Learning about the world around us

Here at the WEA we offer a huge range of humanities and science courses, with something for everyone.  

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If you’re interested in the natural world, our geography and environment courses are the perfect choice. Our packed curriculum explores some of the biggest issues facing society, such as climate change and the fight against the destruction of some of Earth’s most precious resources. The option to learn in person or online means that our geography courses can whisk you away to a far-flung corner of the globe, all without you ever having to leave your own home. 

Studying a science

If you choose to take one of our psychology courses you’ll be immersed in the study of the human mind. With options to learn about memory and identity, you’ll get the chance to explore and debate some of the most famous psychological experiments.  

There’s also Sociology too, a subject that focuses on human behaviour, interaction, and relationships. If you’d like to explore some of the biggest questions in life, then our philosophy courses are for you. Small class sizes mean that you’ll get to discuss and debate in a supportive environment, all with an experienced tutor on hand.  

Attend a Humanities and Science course near you  

Whether you choose to learn from the comfort of your own home or opted for face-to-face learning at a local community venue, you’ll be taught by a talented tutor who is an expert in their subject. Our learning experience sets us apart from other providers, with learners regularly highlighting the difference that an encouraging environment makes. 

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Nature, Ecology & Permaculture: Garden birds at Christmas

Do you like watching the birds go about their day in your garden? Perhaps you would like to know more about them. Join WEA tutor Jane Williams who will be taking a charming, Boxing Day look at the birds you can see in your garden in the Christmas break, and how you can encourage more to come and visit you. Special emphasis on the Christmas Robin! Voted Britain’s favourite bird year in, year out. So, if you need a break from the festivities or just to have a chat with like-minded individuals, join Jane on this special, one-off session. Everybody is welcome.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 26/12/2023 -
Tue 26/12/2023
Times:
5:00pm - 6:30pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Tutor:
Jane Williams
Course code:
Q00012524
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee:
Free

History: Important Cooks and Cookbooks You've Never Heard Of

The history of cookbooks is almost as old as cooking. This course will take 10 significant cookbooks and their cooks to explore and discuss what they bring to culinary history and what have they to teach us today. If, like me, you tune in each week to watch the latest offerings from the full range of television cooks and buy the books that inevitably accompany them, you may have wondered where the idea of a book full of recipes to be followed comes from. In fact there is a long tradition in English writing of writing about food and domestic matters which stretches back before Mrs Beaton.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 02/01/2024 -
Tue 12/03/2024
Times:
10:00am - 11:30am
Duration:
10 sessions
Tutor:
Alison Warren
Course code:
Q00010103
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
7 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £55.50

History: Irish History

This first of two courses traces events from medieval times up to 1847 from Strongbow to O’Connell. We discuss the nature of medieval Ireland and its kingdoms and trace the gradual involvement of England in Irish affairs through conquest, plantation and finally union. We also discuss Irish resistance in all its variety as well as cultural, economic and social issues.

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 08/01/2024 -
Mon 18/03/2024
Times:
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Laurie Johnston
Course code:
Q00012164
How you'll learn:
In venue
Status:
Waiting list
Fee range
Free to £74.00

History: Power and the People – based on the GSCE History syllabus

Based on a topic in the school GCSE History syllabus, Power and the People looks at a historical theme over a period of about a thousand years to give us an insight into the way political power has been understood and shared in Britain. We will explore how rights and freedoms we take for granted have been debated and fought for in the past – and perhaps how we need to defend them, not take them for granted. We will look at how a longitudinal study of this type fits into the school syllabus and gain an insight into the teaching of history today.

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 08/01/2024 -
Mon 18/03/2024
Times:
11:00am - 1:00pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Tutor:
Katherine Croft
Course code:
Q00012657
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £74.00

WEA Membership

For just £15 a year, you can:

  • Join our popular, award-winning weekly lecture series,
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  • Get priority online and phone booking for autumn courses (England only),
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Just add us to your basket to sign up today!

Membership Information

Duration:
12 months
Fee:
WEA Membership

History: Intermediate-A History of the Kievan Rus of Ukraine

This online course, delivered by an experienced tutor is a progression from the autumn course "Beginners: A History of the Medieval Rus of Ukraine". However, new learners are warmly welcomed. The Ukraine is firmly part of modern news due to conflict in the region however, the history of this region in the Middle Ages will be the focus of the learning on this course. What happened to the Rus Empire of Kiev during the Middle Ages? What was it like? What dangers did it face? This course aims to answer those questions.

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 08/01/2024 -
Mon 25/03/2024
Times:
7:15pm - 9:15pm
Duration:
11 sessions
Tutor:
Gary Slator
Course code:
Q00012850
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £81.40

History: The Art of Norway - The Emergence of The Modern

This course will be following on from last terms introduction to the origins of Norwegian art in the early 19th Century where the politics & topography were addressed & the early pioneer painters established a way of painting the daunting but magnificent landscapes. Johannes Flintoe ,J C Dahl & Thomas Fearnley established a way of painting Norway based on German idealism whilst experimenting with open air painting.This term we will engage with the huge shift in art in Scandinavia due to the influence of French outdoor painting. Adolf Tidemand trained in the German school of synthetic & idealistic composition ,was followed by the pattern- breaking Hans Gude responsible for encouraging his students to study nature & paint more realistically.His pupil Frits Thaulow became a indomitable painter of snow .By the 1880s French outdoor painting was being taken up by the artists colony at Fleskum ,Christian Skredsvigs property outside Oslo.The leap into the 20th century & the modern finds Nikolai Astrup & Harald Sohlberg painting locations dear to their hearts in very individualistic ways

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 08/01/2024 -
Mon 11/03/2024
Times:
11:45am - 1:45pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Tutor:
Jill Harrison
Course code:
Q00012803
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £72.00

History: The Ottoman Empire - Fall 1876-1922

The last 50 years of the Ottoman Empire continues to drive current politics in Europe and the Middle East. In this course we consider the events, characters and forces that lead to its breakup including the modernisation attempts of the ‘Young Turk’ movement, the Balkan Wars of 1912-13, The Great War (including the Arab Revolt, the Armenian Genocide and the Turkish War of Independence. We finish by considering the rise of the new secular state of Turkey and the legacy of the Ottomans.

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 08/01/2024 -
Mon 18/03/2024
Times:
10:15am - 12:15pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Location:
Petts Wood Memorial Hall (Petts Wood)
200 Petts Wood Road
Petts Wood
BR5 1LA
Tutor:
Laurie Johnston
Course code:
Q00012091
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
1 place remaining
Status:
Waiting list
Fee range
Free to £84.00

History: Boom and Bust - The USA 1929-1940

This course is an introduction to the extreme economic changes that took place in the United States of American the period 1929 - 1940. The American economic boom of the 1920s came crashing down in October 1929 with the Stock Market Crash and, within a short time, had precipitated a worldwide economic depression. These were the desperate years of poverty and unemployment. It was a period of economic hardship that culminated in political change and the introduction of a radical new approach, the New Deal. Under Franklin D Roosevelt. No previous knowledge or experience of American history is necessary. Everyone is welcome to join this fascinating course!

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 08/01/2024 -
Mon 12/02/2024
Times:
10:30am - 12:30pm
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
Friends Meeting House (Berkhamsted)
289 High Street
Berkhamsted
HP4 1AJ
Tutor:
Michael Long
Course code:
Q00012277
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £50.40

Art Appreciation: Henry and Elizabeth - The Tudor Spin Machine

Spin is not the province of modern politicians and image makers. The Tudors, particularly Henry V111 and Elizabeth, were immensely conscious of their historical status. Henry because his father’s claim to the throne was rather rocky and Henry Tudor had to lift the crown from his predecessor’s dead head to put it on his own. Elizabeth because of her own history, inextricably tied to her own father’s marital adventures which had riven the country and caused a break from Rome which echoed through the next two reigns. And people called her mother “The Great Whore” still. So she had a great deal to prove, since the only regnant queens before her - her own sister Mary, who had caused a religious bloodbath and the only previous example, Matilda, had fought a bitter civil war to achieve only being able to be the Regent to her son.

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 08/01/2024 -
Mon 05/02/2024
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Tutor:
Kate Phillips
Course code:
Q00010067
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
7 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £37.00

Animal Psychology: Domestic Canines

The dog behaviour course aims to provide an introduction to the origins and behaviour of the domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris). The course will discuss and display our current knowledge on the ancestry of the domestic dog and how humans began taming, and eventually selectively breeding the Grey wolf (Canis lupus) until a new sub-species evolved. The sessions are all based on archaeological, behavioural, experiential and biological evidence and will introduce general canine behaviour. Some common problem behaviours are touched upon, but the focus of the sessions will be standard dog behaviour in day-to-day life.

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 08/01/2024 -
Mon 12/02/2024
Times:
11:00am - 12:30pm
Duration:
6 sessions
Tutor:
Joanne Wilshaw
Course code:
Q00011020
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
2 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £33.30