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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Creative Writing: Journaling for Writers: Taster Workshop

This course will introduce the learner to accessible and generative journaling exercises to explore their writer鈥檚 mindset and process and help them plan and think more deeply through expressive writing about their work in progress. Journaling can help with developing a positive mindset: to keep motivated after rejection; It can also help develop confidence as you free-write and keep up momentum rather than ponder and choose the right word. Journaling can also be used for planning and going deeper into your thoughts and ideas about your current piece of writing.

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 05/02/2025 -
Wed 05/02/2025
Times:
2:00pm - 5:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Nicola Torode
Course code:
Q00019612
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢11.10

Creative Writing: Creating Well Rounded Characters

What鈥檚 at the heart of any story? A well-rounded character! Discover ways to make your characters so engaging that the reader can鈥檛 put the story down. From expressing a range of emotions, contradictory behaviours, hidden desires, flaws and more. Learn how to create a character we care about, one the reader can root for. A multidimensional character is more lifelike and engaging for your reader. This workshop and course is intended for those who have some experience of writing.This course will introduce the learner to accessible and generative journaling exercises to explore their writer鈥檚 mindset and process and help them plan and think more deeply through expressive writing about their work in progress. Journaling can help with developing a positive mindset: to keep motivated after rejection; It can also help develop confidence as you free-write and keep up momentum rather than ponder and choose the right word. Journaling can also be used for planning and going deeper into your thoughts and ideas about your current piece of writing.

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 05/02/2025 -
Wed 05/03/2025
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
4 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Nicola Torode
Course code:
Q00019788
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢29.60

Art Appreciation: The Destruction of Art by artists, institutions, and conflicts

Explore the complex history of art destruction with our Art Appreciation: The Destruction of Art by Artists, Institutions, and Conflicts course. Learn about the motivations, impacts, and ethical considerations of art destruction throughout history. Ideal for art enthusiasts and anyone interested in the intersection of art, history, and ethics.

Course Information

Dates:
Sun 09/02/2025 -
Sun 16/03/2025
Times:
11:00am - 1:00pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Jolanta Jagiello
Course code:
Q00017713
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢42.00

Art Appreciation: Painting in the later 20th Century.

This course views painting produced in the twentieth century. The course will include developments of figurative and abstract painting. There will be views of artists already prominent in the early twentieth century and artists who set out after 1945 from a wide range of attentions. From those born in the nineteenth century to those born in the 1960s. The course will attend to direct visual experience of reproduction of the works involved linked to elements of comprehension and understanding through a considerable range of exciting encounters and engagements. There are no requirements from students prior the beginning of the course. Students would benefit from access to online sources during the course. Papers and images will be made available to students through the WEA Canvas site. You will need to have access to the internet to access the papers for this course. The course uses a secure digital learning portal for all the classes and for communications with the tutor and access to learning materials.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 11/02/2025 -
Tue 01/04/2025
Times:
11:15am - 1:15pm
Duration:
8 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Allen Fisher
Course code:
Q00016588
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
9 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢59.20

WEA Membership

WEA membership is changing: more information is coming soon!

Membership Information

Duration:
12 months
Fee:
拢15

Creative Writing: Journalling for Writers

This course will introduce the learner to accessible and generative journaling exercises to explore their writer鈥檚 mindset and process and help them plan and think more deeply through expressive writing about their work in progress. Journaling can help with developing a positive mindset: to keep motivated after rejection; It can also help develop confidence as you free-write and keep up momentum rather than ponder and choose the right word. Journaling can also be used for planning and going deeper into your thoughts and ideas about your current piece of writing. This course is funded by the Education 台湾swag and Funding Agency.

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 12/02/2025 -
Wed 12/03/2025
Times:
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Duration:
4 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Nicola Torode
Course code:
Q00019787
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢29.60

Art Appreciation: The Lost Stars of the Renaissance - Art History

In this course, we will discuss in detail works from lesser-known painters of the Renaissance era. Since the High Renaissance is much better known, we will look at artists from the fifteenth century, who were very highly thought of at the time. They were influential and sought-after by the powerful in Florence.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 18/02/2025 -
Tue 11/03/2025
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
4 sessions
Location:
Pyrton Village Hall (Watlington)
Pyrton
Watlington
OX49 5AP
Tutor:
Kate Phillips
Course code:
Q00017589
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢40.00

Art Appreciation: Women Artists in Victorian London

Over the last twenty years, research and exhibitions have brought to our attention a great number of Victorian women artists. From Emily Mary Osborn and Lady Butler (aka Elizabeth Thompson) to Evelyn De Morgan, 19th century London did not lack great women artists. They lived in a society that globally remained hostile to independent career women. We will see how they trained, what they painted and his which style, and how they balanced the pressure of social norms and their personal ambition.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 18/02/2025 -
Tue 18/02/2025
Times:
10:00am - 1:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Caroline Levisse
Course code:
Q00019201
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
6 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢11.10

Art and the Arts in 1950s

If there is such a thing, at any time the 鈥渘ational mood鈥 in any country is reflected in the cultural products of the period - visual works, theatre productions, the movies, the literature. The course will provide an overview of the decade from the artistic and cultural viewpoint. This will include the art movements which emerged such as Abstract Expressionism, exemplified by people like Jackson Pollock, music developments such as rock'n'roll famously promoted by Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry and many others and epoch-making movies such as West Side Story.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 20/02/2025 -
Thu 27/03/2025
Times:
10:30am - 12:30pm
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
Enfield Baptist Church (Enfield) (Enfiel
Cecil Road
Enfield
EN2 6TG
Tutor:
Colin Lomas
Course code:
Q00017413
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢72.00

Art Appreciation: The Art of Easter

Are you fascinated by art and how it developed, and would like to know more? The story of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus has been at the forefront of western art for 2,000 years - from early inscriptions in the catacombs, medieval altarpieces and Leonardo鈥檚 Last Supper, to the twentieth century works of artists such as Marc Chagall and Graham Sutherland. This lavishly illustrated six week course takes you through the Easter story through the eyes of the major artists.

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 24/02/2025 -
Mon 31/03/2025
Times:
11:00am - 12:30pm
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
David Brindley
Course code:
Q00009348
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢55.00

Literature: Detective Fiction in Society and Culture

In these lectures Stephen Wilkinson will introduce students to the history of the detective genre and discuss its relationship to the development of capitalism, urbanisation and consumerist commodity culture. Students will be encouraged to read detective fiction as a prism through which societies, their anxieties and underlying psycho-political natures can be understood. Using the examples from the UK, US and Cuba students will gain an insight into the ways in which popular literature gives shape and form to our lives.

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 24/02/2025 -
Mon 10/03/2025
Times:
10:30am - 12:30pm
Duration:
3 sessions
Location:
Friends Meeting House (Berkhamsted)
289 High Street
Berkhamsted
HP4 1AJ
Tutor:
Guest Speaker
Course code:
Q00018325
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢30.00