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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Music appreciation, memory and creative writing

This course will explore how listening to music can provide a vital stimulus to creative writing and reading. To this end, you will be encouraged to dig into your own records and CDs to find those tracks which could release the written word. You will also listen to a range of music and see where that mood takes your writing. There will also be the opportunity to study how other writers have use music as a vital creative stimulus.

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 28/04/2025 -
Mon 19/05/2025
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
3 sessions
Location:
Krowji (Redruth)
West Park
Redruth
TR15 3AJ
Tutor:
Mark Crees
Course code:
Q00016899
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £25.20

Creative Writing: Writing to Music

Explore the connection between music and writing with our Creative Writing: Writing to Music course. Learn how to use music as inspiration for creative writing projects. Ideal for writers looking to experiment with new techniques and find fresh sources of inspiration.

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 28/04/2025 -
Mon 19/05/2025
Location:
Krowji (Redruth)
West Park
Redruth
TR15 3AJ
Course code:
Q00017002
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £25.20

Film & Media: World Cinema

Explore the diverse world of international cinema with our Film & Media: World Cinema course. Learn about key films, directors, and movements from around the globe. Ideal for film enthusiasts and anyone interested in expanding their cinematic knowledge.

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 28/04/2025 -
Mon 16/06/2025
Times:
6:30pm - 8:30pm
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Daniel Williams
Course code:
Q00017948
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £44.40

Literature: Ann Radcliffe to Jane Austen - Female Gothic and Literary Homage

This short course will provide the opportunity to study two novels by female authors that are thoughly connected in the minds of many people despite being published 26 years apart by two very different authors. Throughout Northanger Abbey Jane Austen makes many references to Ann Radcliffe’s classic gothic novel The Mysteries of Udolpho. These two novels, then, are connected in the minds of many readers and this course will provide the opportunity of looking at these two novels side-by-side. We will begin with Radcliffe’s 1794 novel The Mysteries of Udolpho and then look at Austen’s much loved Northanger Abbey, published posthumously in 1817.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 29/04/2025 -
Tue 10/06/2025
Times:
2:30pm - 4:30pm
Duration:
7 sessions
Location:
Exeter Community Centre (Exeter)
17 St. Davids Hill
Exeter
EX4 3RG
Tutor:
Greta Depledge
Course code:
Q00016876
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £50.40

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

Foreign Languages: Advancing in Italian

Welcome to Term 3 of the Italian Course! This course enhances your Italian with practical topics to boost conversational skills. Learn to confidently order in restaurants, discuss weather conditions, talk about spare time activities, and describe people’s appearances and personalities. Interactive lessons include role-playing, listening exercises, and cultural insights for a comprehensive learning experience. By the end of the term, you’ll navigate restaurant menus, engage in weather conversations, describe hobbies, and portray individuals in Italian. Assessments through participation, quizzes, and assignments track your progress. Join us to deepen your Italian proficiency and cultural appreciation. Buon viaggio!

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 30/04/2025 -
Wed 16/07/2025
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
12 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Giuseppa Perricone
Course code:
Q00016305
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £81.40

Creative Writing: Writing Your First Novel: Next Level

Have you ever heard the phrase ‘Everyone has a novel in them?’ This is your chance to get yours down on the page! Even if you don’t have an idea in mind at the moment, you can begin to develop your writing and experiment with different stories and genres until you find something you want to write.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 01/05/2025 -
Thu 03/07/2025
Times:
6:30pm - 8:30pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Craig Rickard
Course code:
Q00009232
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £74.00

Music Appreciation: Shakespeare and Verdi

Verdi dominated Italian opera in the 19C with a series of highly dramatic works. He was an avid reader of literature and the great playwrights; most of his operas are derived from their works. His favourite writer was Shakespeare and he took great pride in his operatic settings of Macbeth, Othello and Falstaff. If you are a lover of Shakespeare, then you will learn how an operatic setting with its dramatic music and singing can provide an enhanced experience of these great dramas.

Course Information

Dates:
Sat 10/05/2025 -
Sat 10/05/2025
Times:
10:00am - 4:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
The Bradbury Community Centre (Wokingham
Rose Street
Rose Street
Wokingham
RG40 1XS
Tutor:
Robin John
Course code:
Q00017430
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £25.20

Art Appreciation:Five Centuries of Women Sculptors

American art historian Linda Nochlin in 1971 posed the question as to “Why have there been no great women artists?”. Since then the field of art history has increased its focus on women artists. Yet women sculptors have been the most overlooked, overshadowed by their male counterparts, and under-represented in sculptural histories. This course will write them back into art history by focusing on the talented and accomplished women sculptors from the 17th Century to their transition through the centuries into the installation artists of the 21st Century.

Course Information

Dates:
Sun 11/05/2025 -
Sun 15/06/2025
Times:
11:00am - 1:00pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Jolanta Jagiello
Course code:
Q00017477
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £37.00

Art Appreciation: Art of the 19th and 20th Centuries

Modern Art’ arouses strong feelings - like it or loathe it! Explore Constable and Turner, understand the Pre- Raphaelites and the Impressionists. Trace the development of ‘Modern Art’ from the beginnings with Cezanne, through the revolutions of Picasso and Mondrian, to the British artists such as Tracy Emin and Antony Gormley. Discuss whether ‘found art’ such as Duchamp’s ‘Fountain’ or Tracy Emin’s ‘My Bed’ are really art at all. Examine the importance of modern art galleries. Understand the contexts and the development which have influenced art in the twentieth century.

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 12/05/2025 -
Mon 23/06/2025
Times:
11:00am - 12:30pm
Duration:
7 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
David Brindley
Course code:
Q00009349
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £55.50

Art Appreciation: Art and the Arts in 1960s

An oversimplified view but still a very useful one is that in the 1950s there was still largely a respect for “tradition”. By contrast the 1960s saw challenges to all traditions and conventions. In many areas of public and private life, traditional conventions were challenged. In the theatre world, “kitchen sink drama” appeared. In the visual arts, artists produced even more abstract individualistic products, with “installations” replacing paintings and sculpture. Music became even more experimental. In the course, these developments and many others will be illustrated, including projects of the decade which we still enjoy.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 15/05/2025 -
Thu 19/06/2025
Times:
10:30am - 12:30pm
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
Enfield Baptist Church (Enfield) (Enfiel
Cecil Road
Enfield
EN2 6TG
Tutor:
Colin Lomas
Course code:
Q00017378
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £72.00