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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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

Creative Writing: Advanced Creative Writing and Journaling for Wellbeing

Do you love writing and want to write for money and/or because it floats your boat and makes you happy? Then join like-minded writers in advancing your skills at memoir and fiction, poetic lyrics and drama for stage and screen. Writing can be done from home, though not in a vacuum and this is the perfect opportunity to bounce ideas around, gain insights and try things out.

Course Information

Dates:
Sat 12/10/2024 -
Sat 14/12/2024
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Sarah Wardle
Course code:
Q00017026
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £74.00

Creative Writing Weekend Bootcamp: Essentials of story!

Over 5 hours in one weekend, you’ll set a daily achievable goal, refresh an element of story craft through the tutor’s stimulating exercises and extracts from published texts and write! We’ll immerse ourselves in short and longer writing exercises and get feedback from the tutor and peers when you share in pairs. Imagine the amount of work and momentum you’ll build over these two mornings. Set yourself up for success.

Course Information

Dates:
Sat 12/10/2024 -
Sun 13/10/2024
Times:
10:00am - 12:30pm
Duration:
2 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Nicola Torode
Course code:
Q00019278
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £23.50

History: Art History in 100 Paintings (c.25,000 to 1900)

This course aims to enable you to make sense of art works you might encounter in a gallery. You will fit 100 paintings- or two-dimensional pieces- into a time line of historical events, places, styles and paradigms. Using art appreciation skills from the first session , you will examine works in a virtual tour of a major gallery that come from another time and place. The course will enable you to create your own personal ‘Gallery of 100 paintings.

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 14/10/2024 -
Mon 11/11/2024
Times:
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Duration:
3 sessions
Location:
Jubilee Hall Loddon (Loddon)
George Lane
Loddon
NR14 6NB
Tutor:
Guest Speaker
Course code:
Q00019037
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
1 place remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £25.20

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

Music 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

Music Appreciation: Music for Wellbeing

From Beethoven to Blur, or Metallica to Mongolian voices, music can lead us from one state of mind and body to another. This course looks at the power of music and how it can be used as a source of energy to improve our overall health, self-esteem, and wellbeing. You will be given the opportunity to explore your own personal relationship with music, considering the impression music had on you when growing up; including how you feel about singing and why? There is extensive research supporting the psychological, social, and behavioural benefits that happen when an individual finds their voice. We will consider this and how the benefits of singing, song writing, and voice exploration can give us a feeling of belonging. By experimenting in a group, you will experience what it feels like to be part of something that is bigger than yourself!

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 15/10/2024 -
Tue 17/12/2024
Times:
1:00pm - 5:00pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Location:
NST Hub (North Somerset Training Communi
31 Alexandra Parade
Weston-super-Mare
BS23 1QZ
Tutor:
Katie Dexter
Course code:
Q00017799
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
5 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £151.20

Creative Writing for Wellbeing

Do you enjoy using words and writing to express yourself? Would you like to be more in touch with your ideas and feelings? Or would you like to learn more about using journaling and writing to support your wellbeing? Then come and join a friendly group on this weekly online course. No previous experience is necessary – all learners will gain confidence and increase their wellbeing through developing skills in creative writing

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 15/10/2024 -
Tue 19/11/2024
Times:
3:00pm - 4:30pm
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Frances Owen
Course code:
Q00018500
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £25.20

Creative Writing: Life Writing

This course is for all interested in writing from experience and shaping this into a readable narrative. It provides a continuation of WEA Memoir Writing courses for core returners and explores using lived experience to get to the roots of one’s past for self-knowledge and wellbeing, for sharing with others in the safe space of the online seminars and for writing up as a product to send to agents and publishers. You need to be interested enough in your own unique story to stay with it, develop it and pass on its wisdom, suspense and twists to others.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 15/10/2024 -
Tue 17/12/2024
Times:
2:30pm - 4:30pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Sarah Wardle
Course code:
Q00019461
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £74.00

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:
7 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £33.30

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