Exploring the Spanish Golden Age
What was it like to be a king, a dwarf or a slave in 16th and 17th century Spain? In this course we’ll use paintings to explore life at court and on the streets in Spain and the Spanish Netherlands.
More details ...The Evolution of Ballet Music 1840-2010
Our journey will take us from the moment we first entered the world of fairies, via the political manoeuvres of the Soviet State and Balanchine’s updating of Imperial Russia, to Modern Ballet.
More details ...Shakespeare – his life and work
Explore Shakespeare via his life, poems and plays. There will be a case study of Hamlet – see “To be or not to be” performed in a variety of films; compare famous paintings of Ophelia; and find out why “the … More details …
Hitchcock Part 2 – the Hollywood Years
The day will look at the films Hitchcock made following his arrival in Hollywood in 1939, with an emphasis on his output in the 1950s and 1960s. In discussion on extracts we will focus on Hitchcock’s themes, style and working … More details …
Sociology and society
An introduction to the world of Sociology and society in the twenty-first century and what makes us who we are.
More details ...Rome from the Renaissance to Mussolini
We will look at the city of Rome as a work of art exploiting the relationship between the assertion of power, the articulation of religious faith and the changing appearance the city from late Middle Ages through to Mussolini’s failed … More details …
Coleridge and his circle in Somerset
This course will explore the emerging Romantic sensibility and the poetry and politics of the 1790s. The focus is on Coleridge, particularly the inspiration he drew from the local landscape and from his friendship with Dorothy and William Wordsworth during … More details …