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: Isolation, artists and paintings

Isolation includes solitude (choosing to be alone for contemplative or other good reasons) and social isolation (real or psychological separation from others, which can result in loneliness). Some artists need solitude to explore the world around them or to remove external pressures. Others use their work to express feelings of loneliness, whether from societal causes, unrequited love, illness, or other circumstances. Our speaker, Roger Wotton, will discuss a range of paintings that express, for example, the solitude found in nature, or the loneliness in urban living. He will consider, too, the most common example of isolation shown in art: the Crucifixion of Christ.

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 07/10/2024 -
Mon 21/10/2024
Times:
10:30am - 12:30pm
Duration:
3 sessions
Location:
Friends Meeting House (Berkhamsted)
289 High Street
Berkhamsted
HP4 1AJ
Tutor:
Guest Speaker
Course code:
Q00017711
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £25.20

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

Art Appreciation: Art Appreciation: Art in Churches

The Church has historically been a major patron of the arts, and all major artists have works in church buildings around Europe. From Saxon wall paintings and lavish medieval alter pieces, to contemporary installations in Cathedrals, this course looks at the variety of art commissioned by the Church, from the Sistine Chapel ceiling to Victorian church textiles. We discuss where good examples can be seen in this country, including stained glass and sculpture. The way in which art in Churches has reflected the major art history developments is at the core of this course.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 10/10/2024 -
Thu 10/10/2024
Times:
10:00am - 3:30pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
St Lawrence Parish Rooms (Winchester)
Colebrook Street
Winchester
SO23 9LH
Tutor:
David Brindley
Course code:
Q00016858
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.

Art Appreciation: From Elgar to Tippett - The C20th English Musical Renaissance

The early 20th Century witnessed an extraordinary flourishing of English musical talent – dormant since the death of Purcell 200 years earlier. With the premiere of Elgar's Enigma Variations in 1899, the country at last began to put paid to the German gibe of it being "The Land without Music". With the help of musical extracts, we trace the course of the Renaissance and the individuals who shaped it - featuring Elgar, Delius, Vaughan Williams, Holst, Britten, Walton and Tippett. We also explore how conscious they were of heading a revolution, and address the elusive issue of what we really understand by Englishness in music.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 15/10/2024 -
Tue 19/11/2024
Times:
10:30am - 12:30pm
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
Pyrton Village Hall (Watlington)
Pyrton
Watlington
OX49 5AP
Tutor:
Christopher Carter
Course code:
Q00017296
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £60.00

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

Creative Writing: Shapes of Story: Tell it Slant

Dive into the different forms you can tell a story. We’ll look at braided stories, hermit crabs, list stories, epistolary and fragmentary forms across fiction and creative non fiction. Learn the techniques and appreciate the effects different shapes of a story can enhance your writing.

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 16/10/2024 -
Wed 20/11/2024
Times:
10:00am - 11:30am
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Nicola Torode
Course code:
Q00017745
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £33.30

WEA Membership

For just £15 a year, you can:

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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.

Art Appreciation: Artist Movements from the early 20th Century

From the Blue Rider to the Bridge to Dada, the emergence of modernism in the early 20th century saw a flourishing of artist groups who challenged what art is and how it should be made and seen. In this course, we’ll look at some of the key collectives, leading artists who were part of them and their artistic innovations, including among others Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Ernst Kirchner, Kurt Schwitters and Marcel Duchamps.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 17/10/2024 -
Thu 14/11/2024
Times:
2:45pm - 4:45pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Ruth Mulandi
Course code:
Q00017291
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
4 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.

Women Artists

American art historian Linda Nochlin in 1971 posed the question as to “Why have there been no great women artists?”. Women artists have been overlooked, undermined, and forgotten over the centuries. This course will write them back into art history by focusing on the most committed and accomplished women artists from the 17th Century to the 21st Century covering women painters, sculptors, installation artists, and performance artists.

Course Information

Dates:
Sat 19/10/2024 -
Sat 30/11/2024
Location:
The Drive Methodist Church (Redbridge)
Eastern Avenue
Redbridge
IG4 5AB
Course code:
Q00017555
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £60.00

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

Art Appreciation: Art Fakes, Forgeries, and Copies

What makes an artist forger artworks?, what motivates them?, which famous artists do they copy?, what techniques do they use?, and do they get away with it?. This course explores the answers to these questions, as well as how many fakes are produced, and the money that can be made. Above all, when the forger is caught how they can became celebrities in their own right with exhibitions of their artworks in their own name. The course will also examine the challenges and opportunities and above all the controversies surrounding AI-generated Art, is it original, a copy or a fake?

Course Information

Dates:
Sun 27/10/2024 -
Sun 01/12/2024
Times:
11:00am - 1:00pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Jolanta Jagiello
Course code:
Q00017465
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.

Art Appreciation: Symbolism in Art

Can you read the hidden meanings in paintings? For centuries artists have relied upon symbols to convey their intentions, but how do we find out what lies behind some of the most well-known works of art? In this extensively illustrated study day with WEA tutor David Brindley, we’ll explore the wealth of symbolism in western art from the Renaissance and Baroque periods, the Impressionists to Surrealism, and from abstract art to the present and offer an interpretation of the hidden meanings within these pieces.

Course Information

Dates:
Fri 01/11/2024 -
Fri 01/11/2024
Times:
10:00am - 3:30pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
St Lawrence Parish Rooms (Winchester)
Colebrook Street
Winchester
SO23 9LH
Tutor:
David Brindley
Course code:
Q00016859
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.

Art Appreciation: Lost Stars of the Renaissance - Art History

In this course, we will discuss in detail works from lesser-known painters of the Renaissance era. Since the High Renaissance is much better known, we will look at artists from the fifteenth century, who were very highly thought of at the time. They were influential and sought-after by the powerful in Florence.

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 04/11/2024 -
Mon 25/11/2024
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
4 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Kate Phillips
Course code:
Q00017300
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £29.60

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

Art Appreciation: The Art of Christmas

The Christmas story has probably inspired more art than any other subject. From medieval icons of the Virgin and Child to the Renaissance paintings of the shepherds and the wise men; and from stained glass windows to Christmas cards, the story has been at the forefront of western art.

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 04/11/2024 -
Mon 09/12/2024
Times:
11:00am - 12:30pm
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
David Brindley
Course code:
Q00009345
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £55.50