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鈥檙e 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鈥檚 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鈥檒l be immersed in the study of the human mind. With options to learn about memory and identity, you鈥檒l get the chance to explore and debate some of the most famous psychological experiments.  

There鈥檚 also Sociology too, a subject that focuses on human behaviour, interaction, and relationships. If you鈥檇 like to explore some of the biggest questions in life, then our philosophy courses are for you. Small class sizes mean that you鈥檒l 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鈥檒l 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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History: History of Essex in 10 objects

Essex museums are full of wonderful and sometimes surprising objects. This course takes a selection of objects looked after in museums all over the county and uses them as sources for learning about everyday life in Essex in the past. Covering a range of themes and times the course will also give you some ideas for places to visit in your own time.
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Course Information

Dates:
Thu 16/01/2025 -
Thu 27/03/2025
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Location:
St John the Baptist Church Meeting Room
55 Main Road
Danbury
CM3 4NG
Tutor:
Claire Parker
Course code:
Q00018517
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢84.00

History: Silence in Court: four famous trials from British history

Every famous trial is a snapshot of history in the making. We see the cast of characters strutting on the stage that is the court room, acting out their roles against the backdrop of forces that are often beyond their control - the letter of the law, the power of the state, the force of prejudice, the facts of the case. Their focus is the outcome of 'their' trial, but ours is more than that; why is this trial famous, how did it change things, what lessons does it teach us? Join Peter Blood to study the people, issues and outcomes in four famous trials from British history, with a view to understanding their political, social and legal significance.
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Course Information

Dates:
Fri 17/01/2025 -
Fri 07/02/2025
Times:
10:30am - 12:30pm
Duration:
4 sessions
Location:
Caterham United Reformed Church (Caterha
Harestone Hill
Caterham
CR3 6SX
Tutor:
Peter Blood
Course code:
Q00017735
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢33.60

Nature, Ecology & Permaculture: Fossils and Ancient Life

A hands on course using the tutor鈥檚 huge fossil collection. Find out about life on Earth over millions of years and learn how to identify these fossils and interpret how they lived.
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Course Information

Dates:
Sat 18/01/2025 -
Sat 18/01/2025
Times:
10:00am - 4:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
The Cornerstone (Wokingham)
Norreys Avenue
Wokingham
RG40 1UE
Tutor:
Guest Speaker
Course code:
Q00017592
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢25.20

History: Cleethorpes' Theatre History from the Victorian Era to the Present Day

See images and hear about the history of three of Cleethorpes鈥 entertainment venues. The Empire Theatre is now an amusement arcade, so does anything of its former life exist today? The Coliseum Cinema building is now a Wetherspoons public house on Cleethorpes High Street, but what was its history prior to this? The Theatre Royal is sadly an eyesore and the site is awaiting further development, but what was this site used for before and after its theatre days? Join us on an adventure through time and discover local treasures from a bygone age. Suitable for anyone with a little curiosity.
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Course Information

Dates:
Sat 18/01/2025 -
Sat 18/01/2025
Times:
2:00pm - 4:30pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
The Minster (Grimsby)
St James Square
Grimsby
DN31 1EP
Tutor:
Guest Speaker
Course code:
Q00017919
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢15.00

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Duration:
12 months
Fee:
拢15

An Introduction to Twentieth Century History: International Relations in the 1930s and World War 2

By the 1930s there were three competing ideologies: Liberal Democracy, Soviet Communism and Fascism.. the latter in various national forms. Broadly the first two accepted the status quo and the latter in Japan, Germany and Italy were determined on revision. This set the scene for the ensuing conflicts in the Pacific and Europe. The course will examine how and why the world went to war during the 1930s. We will look at the role of individuals and consider how much difference it made that it was Hitler or Mussolini in charge rather than someone else. We will examine how it took time for the USA to emerge from isolation and how that tipped the balance when she did.
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Course Information

Dates:
Mon 20/01/2025 -
Mon 03/03/2025
Times:
10:30am - 12:30pm
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
St Francis de Sales (Hampton)
16 Wellington Road
Hampton
TW12 1JR
Tutor:
Julian Roberts
Course code:
Q00017583
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢60.00

History

Explore key events and figures in history with our History course. Learn about different periods, cultures, and significant historical developments. Ideal for history enthusiasts and anyone interested in learning about the past.
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Course Information

Dates:
Tue 21/01/2025 -
Tue 18/03/2025
Location:
Peterhouse Community Centre
122 Forest Rise
Walthamstow
London
E17 3PW
Course code:
Q00017606
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢80.00

History: Malory鈥檚 Morte d鈥橝rthur

In this short course, learners will focus on the final tales in the most famous and complete literary work in English on the Matter of Britain, Malory鈥檚 Morte d鈥橝rthur. We will study Malory鈥檚 characterisation, the development of his narrative, and discuss the causes and events leading up to the fall of the Round Table. We will also explore Malory鈥檚 prose style and one of his major English sources. No prior knowledge of Middle English is required, and the course is suitable for beginners and improvers. It is also very suitable for those who have taken the autumn taster course on Malory.
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Course Information

Dates:
Wed 22/01/2025 -
Wed 26/02/2025
Times:
9:15am - 11:15am
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Roberta Dewa
Course code:
Q00019870
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢44.40

History: How the Vote was Won - Campaigns for Democracy in Britain

An opportunity to explore the fascinating stories of movements and individuals who worked to achieve the right to vote in Britian. Our subjects range from Puritan soldiers in the 17th century to Welsh republicans in the 19th and women mill workers in the early 20th. We will meet Levellers, Chartists, Suffragists and Suffragettes as well as lesser-known groups. As we encounter campaigners divided over tactics, politics and ethics, we will see how the right to vote overlapped with other controversies and ask why advances and setbacks happened when they did.
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Course Information

Dates:
Mon 27/01/2025 -
Mon 24/03/2025
Times:
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Duration:
8 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Symon Hill
Course code:
Q00018050
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢59.20

History: Highlights Of British Archaeology: Viking (800 AD) To High Middle Ages

Recent fieldwork allows us to define three distinct phases of Anglo-Scandinavian occupation: raiding, conquest and settlement. Sites at Repton and Torksey provide evidence of Viking Age winter camps from the Conquest Period, whereas spatial analysis of both artefact scatters and place names vividly demonstrate the areas of Norse settlement. We shall be looking at major developments in shipping technology from the Saxon through to the High Middle Ages, without which none of these invasions, including 1066, would have been possible. As part of our Medieval studies we shall examine the eclectic Medieval 鈥淰oynich Manuscript鈥. Using the illustrations we shall try to make some sense of it.
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Course Information

Dates:
Mon 27/01/2025 -
Mon 31/03/2025
Times:
1:45pm - 3:45pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Location:
Grimsby Central Hall & Arts Community Ce
Duncombe Street
Grimsby
DN32 7EG
Tutor:
Simon Tomson
Course code:
Q00018374
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢84.00

Art Appreciation: The Sistine Chapel

The Sistine Chapel is indeed a jewel box of great painting. With works by Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, Perugino and Michelangelo, some of the greatest works of the Italian Renaissance are to be found there. But this is more than just a collection of great works. It is also the pope鈥檚 private chapel and so these works were created not just for display but to relay a greater message to the world, But how many of the thousands of visitors really understand that message or what these works are about? In this study day we shall seek to decode the 'messages' contained in these great works and see what Sixtus IV and Julius II and their artists were really saying to us.
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Course Information

Dates:
Tue 04/02/2025 -
Tue 04/03/2025
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
3 sessions
Location:
The Cornerstone (Wokingham)
Norreys Avenue
Wokingham
RG40 1UE
Tutor:
Guest Speaker
Course code:
Q00017593
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
6 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee:
拢30.00