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Archive of 2016 | LeisureCourses.net - short courses & residential study breaks in great locations - Part 19

  • Strong-minded women: the 19th-century women’s rights movement

    Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured Courses

    This weekend meet some strong-minded Victorian women to discover how their life's work, in a variety of spheres, changed public attitudes towards women and their role in society, influenced government policy and paved the way for winning the vote. Using biographical material and discussion groups we shall investigate how the women's rights movement worked alongside...

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  • The poetry of D H Lawrence

    Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured Courses

    Best known for his ground-breaking novels, D H Lawrence was also a remarkable poet, sharply observant and possessed of a highly individual poetic voice. This course will examine a selection of his poems, relating them to the wider context of his life and times.

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  • Flash fiction

    Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured Courses

    Flash fiction is the art of the very short story and is a great place for beginners to start and old hands to refine their skills. These sessions expose students to a range of styles, subjects and approaches and aim to build both confidence and expertise through writing short complete pieces of fiction. Challenging and...

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  • Writing with confidence

    Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured Courses

    This short series of stimulating workshops aims to take the isolation and frustration out of creative writing, and inject enthusiasm and confidence in their place. The basic nuts and bolts of good fiction will be scrutinised, with attention to constructing a satisfying plot, writing believable characters, developing a narrative voice, creating effective dialogue, building atmosphere,...

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  • The Cambridge Five and the Soviet espionage offensive against Great Britain

    Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured Courses

    Five of the most successful spies in history, the Cambridge Five, generate both interest and controversy. The Soviet intelligence offensive against Britain, however, was much greater. This course examines why, how and where Soviet espionage took place and looks at the true nature of Soviet espionage in Britain which operated across all classes and posed...

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  • Poetry masterclass: the play of memory

    Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured Courses

    It is fascinating to follow the play of memory across the rich body of work that Richard Wilbur, a poet who can fairly be called a modern master, has built up over 75 years. In shadowing him we may well find our own memories taking us by surprise.

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  • Research at the museums

    Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured Courses

    Taking a behind-the-scenes tour of a different Cambridge museum each week, this course will explore how the collections housed across Cambridge are still being used in cutting-edge research. We will see that, far from being a record of past discoveries, Cambridge collections are still leading to surprising discoveries about the past, as well as helping...

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  • The exotic Universe

    Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured Courses

    From exploding stars to dark matter, join us for a non-mathematical exploration of some of the strangest places in the Universe. Each session will introduce a type of astronomical object (e.g. pulsars, quasars, supernovae), then we will investigate its extreme behaviour and explore how it fits into our understanding of the lives of stars and...

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  • Early Christian ethics: slavery, sex and salvation

    Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured Courses

    Did the early Christians present an ethical challenge to the society of their day or leave it unchanged? Did they practise equality or provide a religious justification for patriarchy and slavery? Did they really turn the other cheek and share their possessions? What did their non-Christian contemporaries make of their behaviour? An introduction to current...

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  • Writing non-fiction: bringing the past to life

    Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured Courses

    The past might be your grandfather's experience of the Great War, the secret life of your house or your parents' early years as newcomers to post-war Britain. Whether you're just starting out or have already begun writing, this weekly course will help you to think more deeply about the past and the most compelling way...

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  • Rocks, minerals and fossils: an introduction to geology

    Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured Courses

    This wide-ranging, practical introduction to geology, with a field trip, is an opportunity to study many different rocks, minerals and fossils. We will also see the part played by volcanoes and earthquakes, mountains and oceans in the making of Britain on its long journey from south of the equator to its present position.

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  • The glory of Rome

    Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured Courses

    Few nations left such a lasting legacy on our world as the Roman Empire. In this course we will analyse the legacy of Rome through its politics, laws, religions, military, engineering, and art and architecture. What are the crucial achievements of the Romans? How did the Romans innovate and which elements of the Roman world...

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  • The golden age of Elizabethan music and culture

    Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured Courses

    The Elizabethan period was a true 'golden age' in music, where great composers like Tallis, Byrd, Gibbons and Dowland worked in a cultural environment that cherished their talents. They were surrounded by a host of other excellent musicians, and together created works for voices, viols, lutes and keyboard that are still heard and appreciated today.

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  • Reading prehistoric figurines

    Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured Courses

    Prehistoric figurines elicit many reactions and emotions. They show the human body in a variety of fascinating ways and, in many ways, are the closest we can get to seeing prehistoric people. This visual tour of prehistoric figurines will explore their complex diversity and show how figurines played an active role in people's lives.

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  • Che Guevara

    Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured Courses

    Ernesto 'Che' Guevara became a mythical figure during his lifetime. This course examines his career from the famous motorcycle journeys via his role in the Cuban Revolution to his death in Bolivia in 1967. It also explores his writings on revolution and guerrilla warfare and his influence on a generation of young Latin American revolutionaries...

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  • Intermediate German: Die Berliner Mauer – DDR und Wiedervereinigung

    Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured Courses

    This weekend course, conducted in German, is designed for those who can already speak some German, but who wish to gain more confidence in their use of the language. The level of linguistic competence expected is a B1 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Through the medium of short non-fictional and...

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  • In the merry company of Dutch Golden Age art

    Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured Courses

    Art was a key element in the 17th-century Dutch Republic's process of self-definition, with domestic life pictures clarifying the values that underpinned the emerging culture. By the time of Dutch independence from Spanish rule in 1648 the United Provinces had the highest standard of living in Europe, so who were the people who had achieved...

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  • Tey time: the works of Josephine Tey

    Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured Courses

    Time to revisit the novels of Josephine Tey! You will gain from this course an overview of her life and works and come to appreciate the variety of her narrative techniques in The Man in the Queue, Miss Pym Disposes and The Franchise Affair. Lastly, we will follow Inspector Grant's investigation into the case of Richard III in The Daughter...

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  • Gloriana: the life and times of Elizabeth I, 1533-1603 (online)

    Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured Courses

    She was called Gloriana! The Virgin Queen! Elizabeth created a propaganda image of herself embodying English victories and English power which has endured into the 21st century. But what was the reality of her reign? This course will seek to explore the life and times of this extraordinary woman and, in the process, uncover something...

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  • How did Christianity begin? (online)

    Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured Courses

    The appearance of Christianity is one of the great events in world history but how should it be explained? This course will introduce the latest thinking by scholars in the field and is intended to help participants arrive at their own, informed, conclusions. Each unit will focus on a question key to making sense of...

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  • An introduction to design thinking and design process (online)

    Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured Courses

    This short course aims to provide participants with an insight into design, design thinking and how that translates into a design process through a variety of disciplines. In developing an open way of thinking about design, problem solving, and design process, participants will be able to connect with design in a variety of active ways;...

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  • Interpersonal dynamics of executive coaching

    Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured Courses

    This online course explores the role of psychological and emotional factors within the coaching process. During executive coaching programmes, coaches are often engaged in triangular relationships - not only with the individual client, but also with stakeholders from the sponsoring organisation. This course explores the coach's inter-personal and relationship management skills that enable effective coaching...

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  • English medieval towns: Norwich, King’s Lynn, Canterbury and Cambridge

    Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured Courses

    Four towns will be examined, all in Eastern England, each with a different story. Norwich was largely swept clear by the Normans in a dramatic exercise of royal authority. Canterbury evolved more slowly and came to be dominated by the Church and the Cult of Becket. King's Lynn was totally invented by the Normans, a...

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  • Divided kingdom: Social class and inequality in modern Britain

    Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured Courses

    All complex societies are characterised by the unequal distribution of resources. In this course, we will take a fresh look at the extent to which Britain is united or divided in the early 21st century by exploring social class, ethnic and gender inequalities. We will consider definitions of social class and its impact on life...

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  • From here to the edge of the observable Universe

    Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured Courses

    Have you ever wondered about planets, stars, galaxies, black holes, dark matter, vacuum energy, or if we are alone in the Universe? If so, this non-mathematical introductory course on modern astronomy is for you. The course will take the form of a tour starting in our solar system and ending at the limit of our...

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  • Creative writing for teachers

    Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured Courses

    Whether you aim to teach adults or children, this course is designed to equip you with the skills you need to get the best results from your students. The fundamental elements of creative writing will be covered alongside coaching in how to create a class atmosphere conducive to creativity and how to encourage, support and...

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  • Advanced Italian: A cultural grand tour of Italy

    Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured Courses

    A weekend on Italian language, literature and culture, offering those with a fair or good knowledge of Italian the opportunity not only to practise and improve their language skills, but also to read, translate and discuss a selection of work by Italian writers and to watch original audio-visual material related to the topic of the...

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  • John of Gaunt

    Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured Courses

    John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (1340-99) is one of the most high-profile, and best-documented, English noblemen of the Middle Ages. This course will explore his life as a way into topics such as the Hundred Years War, the Great Revolt of 1381 (in which Gaunt was public enemy number one) and developments in the...

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  • French crime fiction: from Vidocq to Vargas

    Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured Courses

    This course examines the French side of cross-Channel competition and exchange, through key authors who have influenced crime writing since its establishment in the mid-19th century. The themes will be: i) the growth of French detectives in in inquisitorial system of justice; ii) the educational importance of the historical past on the events of the...

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  • Prehistoric Britain: an archaeological introduction

    Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured Courses

    The course will look at all aspects of prehistoric development in Britain. We will explore topics such as Bronze Age burials, flint and metal implements, Stonehenge, megalithic burial mounds, stone circles, Iron Age hill forts and settlements, agriculture, fields and farming. We will discover how prehistoric societies developed from their early origins into the formalised...

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