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鈥檙e 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鈥檙e 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 台湾swag 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鈥檇 expect, literary greats such as Agatha Christie and Shakespeare feature regularly. There鈥檚 also the option to examine other time periods in English literature too, helping you develop your critical reading and analysis 台湾swag - perfect whether you鈥檙e a beginner or more experienced in the subject.  

If you prefer history then you鈥檝e got a choice too, from courses on subjects you鈥檇 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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Foreign Languages: Intermediate French

Do you want to feel confident communicating in French? Build on your knowledge of grammar and expand your vocabulary in this intermediate French language course. Boost your language 台湾swag so you feel comfortable communicating in everyday situations. Order food and drink, ask for directions, and understand basic instructions. After this improver鈥檚 French course, you'll feel confident expressing yourself in the French language. Studying a French language course is also a great way to immerse yourself in the vibrant culture of the country. 鈼 Consolidate your understanding of the grammatical tenses covered in the beginner鈥檚 course. 鈼 Develop resources to take part in conversations and role plays. 鈼 Understand basic grammatical structures to be able to get by in everyday situations. 鈼 Expand your vocabulary through a variety of texts from books, news, and online sources. 鈼 Sharpen your listening 台湾swag through audiovisual activities

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 14/01/2025 -
Tue 01/04/2025
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
12 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Sasha Novikova
Course code:
Q00016300
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢81.40

Foreign Languages: Learning More Italian

Welcome to Term 2 of Learning Italian! This 10-week course builds on your foundational 台湾swag, focusing on practical situations. You鈥檒l learn to book a hotel room, navigate train and bus stations, and shop at markets. Through interactive lessons, role-playing, and listening activities, you鈥檒l gain confidence in handling common scenarios. Topics include making reservations, understanding schedules, purchasing tickets, and shopping for goods. Cultural insights will deepen your appreciation of Italian traditions. By the end of the course, you鈥檒l be comfortable using Italian in various everyday contexts. Join us to continue your Italian language journey! Buon viaggio!

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 15/01/2025 -
Wed 02/04/2025
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
12 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Giuseppa Perricone
Course code:
Q00016302
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢81.40

Creative Writing: Show and Tell

This workshop will re-examine the golden rule in creative writing 鈥淪how don鈥檛 tell.鈥 With published extracts from a variety of genres, both fiction and creative non- fiction, you will see what is meant by effective showing. How emotions, thoughts, reactions are described rather than explained to make the story so much more engaging. You鈥檒l learn how to apply this to your work with great effect. Rather than 鈥榙on鈥檛 tell鈥 you鈥檒l learn where telling and summary are essential for pace and plot. This course is intended for those who have some experience of creative writing. This course is funded by the Education 台湾swag and Funding Agency.

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 15/01/2025 -
Wed 29/01/2025
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
3 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Nicola Torode
Course code:
Q00019789
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢22.20

Creative Writing: Writing Your First Novel: Getting Started

You'll learn about the key pillars of creative writing, which will help you write effective fiction pieces, as well as create an effective creative writing practice. Whether you want to write a novel, short stories, or just write for self-awareness and personal development, come along, and join the class, whether you consider yourself an absolute beginner or someone who has written a little in the past.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 16/01/2025 -
Thu 27/03/2025
Times:
6:30pm - 8:30pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Craig Rickard
Course code:
Q00009230
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢74.00

WEA Membership

WEA membership is changing: more information is coming soon!

Membership Information

Duration:
12 months
Fee:
拢15

Creative Writing: 'Roots' Creative Writing:鈥疭tructure & Point-of-View聽

Practice techniques for creating short stories, true or untrue in fortnightly sessions. We'll apply the principles of short fiction to our writing, with the focus this term on thinking about how point-of-view impacts on structure. There will be writing exercises, discussions, an optional weekly homework task and feedback. Guidance on feedback techniques will be provided. The course content has flexibility, and will be adapted to suit the needs of the group. Suitable for improvers. This course uses the same content as the other fortnightly class, Creative Writing: Structure & Point of View Q00012330, the Thursday evening course, Structure & Point-of-View, and the Friday morning course, Creative Writing: Structure & Point-of-View, therefore you need only enrol on to one of them.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 16/01/2025 -
Thu 27/03/2025
Times:
10:00am - 12:30pm
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Catherine Humphris
Course code:
Q00012725
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
4 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢55.50

Literature: French Literature Post 1945

This ten week course ranges widely across postwar French literature and its themes and concerns. Stephen has discussed French literature before, but these texts are all previously untaught. The texts are: The Plague - Albert Camus. Memoirs of Hadrian - Marguerite Yourcenar. Missing Person - Patrick Modiano. Street of Thieves - Mathias Enard. Simple Passion - Annie Ernaux. These very different books will introduce us to disparate elements of the French psyche, and explore themes of identity, memory and displacement. The course will feature lectures, group discussions, close-reading and contextualisation of the historical moments pertinent to each writer and text. It will be provoking intellectually and imaginatively, and lively participation is encouraged.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 16/01/2025 -
Thu 27/03/2025
Times:
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Stephen Smith
Course code:
Q00017921
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢74.00

Creative Writing:鈥疭tructure & Point-of-View聽

Practice techniques for creating short stories, true or untrue. We'll apply the principles of short fiction to our writing, with the focus this term on thinking about how point-of-view impacts on structure. There will be writing exercises, discussions, an optional weekly homework task and feedback. Guidance on feedback techniques will be provided. The course content has flexibility, and will be adapted to suit the needs of the group. Suitable for improvers. This course uses the same content as the Friday morning course, Creative Writing: Point-of-View, and the Thursday morning fortnightly course, Creative Writing: Point-of-View, therefore you need only enrol on to one of them.

Course Information

Dates:
Fri 17/01/2025 -
Fri 21/02/2025
Times:
11:00am - 1:00pm
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Catherine Humphris
Course code:
Q00012329
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
8 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢44.40

Art Appreciation: The Art of Stanley Spencer

This five week course will explore the richness and diversity of the English painter, Stanley Spencer. We will discover both well-known and less well-known works of his, which span his career as an artist. All of the paintings examined will be provided on Canvas for you to assess. The course will explore Spencer's context and how he relates to contemporary art movements in Britain and Europe. You will be encouraged to participate fully in the analysis of his canvases, and to seek out other works which you think will enrich our discussions. The course will be an opportunity to discover Spencer for the first time or to rediscover him, and to evaluate his importance to the English tradition.

Course Information

Dates:
Fri 17/01/2025 -
Fri 14/02/2025
Times:
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Stephen Smith
Course code:
Q00017938
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
6 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢37.00

Art Appreciation: The Thames in Art

The Thames, its bridges, embankments, and the monuments standing alongside it, are world-renowned symbols of London. Over the centuries, artists have represented the river from many different viewpoints, for all sorts of occasions, and in a variety of artistic styles. From De Jongh and Canaletto to Turner and Monet, the Thames has been represented many. As we retrace their steps, we will study the sights and events they depicted. From the Thames Estuary to Cookham, we will see sights of mayoral processions, regattas, busy tugboats and Thames barge, highlight the river鈥檚 many functions. As we study these works of art 鈥 some well-known and other rarely ever seen 鈥 we will discuss the river's artistic and historical significance.

Course Information

Dates:
Sat 18/01/2025 -
Sat 18/01/2025
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Caroline Levisse
Course code:
Q00019168
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢8.40

Creative Writing: Nothing Rhymes with Orange - Writing in Rhyme

This course will explore how to produce poems which rhyme. In the twentieth century, particularly post-war, vers libre and syllabic verse have proliferated, yet poets persist in writing rhymed and rhythmical poetry. During these five weeks, we will examine how modern poets deploy rhyme and integrate it into the rhythms of ordinary speech and a demotic vocabulary. Each session will be a workshop, which examines and puts into practice your own experiments in rhyme, allowing you to develop first drafts and then finished versions of at least three new poems. The workshops will be mutually supportive at all times, supportive and inspirational.

Course Information

Dates:
Sat 18/01/2025 -
Sat 15/02/2025
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Stephen Smith
Course code:
Q00017942
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
8 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢37.00