political and socio-cultural aspect of the course, we will also discuss how our writers are affected by and interact with literary/political movements such as feminism, nationalism, modernism and postmodernism, all of which have allowed women’s distinctive voices to emerge. To support consideration of these issues, we will allude to aspects of the general culture in Britain during the century such as class and consumerism, and our stories will form a commentary on the shifting perception of women of themselves. Along with these aspects of the course, we will also observe how women’s voice have helped to reshape the technical and structural possibilities of the short story form, as the short story form has experimented with new modes of relating narrative.

Course Information

Dates:
Fri 20/09/2024 -
Fri 29/11/2024
Times:
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Duration:
11 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Stephen Smith
Course code:
Q00017458
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £74.00

This course is available for WEA members only until 10 am on Wednesday 3rd July.

Literature: 20th Century British Women's Short Stories

This course will range from the beginning of the twentieth century until its end, and explore the wealth of short stories written during this period by women. We will encounter the usual suspects such as Katherine Mansfield, Virginia Woolf, Elizabeth Bowen and Doris Lessing, but the course will also assess the stories of less well-known writers, many of whom are worthy of much deeper study. These writers will emerge from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. As all our texts are by women, we will discover the importance of these voices, often disappeared in a patriarchal society, and recognise how vital these women’s voices were and are.

Course Information

Dates:
Fri 20/09/2024 -
Fri 29/11/2024
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
11 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Stephen Smith
Course code:
Q00017460
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £74.00

This course is available for WEA members only until 10 am on Wednesday 3rd July.

Art Appreciation: The Century that changed the World-Renaissance and Reformation

A new way of seeing human beings and their environment; the end of the middle ages and the birth of modern Europe, the discovery of the ‘New World’; fresh insights into faith and the upheaval that created; and a new way of doing art. This study day investigates Renaissance art in Southern and Northern Europe and traces the birth and development of the Reformation. The art of Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael and van Eyck and the thought of Luther and Calvin together with the reforms of Henry VIII all feature in this extensively illustrated study day.

Course Information

Dates:
Fri 20/09/2024 -
Fri 20/09/2024
Times:
10:00am - 3:30pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
St Lawrence Parish Rooms (Winchester)
Colebrook Street
Winchester
SO23 9LH
Tutor:
David Brindley
Course code:
Q00016855
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £23.10

This course is available for WEA members only until 10 am on Wednesday 3rd July.

Intermediate Latin

Did you know that learning Latin can enrich your knowledge in all sorts of other areas? Far from being “dead”, Latin is all around us. This intermediate Latin course can give you essential background knowledge to understand terminology in law, medicine, family history, and many other subjects. Latin has hundreds of applications in contemporary contexts. This course is ideal for you if you’re interested in learning Latin, or gaining general knowledge to help you learn modern languages or other disciplines.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 24/09/2024 -
Tue 04/02/2025
Times:
11:00am - 1:00pm
Duration:
15 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Penelope Fewster
Course code:
Q00017595
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £111.00