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

Alignment Therapy

Do you have back (or other) pain and want to relieve it? The Evans Technique of Alignment Therapy, officially recognised in 2011 by the Independent Professional Therapists International (IPTI), is an extremely gentle and painless way of relieving back and other joint pain. During the day we will look at ways of using simple body...

Free-Machine Embroidery for Improvers

An inspiring and fun course aimed at those with experience in the technique who have grasped the basics and now want to develop and improve on their existing skills. Working from your own design motif or the tutors you will build a collection of samples in a variety of threads and stitches and learn how...

A334 Literature from Shakespeare to Austen

This weekend course is aimed at Open University A334 students. The course will cover the study of prose, poetry and drama from Shakespeare to Austen. We will consolidate what you have learned on the module so far and help you gain new insights. We will be considering texts from a variety of genres in their...

Honiton Lace

This is a practical course designed for bobbin lacemakers of all abilities. For those who have knowledge of basic bobbin stitches there is the opportunity to be introduced to the techniques of this classic English lace. Those experienced in Honiton lacemaking can expand their skills and understanding of this lace and gain inspiration and guidance...

Flappers, Vamps & All That Jazz: The Roaring Twenties

The 1920s were a time of great upheaval, as society was torn between a desire to return to the certainties of the past and rejection of the old certainties of the Edwardian era. The result was a creative tension that led to new developments in society, politics and the arts, including daring new plays, modern...

An Exploration Weekend

A weekend course with Brian Anderson, photographer and adventurer, looking at some of the great explorers and their expeditions into the unknown world, or the ‘terra incognita’ of their centuries. We will travel the routes of Magellan, Drake, Cook, Weddell and others, and see the landscapes, wildlife & peoples they encountered on their expeditions. This...

The Romantic Ballet – Sylphs, Wilis & Other Spirits

The first Romantic ballet – La Sylphide (1832) – turned ballerinas into stars, soon eclipsing their male counterparts. This fascinating story of passions and intrigues brings to life the stories behind famous ballets such as La Sylphide, Giselle, Ondine, Le Papillon and more, and introduces the famous ballerinas whose rivalries and jealousies caused many a...

English Gothic: 600 Years of a Style

Gothic is the most perfect fusion of art and engineering that’s ever been devised: it looks good because it’s structurally sound! Twelfth century France made the breakthrough but such was Gothic’s flexibility that England soon developed its own version – flowery and wayward to start with, grand and dignified later on. The course will follow...

Botanical Illustration

Botanical Illustration is precise detailed work, a combination of art and science. This studio based watercolour course is for all ability levels; no experience of art or botany is required, just commitment. We aim to enjoy working in an atmosphere of relaxed industry. Students will work at their own pace on the subject of their...

An Ordinary Czech Musician: The Musical & Personal Friendship of Antonin Dvorák with Johannes Brahms

‘An Ordinary Czech Musician’ - that is how Antonín Dvorák described himself, an attitude reflected in the awe in which he held his older contemporary Johannes Brahms. The two composers eventually became good friends, and in this course we shall consider how their mutual respect manifested itself in their many masterpieces in all genres of...

Sing from the Heart group singing holiday May 2016

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...

The story of life on earth: four billion years in seven hours

Through talks and group discussions, we will explore the evolution of life on planet Earth: from the first replicating molecules to the evolution of 'superorganisms'. We will discuss what we mean by 'life' and the key processes that have led to such a bewildering diversity of species that share our planet. This day-school will provide...

Survival and revival: the country house in the 20th century

Country houses rank among our most visited heritage sites, protected by legislation and public demand, yet many houses have been demolished and their collections continue to be sold. This course will question whether the 20th century was one of doom and gloom or one in which country house owners adapted to survive. Key areas to...

Cyberpsychology: understanding life in the digital era

We live in the digital world where emerging technologies have infiltrated everyday life. Have you ever wondered how our concept of identity has been redefined and how much influence social media has on your decisions? Come and explore the impact of emerging technologies on human behaviour and the future of humans.

The medicinal properties of plants

Why do plants have names such as 'allheal' and 'woundwort' and why did we import tons of bark from a South American tree? A look at the historical and present day use of plants in both alternative and mainstream medicine, concentrating on those containing alkaloids, essential oils, mucilages and other chemicals of known medicinal value...

The masterpieces of French opéra comique

Beginning in the popular entertainments of the early 18th-century summer and winter fairs of Paris, the opéra comique soon developed into a recognisable form of operatic entertainment: a play with music reflecting the lives and ambitions of ordinary people. Soon this type of opera acquired its own theatre, and rapidly became a focal point in...

Hardy: novels into film

Why have films based on Hardy's novels proved so popular, and do they enrich or diminish their originals? We focus especially on Far From the Madding Crowd and Tess of the d'Urbervilles, two of his masterpieces, and consider the strengths and limitations of particular film versions, as well as the whole notion of literary adaptation.

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...

Five young artists on the eve of the Great War

We follow the artistic fortunes of Richard Nevinson, John Currie, Mark Gertler, Edward Wadsworth and Adrian Allinson, the five young artists portrayed in John Currie's 1912 painting 'Some Later Primitives and Madame Tisceron'. On this journey, we will encounter triumph and despair, fame and obscurity, and study some of the greatest British art of the...

Urban experience, its history and its prospects

Over half of the world's population now lives in towns and cities, and urbanisation is accelerating. Has 8,000 years been enough for the species to adapt to high density and low certainty? Do cities produce distinct types of community? With cases ranging from ancient Sumer and Rome to Mexico City and Hong Kong today, we...

Advanced French: Monstres sacrés du cinéma français

This weekend course is held entirely in French. It focuses on various topics illustrated through literature and art, often related to present cultural events, and aimed at language improvement. The texts, chosen from a wide range of classic and modern writers, will be used as a basis for discussion throughout the sessions. A variety of...

How do fossils record evolution? An exploration of the nature of the fossil record (online)

This course addresses the question of how fossils record evolution through an exploration of the nature of the fossil record. From a look at the initial discovery and interpretation of fossils we will examine the emergence of their modern interpretation as the remains of once living organisms. This reveals the biased and fragmentary nature of...

Psychology in context (online)

This online course will introduce participants to the discipline of psychology by taking a context-based approach. Participants will be introduced to the history of psychology in the first week and will then see how various psychological approaches help our understanding of human behaviour in the following weeks. The course will introduce various fields within psychology,...

The fall of the Roman Empire (online)

What killed the Roman Empire in the West? Here we investigate the suspects, from crop failure to barbarian invaders, to discover what destroyed antiquity's greatest civilization. This course introduces one of the most fascinating periods in history and examines the controversies surrounding events which still affect our world today.

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...

Introduction to Taoist philosophy

Taoism is an ancient Chinese school of thought concerning human existence. We will examine the ideas of Taoist thinkers like Lao-tzu, Chuang-tzu, and others to see how their views about the Tao, return, no-mind, and non-activity/naturalness provide a philosophy of the human condition.

Reading Classical Greek: Advanced (verse)

This weekend course is part of a series designed for those who want to learn Classical Greek. Over a series of weekends, Beginner students are introduced to the basic elements of grammar through reading passages adapted from ancient Greek authors. At Intermediate level, students move onto collections of passages selected from major Greek writers, and...

Reading Classical Greek: Advanced (prose)

This weekend course is part of a series designed for those who want to learn Classical Greek. Over a series of weekends, Beginner students are introduced to the basic elements of grammar through reading passages adapted from ancient Greek authors. At Intermediate level, students move onto collections of passages selected from major Greek writers, and...

Reading Classical Greek: Intermediate

This weekend course is part of a series designed for those who want to learn Classical Greek. Over a series of weekends, Beginner students are introduced to the basic elements of grammar through reading passages adapted from ancient Greek authors. At Intermediate level, students move onto collections of passages selected from major Greek writers, and...