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: Portraits of Society, 1954 – 1961 The Angry Decade?

Explore the literature of the "Angry Decade" with our Literature: Portraits of Society, 1954 – 1961 The Angry Decade? course. Analyze works from this tumultuous period in British literature, reflecting on social change and cultural upheaval. Ideal for literature enthusiasts and students of modern British history.

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 23/04/2025 -
Wed 25/06/2025
Times:
3:30pm - 5:30pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Catherine Humphris
Course code:
Q00016889
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £74.00

Creative Writing: 'Roots' Creative Writing Group – Sense of Place: Showing & Telling

Master the art of setting and description with our Creative Writing: Sense of Place: Showing & Telling course. Learn how to create vivid, immersive settings in your writing that engage and captivate readers. Ideal for writers looking to enhance their descriptive writing skills.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 24/04/2025 -
Thu 17/07/2025
Times:
10:00am - 12:30pm
Duration:
7 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Catherine Humphris
Course code:
Q00017784
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £64.75

Creative Writing: Sense of Place: Showing & Telling (Thursday)

Master the art of setting and description with our Creative Writing: Sense of Place: Showing & Telling course. Learn how to create vivid, immersive settings in your writing that engage and captivate readers. Ideal for writers looking to enhance their descriptive writing skills.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 24/04/2025 -
Thu 03/07/2025
Times:
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Duration:
11 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Catherine Humphris
Course code:
Q00017785
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £81.40

Creative Writing: Sense of Place: Showing & Telling (Friday)

Master the art of setting and description with our Creative Writing: Sense of Place: Showing & Telling course. Learn how to create vivid, immersive settings in your writing that engage and captivate readers. Ideal for writers looking to enhance their descriptive writing skills.

Course Information

Dates:
Fri 25/04/2025 -
Fri 06/06/2025
Times:
11:00am - 1:00pm
Duration:
7 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Catherine Humphris
Course code:
Q00017786
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £51.80

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: Advanced

This course is a follow on to the previous ‘Writing Your First Novel: Next Level’ course, but suitable for newly enrolling students with experience writing fiction. 'Writing your first Novel: Advanced' is all about the deeper craft of creative writing—those elements that will make your work really stand out when you are making your first steps into the world of writing, regardless of whether you are planning on submitting your work, or if you are just writing for fun. Giving you the opportunity to develop an effective creative writing practice, and further personal development, especially if you want to get that first novel out of your head and onto paper.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 01/05/2025 -
Thu 10/07/2025
Times:
6:30pm - 8:30pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Craig Rickard
Course code:
Q00009233
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £74.00

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 in the 21st Century

This is an exciting new course which views art produced in the twenty-first century. The course will put an emphasis on paintings and sculpture to include developments of figurative and abstract painting, and installed sculpture. There will be views of artists already prominent in the twentieth century and newly emerging artists from a wide range of attentions. From those born in the 1930s to those born in the 1980s. The course will attend to direct visual experience of reproduction of the works involved linked to elements of comprehension and understanding through a considerable range of exciting encounters and engagements.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 03/06/2025 -
Tue 22/07/2025
Times:
11:15am - 1:15pm
Duration:
8 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Allen Fisher
Course code:
Q00016760
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £59.20

Creative Writing: Creative Writing Group – Sense of Place: Showing & Telling, part 2

Continue your exploration of setting and description with our Creative Writing: Creative Writing Group – Sense of Place: Showing & Telling, Part 2 course. Build on your skills in creating vivid, immersive settings in your writing. Ideal for writers who have completed Part 1 or have some experience in descriptive writing.

Course Information

Dates:
Fri 20/06/2025 -
Fri 25/07/2025
Times:
11:00am - 1:00pm
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Catherine Humphris
Course code:
Q00017787
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £44.40



The courses below have already started, but are still available to book.

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