WEA courses

How did ancient Greek culture emerge from the end of the Bronze Age? The course aims (over two terms) to give a detailed and wide-ranging account of ancient Greek society and civilisation is it emerged in the so-called "Archaic Period", and is primarily intended for those who would like to pursue an interest in the nature of ancient history. You will learn about the historical development of ancient Greece from the 8th century BC down until 7th century BC in all its various aspects, both cultural, artistic, social and military, focusing in particular on the evidence for the earliest city-states and reasons for their predominance.

This course aims to introduce students to the art of portraiture in a relaxed and supportive environment. You will learn how to draw the face, neck and features correctly and then move on to painting. The class is ideal for beginners who would like to learn new skills or improve old ones.

This course is funded by North East Combined Authority.

This course provides an insight into East Anglian life, from the great house to the labourer’s cottage, during a period of great economic and social change, with reference to changes in the landscape, farming practices, and social structures, and the poverty that led to unrest and migration.

Develop your English speaking and listening skills with our Pre Entry ESOL: Get Ready for ESOL course. Focus on practical communication needed for everyday situations. Ideal for beginners looking to improve their basic English proficiency.

Are you approaching retirement age? Navigating the lifestyle change that retirement brings can be tricky. This retirement planning course aims to prepare you and your family for the changes that retirement brings. Its objective is to help you through the transition with ease so that you can enjoy this new phase of life. This short course will also help you gain an understanding of retirement planning services that exist to help you. This retirement planning training course covers personal planning and financial planning. Understand the emotional and personal changes that retirement brings. Consider how to plan your time and manage your relationships to maintain your emotional well-being. Is retirement really what it’s cracked up to be? Are you ready to retire? Research suggests that many people struggle to adjust to retirement although they may have been looking forward to it. How can we prepare ourselves effectively for this new phase of our lives? You may be someone who has always hankered to pursue a new career, volunteering or developing a new interest and would like the opportunity to fine tune and test out your ideas. We will be looking at your views about retirement, what some of the pitfalls might be, where you might start to look for financial planning advice, health, work and volunteering opportunities. Join us to explore this wonderful opportunity to have the time of your life!

Learn the essentials of social media and marketing with our Social Media and Marketing for Work course. Understand how to use social media platforms to promote your business effectively. Ideal for individuals looking to enhance their marketing skills for professional purposes.

The 1950s saw exciting new developments in the British novel; a more democratic postwar spirit is in evidence and many new, influential writers make their first appearance. We begin with Barbara Pym’s Excellent Women, and end with Alan Sillitoe’s Saturday Night and Sunday Morning. We’ll be able to 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. This course is funded by Greater London Combined Authority.

This course will look at all aspects of Mindfulness and how to bring it into everyday life. It is a practical down to earth course.

The course will focus on using a combination of careful landscape observation and detailed interpretation of information on the map to enable you to find your way on walks in lowland areas of British countryside. To do this, we will consider how maps are created and look at the important conventional symbols used by the ordnance Survey. Staying safe in the countryside is of course another important consideration which we will address. All of these skills will then be applied to discuss ways in which good planning can contribute to the sense of wellbeing that a varied and stimulating walk can provide.