LeisureCourses.net – short courses & residential study breaks in great locations

Usui reiki level 1 workshop – learn reiki healing for yourself, friends, family, pets

Usui reiki level 1 workshop - learn reiki healing for yourself, friends, family & pets 1 day workshops: Friday 4 March &  Saturday 12 March 11.00 - 16.00 Usui reiki level 1 workshop Rei – universal Ki – life force/energy (known as Chi in China or prana in India)   Reiki is an ancient Japanese healing technique for...

Reiki and walking weekend retreat

Sing from the Heart group singing holiday SW France summer 2016

Sing from the Heart group singing holiday May 2016

An introduction to international development: understanding contemporary issues and themes (online)

This online course is designed to introduce students to the field of international development. Participants will develop knowledge of contemporary issues and themes, such as poverty and livelihoods, global food security, aid, urbanisation, and sustainable development, and will be encouraged to think critically in looking at a variety of case studies and examples of international...

Creative writing: an introduction to life writing (online)

This course is aimed at anyone who wants to write a biography, memoir or other form of non-fiction. It will use examples and practical exercises to guide students through the skills needed to write interesting non-fiction: research, editing, how to tell a story and ways of using discription. Given the nature of creative writing, it...

Forensic science: poisoning (online)

The course will explore the fascinating topic of forensic science. In the first week participants will be introduced to a crime scene and each week will examine a piece of evidence relating to a suspected poisoning. As the course progresses participants will have to decide, based on the evidence collected: was a crime committed? What...

Creative writing: an introduction to short story writing (online)

The short story is often described as one of the most satisfying literary genres, both to read and to write. This course encourages students to identify how these stories 'work' by considering classic examples which, in each class, illustrate a particular aspect of short story composition. An exchange of ideas and responses between students and...

The medieval village landscape, 1000-1500AD (online)

This interactive, practical course introduces participants to the 'grammar' of the medieval landscape. It explains how visitors to villages can use evidence from the landscape around them - roads and hedges, buildings and greens - as well as from maps and other sources, to unravel the origins of many settlements. No background knowledge of medieval...

Applying psychology to the workplace (online)

This course will begin with an introduction to Applied Psychology in work settings by taking a context based approach. Students will be introduced to the development of Applied Psychology and will then see how various psychological theories help our understanding of, and contribute to explaining, human behaviour in the workplace. We will look at the...

Ancient Rome: the city, society and infrastructure (online)

This course describes ancient Rome as the Romans saw it - not as stone ruins, but as a vibrant, living city. We see how the people of the largest metropolis on the planet in AD 200 were fed, governed and entertained; who the ancient Romans were and how they lived.

Moving heaven and earth: Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown 1716 – 2016

2016 marks the tercentenary of the birth of 'Capability' Brown, England's Shakespeare of Gardening. The setting of Madingley Hall illustrates just one of his earth-moving projects. His inspirations as well as his engineering, hydraulic, architectural and artistic skills will be analysed through his major works. And still capable? This weekend conference will explore his ongoing...

Basic Chinese taster

This course will be taught in the context of contemporary and ancient Chinese culture. Led by the course tutor, you will focus on written and spoken Chinese, with lots of participation, a combination of traditional culture and digital media, and some creative contributions. Flexible to students’ abilities, the course will engage you in learning Chinese...

Introduction to Classical Greek

This course is intended for complete beginners who wish to gain some understanding of Classical Greek language and culture. It will introduce the Greek alphabet and pronunciation, and explore the influence of the Greeks on our language and all aspects of European culture: literature, art, philosophy, politics, sport and science.

Learn to read ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs

The ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic script is beautiful and intriguing. This course will help you begin to learn how to read hieroglyphs, or give you the opportunity to practice or widen your skills. You will learn about the language behind the script and will very quickly begin to read real objects from museums and ancient sites...

Intermediate French: La France et ses terroirs

This course has been designed to give people with a fair comprehension of the language (even though they might lack fluency and confidence at speaking it) an insight into French culture and way of life. In the process they will not only learn more about France and its traditions, but will see their confidence and...

The Renaissance garden in Britain: nature produces better fruit if cultivated

Italian Renaissance design and intricacies arrived in Britain via France and the Low Countries, manifesting a revolutionary attitude to the 'taming' of nature. We compare Tudor England with Stuart Scotland. We explore gardens as settings for collections of antique sculpture, courtly dalliance, philosophical discussion, meditation, theatre, allegorical and moral instruction, horticultural encyclopaedias and centres for...

The early Tudors, 1485-1558 (online)

The Tudor dynasty, which ruled between 1485 and 1603, transformed England and monarchs such as Henry VIII are larger-than-life figures who are instantly recognizable. But where did the Tudors come from and why were they so successful? This online course will examine the first four Tudor monarchs, we will begin with Henry Tudor's victory at...

Eminent Edwardians

This course will consider the lives and achievements of some of the principal figures of Edward VII's reign - including the King himself. As the title suggests, a Lytton Strachey-type biographical approach to the understanding of the period will be our starting point, but the course will go beyond this to discuss groups such as...

Tracing ancestry using DNA

Where do I come from? In this course, you will learn how scientists are now answering this question at a number of time levels. Palaeontologists explore our distant past with fossils, geneticists find out about our direct ancestors using ancient and modern DNA, and forensic scientists use ancestry tests and parentage tests in their day-to-day...

The complete Andrea Palladio: architecture, life and legacy

How did a humble miller's son in 16th-century Italy become the most influential architect in the world? If you are interested in architecture then this introduction to Andrea Palladio's life and work is for you. We will examine the buildings Palladio produced in his lifetime, and you will discover how his architecture gained a global...

20th and 21st-century literature: looking forward, looking back

Sometimes our ways of understanding the past, history, and our pressing decisions lead to contradictory interpretations and dangerous results. Byatt's Gothic Possession (1990) explores the parallel and intertwined lives of poets and researchers a century apart, revealing obsessions, hidden secrets and much about the sources of literature in personal lives. Margaret Atwood's most recent, lively...

Extinctions: crises in the history of life

A wide-ranging introduction to extinction and its place in the history of life. Did a meteorite really kill off the dinosaurs? Whatever happened to groups such as trilobites, ammonites and mammoths? Is survival simply a matter of chance? This course gives an up-to-date review of extinction controversies, with a field trip to collect fossils of...

Margery Allingham: exploring ‘Margeland’

A look at the career of this classic mystery writer, whose novels have been re-issued recently. In this course we will examine together her early adventure thrillers, her serious - but often comic - detective novels and her later studies of crime such as The Tiger in the Smokeand Hide My Eyes. Learn the secrets of this...

The building stones of Cambridge

In the first part of this course you will learn how rocks are formed and how the different processes involved produce rocks with widely different appearances and properties. This variety makes different rocks suitable for different aspects of building construction. During the second part we will we a walk around Cambridge city centre looking at...

Getting started with genetics

This one-day course will introduce participants to the fascinating world of genetics; from the basics of how genes code for proteins to the role that modern sequencing methods can play in personalised medicine. This course is a good taster session for those interested in taking the Certificate in Genetics.

Reading Classical Latin: the pleasures of Horace

Love, myth, praise of Augustus, fleeing snows, celebration, conquest and old age - all these and more are there to enjoy in Horace's Odes Book 4. Anyone with a solid knowledge of Latin will be able to cope with Horace's poetry. Participants will be encouraged to contribute to translating the text, discussing its contents and...

Globalisation and its impact on international development (online)

Globalisation has had a profound impact on the world. Technological developments and progress in communication and transport technologies have reshaped the way we interact. While globalisation encompasses a number of different aspects, in this course the focus is primarily on economic globalisation and its impact on international development. Using a number of case studies and...

An introduction to the history of English

The course will offer an overview of important changes within each period of the history of English at different levels of language, including spelling, grammar and vocabulary. Linguistic changes will be studied in conjunction with historical and cultural events, such as the Norman Conquest or the introduction of printing in England by William Caxton.

Astronomy days: The life and death of stars

Why do we expect the Sun to keep shining for the next few billion years? What will happen after that? Are we really made of stardust? In our second astronomy day school, we will investigate the science of stars, explore how they form, why they live for so long, and what happens after they die...