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: Stop Frame Animation

Bring your imagination to life! This stop motion animation course guides you through the exciting world of creating animated stories frame by frame. Learn practical techniques, explore storytelling elements, and discover the magic of bringing characters and objects to life on screen. We will explore a variety of content including the principles of stop motion animation, from storyboarding to character creation. We will explore how to nbring the ideas to life and look into the post-production magic too. **This interactive course features engaging video demonstrations, step-by-step tutorials, and creative prompts to spark your imagination. Whether you're a hobbyist or aiming for a career in animation, this course is your launchpad to explore the world of stop motion animation!

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 12/08/2024 -
Mon 21/10/2024
Times:
10:30am - 12:30pm
Duration:
11 sessions
Location:
Tunstall Library (Stoke-on-Trent)
Tunstall Library
The Boulevard
Stoke-on-Trent
ST6 6BD
Tutor:
Tabitha Allsop
Course code:
Q00016496
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £75.60

Creative Writing: Writing Food

This 2-hour workshop will stimulate your imagination and palette for writing food stories from fiction, life writing and reportage. You will read published stories to provide inspiration and techniques to embellish your own writing. You can share your writing in pairs to give confidence and courage to write more.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 15/08/2024 -
Thu 15/08/2024
Times:
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Nicola Torode
Course code:
Q00017741
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
6 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £7.40

Art Appreciation: The Blue Rider, an Introduction to German Expressionism

Expressionism is a key art movement of the early 20th century, which developed from 1905 in Germany and Austria. In this session, you will learn about one of the Expressionist groups, The Blue Rider. Centred around Munich and Murnau, the artists of this group developed a colourful and free style of painting. Wassily Kandinsky, Franz Marc, Gabriele Munter, Alexei von Jawlensky, Marianne von Werefkin, August Macke and Paul Klee used strong colours and boldly simplified forms to express themselves. If you have ever wondered what is Expressionism, how it started and developed, and why these artists painted in such a way, this course is for you!

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 03/09/2024 -
Tue 03/09/2024
Times:
9:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Caroline Levisse
Course code:
Q00018678
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £11.10

Creative Writing: Read Like a Writer

We’ll read a wide-range of short stories, memoir and novel extracts from diverse genres and authors. Each week we’ll 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 04/09/2024 -
Wed 02/10/2024
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Nicola Torode
Course code:
Q00017744
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
6 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £37.00

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:
£15

Creative Writing: Body and Place Stories

This friendly creative writing course 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 meditation (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.

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 04/09/2024 -
Wed 23/10/2024
Times:
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Duration:
8 sessions
Location:
Shekinah Endeavour House (Torquay)
Endeavour House, 228 Union Str
Torquay
TQ2 5QS
Tutor:
Ione Harris
Course code:
Q00017151
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £67.20

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:
7 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £74.00

Art Appreciation: Renaissance Beauty in the work of Leonardo da Vinci and Albrecht Dürer

This course in art appreciation provides close attentions to particular works of art from two important artists, Leonardo da Vinci and Albrecht Dürer, 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 Dürer’s painting in Venice and to his woodcuts and engravings; to Leonardo’s 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:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £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’s 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 (Honoré 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 £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 “eye-opener”, 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:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £11.10

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 £74.00