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: Northern Irish Poets

In this online, 10-week course, you will read, explore and enjoy some key works by a selection of significant contemporary poets from Northern Ireland. You will discuss and evaluate 5 poets, spending a week with each, with scope to include a variety of individual poems by others and create some links between these. Alongside close reading of poems, you will learn to discuss literary criticism on each poet, British/English poetry and poetics generally, as well as exploring the backgrounds of each writer, their lives and their unique approach to the art of poetry; through this we will also look to understand how a particular sense of identity and place has been created through the work. This unaccredited course with a supportive tutor will bring you into the worlds of Yorkshire poetry and you may take your new-found analytical skills back to your community in a volunteering role. No experience is needed, just bring yourself and your enthusiasm!

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 10/01/2024 -
Wed 20/03/2024
Times:
2:45pm - 4:45pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Tutor:
Simon Haworth
Course code:
Q00012638
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £74.00

History: Art and Experiment - The Avant-Gardes From Fauvism to Constructivism

This course explores the effervescent avant-garde scenes in Europe and the U.S., at the beginning of the 20th century (from 1905 to 1924). It saw an incredibly rapid succession of art movements. From Fauvism to Constructivism, avant-garde artists relentlessly explored uncharted territories and redefined what art is: Can a urinal become a work of art? What about a black square on a white? You will study iconic works of art, created by artists like Picasso and Matisse, Sonia and Robert Delaunay, Hans Arp, Marcel Duchamp, Walter Gropius, Natalya Goncharova and many more. In doing so you will deepen you understanding of this incredible and fundamental artistic period.

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 10/01/2024 -
Wed 27/03/2024
Times:
1:00pm - 3:00pm
Duration:
11 sessions
Tutor:
Caroline Levisse
Course code:
Q00012265
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £74.00

Art Appreciation: Women War Artists

Women war artists are notable by their absence from many overviews of war paintings. This course sets out to redress that omission. The course explores artists such as Elizabeth Southerden Thompson Butler, Clare Atwood, Hannah Hoch, Kathe Hollwitz, Angeles Torner Cevera, Rosario de Velasco and Evelyn Dunbar thinking about art works they produced before, during and after the war, and the different media they used to produce this artwork- pencil, oils and print. Please note that there are some graphic images within this course, so this may not suit everyone. The tutor will, however, create a safe, relaxed environment during the session.

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 10/01/2024 -
Wed 13/03/2024
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Location:
St John the Baptist Church Meeting Room
55 Main Road
Danbury
CM3 4NG
Tutor:
Sue Pownall
Course code:
Q00012241
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £84.00

Literature:  A Troubled Goodbye - Colonial Literature in English

This course will examine writing in English, written predominantly by British or Commonwealth authors, which explores the nature and consequences of British Imperial history. We will range from the deserts of the Middle-East to the Kenyan uprisings and Australia The texts to be discussed are as follows: The English Patient - Michael Ondaatje. The Last September - Elizabeth Bowen. Wild Sargasso Sea - Jean Rhys. A Grain of Wheat - James Ngugi. That Deadman Dance by Kim Scott. This course will cover the shifting nature of identity in Colonial and Post-Colonial nations, and examine who identities have been reforged or created anew.

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 10/01/2024 -
Wed 20/03/2024
Times:
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Location:
Rose House (London)
70 Barnes High Street
London
SW13 9LD
Tutor:
Stephen Smith
Course code:
Q00012147
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
7 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £84.00

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:
WEA Membership

Literature: Summer's End: British Literature of the Belle Epoque 1888-1915

This course will introduce a selection of literature written in English in the late Victorian and Edwardian eras. The texts we will discuss are: The Turn of the Screw - Henry James (1898). The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame (1908) Sons and Lovers - DH Lawrence (1913) Selected Poems of Thomas Hardy 1912-13. The Good Soldier - Ford Madox Ford (1915) We will investigate the growing tensions in society uncovered by these works on both an individual and societal level, focusing particularly on the rise of psychological thought and its impact on the novel, and the emerging class tensions developing during our period. The course will also explore the treatment of love in light of the changing times, and the persistence of the lyrical memory.

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 10/01/2024 -
Wed 20/03/2024
Times:
10:30am - 12:30pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Location:
Duke Street Church
Quadrant Road
Richmond
TW9 1DH
Tutor:
Stephen Smith
Course code:
Q00012594
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £100.00

Foreign Languages: Modern Greek Conversation for Improvers

Would you like to boost your existing Greek language skills and gain a deeper insight into the Greek culture? This online course aims to expand the Greek you have already learnt and increase your confidence in using the language to communicate with the locals when in Greece or Cyprus. It will also give you a further insight into the Greek lifestyle and culture. The course is taught by a well-qualified and experienced native speaker with many years’ teaching experience. Learning a foreign language for holiday or leisure is a great way to keep your brain active, explore a different culture, meet people with a common interest, increase your confidence and enhance your wellbeing. Take advantage of this unique opportunity today.

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 10/01/2024 -
Wed 20/03/2024
Times:
7:15pm - 9:15pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Eleni Vezyri
Course code:
Q00012720
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £74.00

Foreign Languages: Everyday Greek for Improvers (Intermediate) Wed am

Can you take part in conversations in Greek? This face-to-face course will refresh and expand the Greek you have learnt in the past and it will increase your confidence in communicating with the locals when in Greece or Cyprus. It will also give you a deeper insight into the Greek lifestyle and culture. The course is taught by a well-qualified and experienced native speaker with many years’ teaching experience. Learning a foreign language for holiday or leisure is a great way to keep your brain active, explore a different culture, meet people with a common interest, increase your confidence and enhance your wellbeing. Take advantage of this unique opportunity today.

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 10/01/2024 -
Wed 20/03/2024
Times:
11:00am - 1:00pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Location:
The Barn, Manor Farm (Tadcaster)
St. Joseph's Street
Tadcaster
LS24 9HA
Tutor:
Eleni Vezyri
Course code:
Q00012842
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £84.00

Film & Media: Women in World Cinema

Gender roles, gender presentation, womanhood, femininity and equal pay are all still essential topics that continue to be pondered in the 21st century! In this course focussed on women working in cinema across the world we look at how film from countries throughout the globe has tackled these topics since 2000. This course invites thought-provoking discussions on these topics, analyses films from across the globe and introduces you to some new films and directors you might not have discovered otherwise! No previous knowledge is needed- all new students are welcome.

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 10/01/2024 -
Wed 06/03/2024
Times:
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Duration:
8 sessions
Location:
Billericay Reading Rooms (Billericay)
73 High Street
Billericay
CM12 9AS
Tutor:
Bex Harper
Course code:
Q00012233
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £67.20

Music Making: Improve your singing skills - Intermediate

Develop your singing skills in a supportive online group! Over the course, you will work on at least one contemporary song of your choice, as you learn a range of vocal techniques and exercises which you'll try out at home with a muted microphone. You will also share private song recordings with your tutor for personalised tips and feedback, as well as having the option to share your singing with the group. This course also includes singing from sheet music.

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 10/01/2024 -
Wed 27/03/2024
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
11 sessions
Tutor:
Lorna Poole
Course code:
Q00012397
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
8 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £81.40

Music Making

If you love music and singing then this course is for you. The course has been written for people who attend the Better Futures day centre in Plymouth. On this course you will learn how to improve your singing technique and how to play different percussion instruments from all over the world. On this course we encourage you to listen and learn about different types of music and enjoy making music alongside others in the group. You do not need to know anything about music to join this course, you just need to join in and have a go.

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 10/01/2024 -
Wed 27/03/2024
Times:
1:00pm - 3:00pm
Duration:
11 sessions
Location:
Template
WEA
Tutor:
Charlotte Letchford
Course code:
Q00012391
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £92.40