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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Creative Writing: Writing Your First Novel: Getting Your Work Published

This course is a follow on to the previous ‘Writing Your First Novel’ courses but is also suitable for newly enrolling students with experience writing fiction and a manuscript that they wish to submit to agents and publishers. 'Writing your first Novel: Getting Published' is all about the various elements that writers need to be aware of when considering their writing work for submission in today’s market. The course is designed to allow student’s work to stand out in the competitive publishing market by ensuring that industry standards are met and maximise their opportunity of being noticed by a literary agent of publisher.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 11/07/2024 -
Thu 01/08/2024
Times:
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Duration:
3 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Craig Rickard
Course code:
Q00015275
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £29.60

Creative Writing: Writing for Wellbeing: Getting Started

If you would like to learn how to use creative writing in a fun way to support your wellbeing and are interested in developing skills to express your thoughts and feelings, then this friendly and supportive course is the perfect course to get you started. Creative writing is an effective and rewarding way to develop your self-expression and a great way to make space and time for personal reflection. It can enable you to re-connect with both your creativity and learning. It has been shown that exploring creativity with words and the use of writing games can help us gain insight and perspective on our lives and can build confidence and stimulate problem solving. During this friendly and supportive course, you will develop some of these fun approaches to creative writing.

Course Information

Dates:
Fri 12/07/2024 -
Fri 12/07/2024
Times:
10:30am - 2:30pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
ClayTAWC Ltd (St. Austell)
Fore Street
St. Dennis
St. Austell
PL26 8AF
Tutor:
Heather White
Course code:
Q00014576
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
9 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £16.80

Art Appreciation: How to Look at Art?

Part of the free Taster courses to All; this Art Appreciation course will show you how to look at Art. Have you ever wondered how to look at a painting or a sculpture, and how to figure out what it means? This session will give you some keys to develop your understanding and appreciation of works of art. This should make your next visits to art galleries even more enjoyable!

Course Information

Dates:
Fri 12/07/2024 -
Fri 12/07/2024
Times:
12:30pm - 3:30pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Caroline Levisse
Course code:
Q00016975
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
0 places remaining
Status:
Fee:
Free

Creative Writing: Writing from the Heart, Exploring Personal Experiences

This course will focus on your personal experiences and how these experiences may form the basis not only for autobiography and memoir, but for autobiographical fiction and poetry. The course will be composed of two workshops, each designed to explore one or more areas of personal writing, through discussion, hands-on writing experiments and guidance on how to improve technical aspects of your prose or poetry. By the conclusion of the course you will have completed the first drafts of two pieces of writing. The course will be mutually supportive, stimulating and a good introduction to further creative writing courses with the popular tutor Stephen Smith.

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 15/07/2024 -
Mon 22/07/2024
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
2 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Stephen Smith
Course code:
Q00016651
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £20.00

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:
WEA Membership

Film & Media: FilmAbility - Ipswich Rising: A Community United

This ""Filmability"" course engages students and long-term unemployed individuals in creating a short documentary film about Ipswich Town Football Club's community impact. This innovative project promotes collaboration, planning, literacy, and digital skills through hands-on filmmaking. Participants develop practical skills like resilience, teamwork, research, writing, and technical proficiency over ten days. The course covers identifying topics, scriptwriting, camera operations, filming, and editing. By the end, participants produce a documentary, enhancing their confidence and workplace readiness while celebrating ITFC's return to the Premier League and their own journey towards employment.

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 15/07/2024 -
Fri 26/07/2024
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
20 sessions
Location:
Ipswich County Library
Northgate Street
Ipswich
IP1 3DE
Tutor:
James Clarke
Course code:
Q00016757
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £168.00

Film & Media: How to Read Film

Part of the Free to All Summer Taster Courses: Do you like films and are keen to learn more and discuss them with like-minded enthusiasts? Have you wondered “How did they do that?” Or even more so “Why did that film make me feel like this? “Are you thinking about enrolling on one of the WEA’s film studies courses? Then this free taster session is for you. You’ll get equipped with some of the basics of “how to read a film” – the key elements of filmmaking and how they create (different) meanings, emotions and impacts on the viewer, enabling you analyse films with greater confidence.

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 17/07/2024 -
Wed 17/07/2024
Times:
4:00pm - 7:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Ruth Mulandi
Course code:
Q00016976
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
0 places remaining
Status:
Waiting list
Fee:
Free

Art Appreciation: Art and About: Soho and its Heritage

Part of the WEA Art and About Festival 2024! As part of the WEA London Festival Art and About : A heritage walk through the heart of Soho meeting at Criterion Théâtre near Piccadilly Circus on Thursday July 18th meet at 11am ending near Tottenham Court Road Tube station Come and explore the Soho area famously known for its culture , yet their other interesting features institutions that exist in the area such as Churches , Old Hospitals and much more. We will explore how the area developed and why these are still important buildings today

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 18/07/2024 -
Thu 18/07/2024
Times:
11:00am - 12:30pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Meeting Point: Criterion Theatre
218-223 Piccadilly
St. James's
London
London
W1J 9HR
Tutor:
Selina Rice
Course code:
Q00014454
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
5 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £7.50

Creative Writing: Body Stories Workshop

This friendly four-hour creative writing workshop will invite you to enter into relationship with your bodies and surroundings. The session will be held in a supportive way and will integrate some simple yoga inspired movement (adaptable to all bodies), prompts for creative and reflective expression through writing, and even some environmental science! You will be guided to a holistic understanding of person and place. This course is ideal for people who like to write and to contemplate how to live more skilfully as individuals, as a community and in relationship with their surroundings. There will be time for sharing small parts of your writing towards the end of the workshop but no pressure, it’s about an unfolding individual/shared creative process and participants need to feel at ease to write freely.

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 24/07/2024 -
Wed 24/07/2024
Times:
10:00am - 2:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Ione Harris
Course code:
Q00014762
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
2 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £16.80

Music Making: African Drumming for All

African Drumming Workshop A great way to end the working week! Whether you are a seasoned drummer or just curious to have a go, this practical workshop in African drumming will inspire you with music and culture. Our experienced tutor will guide the group to play the Djembe drums to create simple beats and harmonies. Let go of stress and end the week on a high note!

Course Information

Dates:
Fri 26/07/2024 -
Fri 26/07/2024
Times:
1:00pm - 3:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
City Hall, Sunderland
Plater Way
Sunderland
SR3 2GJ
Tutor:
Mark Barfoot
Course code:
Q00015399
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee:
Free

Art Appreciation: Art and About: Art in the Olympic (North) Park - Walking Tour

Part of the WEA Art and About Festival 2024! Art in the Olympic (North) Park Walking Tour explores the public artworks in the north side of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. It is the first Olympic Park to integrate artworks into the landscape right from the start by established and emerging artists, international and local, which reflects the Park’s identity, and the first to have an artist-in-residence during its construction. Discover artworks that are both large and striking, whilst others are smaller and harder to find, inspired by the undulating landscape, riverside, buried histories, community memories, and Olympic glory. The meeting point is Copper Box Arena on Waterden Rd.

Course Information

Dates:
Sun 28/07/2024 -
Sun 28/07/2024
Times:
3:00pm - 5:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Meeting Point: Copper Box Arena
Waterden Road
London
London
E20 3BS
Tutor:
Jolanta Jagiello
Course code:
Q00014695
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £10.00