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WEA courses
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Displaying search results for: "literature"
Literature: Classic American Short Stories
This day school focuses on three short stories from the American literary tradition by Alice Walker, Ernest Hemingway, and Edith Wharton. The session includes tutor presentations and group discussions about each story. Resources will be available before the session for pre- and post-session reflection. During the day, we will analyse specific excerpts and broader cultural contexts, exploring how fiction connects to the real world. ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ us for an engaging exploration of these iconic American authors and their contributions to literature.
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Course Information
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Dates:Sat 19/10/2024 -
Sat 19/10/2024Times:10:30am - 4:30pmDuration:1 sessionsLocation:Norwich Millennium Library (Norwich)
Millennium Library
The Forum, Millennium Plain
Norwich
NR2 1AWTutor:James ClarkeCourse code:Q00017993How you'll learn:In venueAvailability:7 places remainingStatus:AvailableFee rangeFree to £25.20
Literature: The American Short Story
The postwar period saw a major change in the significance of the short story in the USA and Canada, as it developed into a form for more serious explorations of character and psychology.
Each week we will look at two stories by a major North American writer and discuss how they use such techniques as narration, subtext, and imagery to portray complex, layered characters. Featured writers include Ernest Hemingway, Raymond Carver, John Updike, Mavis Gallant, Shirley Jackson, and Elizabeth Strout.
In the final two weeks we will look at stories about Christmas in particular.
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Course Information
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Dates:Mon 18/11/2024 -
Mon 09/12/2024Times:2:00pm - 4:00pmDuration:4 sessionsLocation:Jubilee Hall Loddon (Loddon)
George Lane
Loddon
NR14 6NBTutor:Joseph WilliamsCourse code:Q00019239How you'll learn:In venueAvailability:10+ places remainingStatus:AvailableFee rangeFree to £33.60
Literature: Mythology of the Winter Sky
Do you find the Festive season challenging or lonely? Perhaps you need a break from all the noise and build up that surrounds Christmas and you just need to press pause, take a breath and relax. Give yourself some ‘me’ time, take a break for a little while and join WEA tutor Jane Williams, where she will explore the myths behind well-known constellations of the winter sky, such as Orion the Hunter, the Seven Sisters, and the Great Bear and much more.
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Course Information
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Dates:Thu 21/11/2024 -
Thu 21/11/2024Times:10:00am - 12:00pmDuration:1 sessionsLocation:OnlineTutor:Jane WilliamsCourse code:Q00019858How you'll learn:OnlineAvailability:10+ places remainingStatus:AvailableFee rangeFree to £7.40
History: A Social History of Christmas Food in Britain: Its Significance & Meaning
This four week course will explore the history of Christmas food and feasting from the Mediaeval Era to the High Victorian Age. We will examine the foodstuffs associated with the Christmas Festival throughout these centuries, and descriptions and recipes of various Christmas staples and delicacies will be provided on Canvas, accompanied by illustrations and other forms of mixed media.
As far as possible we will refer to contemporary documents from each period to support our conjectures and conclusions regarding the British Christmas, discussing how there isn’t a single Christmas, but instead many Christmases depending on social position throughout the span of centuries addressed.
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Course Information
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Dates:Mon 25/11/2024 -
Mon 16/12/2024Times:2:00pm - 4:00pmDuration:4 sessionsLocation:OnlineTutor:Stephen SmithCourse code:Q00019623How you'll learn:OnlineAvailability:10+ places remainingStatus:AvailableFee rangeFree to £29.60
WEA Membership
WEA membership is changing: more information is coming soon!
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Membership Information
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Duration:12 monthsFee:£15
History: Rediscovering the Great War’s Christmas Truce
The Christmas Truce is one of the most mythologised and celebrated events of the First World War, which has featured in film, song and fiction. In this one-off session, we will attempt to uncover the actual story behind the event, exploring the truce or truces through letters, reports, photographs and retrospective accounts. The course will be interesting to those with an interest in the Great War, and the manner in which that conflict has been interpreted in the century since its ending, but the course will also appeal to those with an interest in how societies shape and define themselves by their myths.
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Course Information
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Dates:Sat 07/12/2024 -
Sat 07/12/2024Times:10:00am - 1:00pmDuration:1 sessionsLocation:OnlineTutor:Stephen SmithCourse code:Q00019614How you'll learn:OnlineAvailability:10+ places remainingStatus:AvailableFee rangeFree to £11.10
Literature: Gawain and the Green Knight, the family-friendly version
ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ us on this interesting online taster, where we will look at Christmas food through the ages, the traditions that lie behind it, and how it has changed, along with a few recipes that you may (or may not) want to try. This short session is an extract from the 10-week "Cookery through the Ages" course which will run in 2024.
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Course Information
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Dates:Tue 10/12/2024 -
Tue 10/12/2024Times:7:00pm - 9:00pmDuration:1 sessionsLocation:OnlineTutor:Jane WilliamsCourse code:Q00019859How you'll learn:OnlineAvailability:10+ places remainingStatus:AvailableFee rangeFree to £7.40
Literature: Christmas with Dylan Thomas
This course will explore the enduringly popular Welsh poet and writer, Dylan Thomas’ radio broadcast ‘A Child’s Christmas in Wales.’ The session will introduce Thomas’ life, his memories of Swansea Christmases, and the extravagance of his style and the vividness of his recreation of a child’s Christmas before the Second World War. Whether one knows the work of Dylan Thomas or not, the course will introduce you to a unique voice, which is accessible and urgent and will unlock your own memories of past Christmases. The course will provoke lively discussions and the sharing of thoughts and memories as we examine the work.
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Course Information
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Dates:Sat 14/12/2024 -
Sat 14/12/2024Times:10:00am - 12:00pmDuration:1 sessionsLocation:OnlineTutor:Stephen SmithCourse code:Q00019847How you'll learn:OnlineAvailability:10+ places remainingStatus:AvailableFee rangeFree to £7.40
History: St. George - The Man and the Legend
Who was St George? Was he real, or just a character in a legend about a dragon and a princess? Was the dragon real - or perhaps symbolic of something else? If George existed, was he even English? When and where did he live? Given that he was made a saint, what is the connection between the man, the legend and the Christian Church? Is the legend just another way to look at the resolution of conflict – the light versus the dark, the triumph of good over evil?
In this two-hour session, we will examine some of the evidence about the existence of the man and any basis to the legend with Medievalist Terry Bloxham.
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Dates:Mon 16/12/2024 -
Mon 16/12/2024Times:10:30am - 12:30pmDuration:1 sessionsLocation:Friends Meeting House (Berkhamsted)
289 High Street
Berkhamsted
HP4 1AJTutor:Guest SpeakerCourse code:Q00018060How you'll learn:In venueAvailability:10+ places remainingStatus:AvailableFee rangeFree to £8.40
Literature: Victorian Literature Through the Decades - The 1840s
During this course we will consider a wide range of novels that were pubished in the 1840s as a continuation of an exploration of literature published through the decades of Victoria’s long reign. We will consider a range of novels by both male and female writers: Barnaby Rudge (Charles Dickens 1841); The Luck of Barry Lyndon (W M Thackeray, 1844); Sybil (Benjamin Disraeli, 1845); Agnes Grey (Anne Bronté, 1847); Shirley (Charlotte Bronté, 1849). The 1840s were a prosperous time for many but but this decade was also known as the Hungry Forties. The 1840s also saw the growth of the realist novel.
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Dates:Tue 07/01/2025 -
Tue 01/04/2025Times:2:30pm - 4:30pmDuration:13 sessionsLocation:Exeter Community Centre (Exeter)
17 St. Davids Hill
Exeter
EX4 3RGTutor:Greta DepledgeCourse code:Q00016886How you'll learn:In venueAvailability:10+ places remainingStatus:AvailableFee rangeFree to £100.80
History: British History Through the Lives of 10 Women
This 10-week course is a re - run of the Autumn course and offers a unique exploration of British history by examining the lives and contributions of ten remarkable women who left indelible marks on society, culture, and politics. From ancient warriors to pioneering scientists and influential writers, each woman represents a distinct era in British history, shedding light on the struggles, achievements, and societal changes of their times.
Throughout the course, we will delve into the lives of these extraordinary women, analysing their impact on British society and their enduring legacies. By studying their stories, learners will gain a deeper understanding of key historical events, social movements, and cultural shifts that have shaped the fabric of Britain.
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Course Information
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Dates:Tue 07/01/2025 -
Tue 18/03/2025Times:10:00am - 12:00pmDuration:10 sessionsLocation:OnlineTutor:Kate AntoniouCourse code:Q00019208How you'll learn:OnlineAvailability:0 places remainingStatus:Waiting listFee rangeFree to £74.00