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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Literature: Gossip and How it Shapes Identity in Fiction

Language and gender - do men and women speak differently? Is there a purpose to how we speak? Do the stories we tell others shape us? Connection between identity and informal ways we talk about ourselves. Gossip - social evil or good?

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 24/02/2025 -
Mon 10/03/2025
Times:
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Duration:
3 sessions
Location:
Jubilee Hall Loddon (Loddon)
George Lane
Loddon
NR14 6NB
Tutor:
Guest Speaker
Course code:
Q00020841
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £25.20

Literature: Six Classic Novels you can read in Six weeks

Each week we focus on a classic work of fiction, reading and discussing key passages. The texts include short novels which can be read in one week, and longer novels which we’ll study over two weeks. The course is organised chronologically and spans over 200 years, from the mid-19th century to modern times. We begin with Jane Eyre and end with Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. We’ll share and debate interpretations, sharpen our critical and appreciative faculties, understand what fiction can tell us about the society and culture that produced it, and, hopefully, be inspired to read other works by the writers featured on the course.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 25/02/2025 -
Tue 01/04/2025
Times:
10:30am - 12:30pm
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
Enfield Baptist Church (Enfield) (Enfiel
Cecil Road
Enfield
EN2 6TG
Tutor:
Brandon Robshaw
Course code:
Q00017423
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
4 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £72.00

Beginners Spanish

Want to take on a new challenge and learn a new language? Like to holiday in Spain or Spanish speaking countries or just want a new hobby, then this is the course for you. This can be used as a continuing course after the prior introduction course or feel free to join at this stage. The course will be run by a fully qualified tutor who has experience teaching Spanish online. The course will be 12 weeks long and take a break for half term. Start your journey to speaking Spanish today!

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 25/02/2025 -
Tue 03/06/2025
Times:
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Duration:
12 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Andrea Ostapski
Course code:
Q00019151
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £88.80

Creative Writing: Written in the Style of...

Have fun, find inspiration and develop creativity as we put the focus on tapping into the styles, structures and themes of a selection of iconic writers. A fun, friendly and structured approach to gain fiction writing knowledge and written word skills and, importantly, aid you in finding inspiration, putting pen paper and getting writing. Mystery, romance, fantasy, hardboiled crime, or a touch of the ghostly and gothic or something far more salacious – find inspiration as we consider the kind of words, characters and styles which suit a tale written by a selection of famous authors.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 25/02/2025 -
Tue 25/03/2025
Times:
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
George Cromack
Course code:
Q00020229
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £37.00

WEA Membership

WEA membership is changing: more information is coming soon!

Membership Information

Duration:
12 months
Fee:
£15

Film Studies: 5 Road Movies Revisited

A fun and accessible course exploring a selection of Road Movies. The road movie is now considered a staple genre of popular cinema, particularly Hollywood, but what are many of these films actually about? Often seeming low on plot and with endings which are often inconclusive and open to discussion. Why a road movie? What where do they come from in terms of cultural points of reference, are they really just an U.S thing? We have fun and develop our cinematic knowledge by exploring a selection of Road Movies from the U.S and beyond.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 25/02/2025 -
Tue 25/03/2025
Times:
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
George Cromack
Course code:
Q00020082
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £37.00

Film & Media: The Women Who Built The Film Industry

This course aims to introduce learners to the stories of some pioneering women from early cinema history who were hugely important to the development of the art, craft, and business of film, but who modern movie goers may not know. We’ll look at the unique challenges they faced as women in their times, their contributions – in some cases – deliberately overlooked, but also the immense possibilities of the emerging cinema industry. With a wealth of clips and background material.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 25/02/2025 -
Tue 18/03/2025
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
4 sessions
Location:
Royston Town Hall (Royston)
Melbourn Street
Royston
SG8 7BS
Tutor:
Christopher Budd
Course code:
Q00020845
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £33.60

Intermediate Spanish

Ready to take your Spanish language skills to the next level? If you have completed a previous beginners course then this is the next step in your journey to fluency. Like to holiday in Spain or Spanish speaking countries or just want a new hobby, then this is the course for you. This can be used as a continuing course after the prior introduction course or feel free to join at this stage. The course will be run by a fully qualified tutor who has experience teaching Spanish online. The course will be 12 weeks long and take a break for half terms. Start your journey to speaking Spanish today!

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 26/02/2025 -
Wed 04/06/2025
Times:
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Duration:
12 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Andrea Ostapski
Course code:
Q00019152
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £88.80

Film Studies: 5 More BBC Plays for Today Revisited

The BBC Play for Today strand ran from 1970 to 1984, an anthology series of one-off made for Television plays covering a broad range of genres from social realism to science fiction and anything in between. The plays also allowed a variety of then new writers and directors to express themselves on screen in an inventive and original platform allowing for experimentation in terms of style and themes, for many writers this was the start of a fruitful career. This course examines several of these plays, considering what made some into landmarks of TV drama, why they so often courted controversy and what shifted in the television landscape to bring about their decline.

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 26/02/2025 -
Wed 26/03/2025
Times:
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
George Cromack
Course code:
Q00020083
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £37.00

Creative Writing: Written in the Style of...

Have fun, find inspiration and develop creativity as we put the focus on tapping into the styles, structures and themes of a selection of iconic writers. A fun, friendly and structured approach to gain fiction writing knowledge and written word skills and, importantly, aid you in finding inspiration, putting pen paper and getting writing. Mystery, romance, fantasy, hardboiled crime, or a touch of the ghostly and gothic or something far more salacious – find inspiration as we consider the kind of words, characters and styles which suit a tale written by a selection of famous authors.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 27/02/2025 -
Thu 27/03/2025
Times:
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Stephen Joseph Theatre (Scarborough)
Westborough
Scarborough
YO11 1JW
Tutor:
George Cromack
Course code:
Q00020219
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £42.00

Art Appreciation: Painting in Early Renaissance Florence

Florence is one of the most beautiful and artistically endowed cities in Europe, and although recent scholarship has looked critically at her claim to be the epicentre of the ‘Italian Renaissance’, it remains true that many important advances in painting were made there between 14C-16C. This course aims to re-examine Florence’s position in the ‘Renaissance’ by studying both the role played by the patrons, the wealthy merchant bankers like the Medici, and the artists such as Botticelli, Verrocchio, Leonardo da Vinci, and many others.

Course Information

Dates:
Sat 01/03/2025 -
Sat 01/03/2025
Times:
10:00am - 4:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Reading International Solidarity Centre
35-39 London Street
Reading
RG1 4PS
Tutor:
Guest Speaker
Course code:
Q00018038
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £25.20