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

Bede and the history of early England

Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People tells us much of what we know, or think we know, about the history of England from its origins to the 730s. This course will revisit Bede, in the light of recent historical and archaeological research, to estimate how far he has misled generations of readers.

Daily life and the afterlife in ancient Egypt

Have you ever wondered what life was like in ancient Egypt? Or why the Egyptians mummified their dead? From childbirth to mortality, funerals to Osiris's judgement, in this course, you will explore daily life in ancient Egypt, and beyond. By the end, you will have a better understanding of the ancient Egyptians, and a foundation...

Defending Scotland

For most of its history, Scotland has been an independent state and may well be one again soon. This course traces how its peoples defended themselves down the ages through looking at Scottish fortifications: their structures and their historical context. The course is fully illustrated.

The social mind

Humans are very social animals and this course is about why that is and how our social minds work. How did social behaviour evolve? What does it mean to have 'social skills' and why do some people have better social skills than others? And if we are such sociable creatures - why are we often...

Ritualism and revivalism: a brief history of Victorian religion

Christianity played an important part in Victorian politics, sociality and culture. It was an era of significant development of religious thought; of faith and doubt. This course is a survey of Victorian religion which includes studies on the feature of British Evangelicalism, the battles between Anglican and Nonconformists, Tractarianism, and other developments such as premillenialism...

Early Netherlandish art c.1500: the art and time of Hieronymus Bosch

Hieronymus Bosch is a medieval painter on the threshold of the Renaissance. His startling visions of Hell are part of late-medieval religion, rather than evidence of heresy or witchcraft. Proverbs are another important feature of his work, but it is its enigmatic and individual quality that continues to intrigue us.

Ancient cultures of South America

The Inka Empire (AD 1400-1532) ruled 10 million subjects across five countries without written language or the wheel. But how did they do it? If you want to learn about the cultural richness of the ancient world of Peru, then this course is for you. We will discuss pre-Columbian kingdoms, warfare, sacrifice and ritual, death...

Cambridge wives: influential women in Victorian Cambridge

Cambridge society changed dramatically after 1882 when College Fellows were allowed to be married. The group of wives formed a new society and became pioneers in their own right in education, mental health care and the suffrage movement. Their achievements show how the Victorian idea of a wife as an 'angel in the house' was...

Evolution: unravelling the meaning of life (online)

There are currently thought to be about 6 million species alive on the planet. This diversity is extraordinary, but how did all these species come to be and what causes one species to change into another? In this course we will explore the concepts of evolution by natural selection and view the natural world in...

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...

An introduction to the Roman Empire (online)

No single culture has affected the development of the modern world as deeply as the Romans. In law, architecture and language the heritage of Rome is so strong in Europe today that some academics claim that the Roman Empire has never really gone away. This course will examine the four centuries in which the Roman...

King Lear: tragedy and beyond (online)

"For in this the most terrible work of human genius it is with the very springs and sources of nature that her student has set himself to deal...We have heard much and often from theologians of the light of revelation..but the darkness of revelation is here." Algernon Charles Swineburne

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...

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...

Reading Classical Greek: Advanced

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...

Reading Classical Greek: Continuing Beginners (Students who began in September 2014 – Group D)

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: Continuing Beginners (Students who began in September 2015 – Group E)

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...

Socrates, Plato and Aristotle

Socrates, Plato and Aristotle are the greatest of ancient Greek philosophers. This series of seminars is an introduction to some of the key elements in their thought.

Virginia Woolf: Jacob’s Room and The Waves

Jacob's Room was the novel in which Woolf began to find her distinctive voice; The Waves is arguably her finest achievement. We shall examine both novels, setting them in context. This course will be of particular interest to those who attended our 2013 course on Mrs Dalloway and To the Lighthouse, or to anyone with...

Writing non-fiction: telling true tales

Whether you're interested in your great-grandfather's four wives, a famous general or your own life history, this course will help you to sift through the facts to find a compelling story. We will discuss the ethics of writing about the past and explore the tools available for anyone who wants to bring it to life...

Relative strangers? The family and households in modern British society

This course will explore sociological approaches to the household and family life in Britain since 1945. Topics covered will include definitions of the family, changing family types and the causes of change in household relationships. The link between the family, identity formation and cultural reproduction will also be examined. We will then evaluate how sociologists...

Fairy tales: their histories and hidden meanings

We use the term 'fairy tale' to suggest a simple, fanciful or romantic story and most often associate the famous tales of Cinderella or Red Riding Hood with charming children's stories. However, many of the tales have a long history and some darker origins. This course examines the history of the fairy tale, from their...

Early 18th-century taste: when the South Sea Bubble burst into song and landscapes

Who wants to be a millionaire and eradicate national debt? 300 years ago people inflated the South Sea Company into a wondrous bubble. Scene-setters are Alexander Pope and John Gay, before we explore three resulting landscapes. A founder and Chancellor of the Exchequer, John Aislabie, created the sublime Studley Royal. Political winner, Robert Walpole stamped...

Churches and chapels of Cambridge

Cambridge is rich in church and chapel architecture and this course is ideal for anyone who is interested in exploring churches, or who wishes to know more about the history and evolution of Cambridge through a detailed study of its churches. We will explore college chapels and town churches as we investigate their history and...

Justice and international development

Accounts of exploitation, abuses of human rights and freedoms as well as unnecessary deprivation reach the media with increasing frequency. This course will consider the efforts of international development organisations and the effectiveness of international legal agreements in giving the world's most deprived a change to challenge injustices.

The Renaissance portrait, 1450-1600

During the Renaissance society became more self-imaging, resulting in the establishment of the various formats and iconography associated with portraiture even today. We will examine how status, individuality and perception of self are portrayed through the work of both Italian and Northern artists including Leonardo, Titian, Raphael, Dürer and Holbein.

Early Christian Rome: art and history

This course will trace the development of Christian Rome as a major artistic and religious centre from Constantine (AD 306-337) to the time of Pope Gregory the Great (590-604), looking at the material evidence of churches, sculptures and mosaics, but also at the surviving historical evidence.

Music and medicine in the 19th century

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: re-reading a classic at 150