NEW Middle East Politics
This course is an introduction to the politics of the Middle East. Topics include: how the ‘oil factor’ has led to both vast wealth and humanitarian disasters, how wars and shifting regional alliances impact the global balance of power.
Thursday 2pm to 4pm Philippa Winkler
5 sessions from 20 April £70/£42 HPW3 Stoke Lodge
American History
The Turbulent 60s in America
An overview of this turbulent and dynamic decade, from an American perspective (but England will come into it a bit). Culture, war, politics and protest. From the wonders of space exploration to the event of Woodstock. Ten years in ten days.
Tuesdays 7pm to 9pm Russell Walker
10 sessions from 18 April £140 / £84 HAH3 Online
This course will be delivered online using ZOOM
NEW Oligarchy in the US
An overview of the efforts by the modern Republican Party and the extreme right to create a non-representative government in the United States and the historical lead up to this effort and the breakdown of bipartisan politics.
Saturday 10am to 4pm Russell Walker
1 session on 12 November £42/£26 HAH4 Stoke Lodge
Ancient Greek and Roman History
NEW Ancient Historians
An introduction to the ten key historians of the ancient world, from Herodotus to Tacitus.
Wednesday 10am to 12pm Richard Stride
10 sessions from 11 January £140/£84 HIR1 Stoke Lodge
NEW The Persian Wars
Ancient Greek history 490 BC to 479 BC. The battle of Marathon, the 300 Spartans, Xerxes, the destruction of Athens – it’s all here! This study of what is arguably the most important period in Western history is an extraordinary tale full of intrigue, bravery, and twists and turns.
Tuesday 1pm to 3pm Richard Stride
6 sessions from 24 January £84/£52 HIR2 Stoke Lodge
English History
NEW ‘The Cousins’ War’ – 15th century English History
The story of the colourful period known as the ‘Wars of the Roses’ and an introduction to some of the main characters involved.
Tuesday 10am to 12pm Richard Stride
10 sessions from 27 September £140/£84 HIR3 Stoke Lodge
NEW History of England 1649-1660
A study of the extraordinary period of the 1650’s when England experimented with a range of political systems whilst – accidentally – stepping onto the world stage by starting to create an empire. It will focus around a study of 17th century Puritans, and how they shaped our modern world. We will also follow the story of the young Charles II as he fled from England to live in exile.
Tuesday 10am to 12pm Richard Stride
10 sessions from 10 January £140/£84 HIR5 Stoke Lodge
British Political Mavericks, 1660-2018
From Lord Shaftesbury to Nye Bevan and Enoch Powell, we look at famous figures who have challenged the political establishment.
Thursdays 1pm to 3pm John Stevens
8 sessions from 20 April £112/ £68 HIJ3 Stoke Lodge
European History
The European Power Struggle 1870-1919
Continuing the story of Europe in the nineteenth century, we see how Bismarck in his later years sought to maintain a balance of power and how his successors, and Kaiser Wilhelm II, upset this through policies of naval and colonial expansion among other things. We also consider how France’s desire for “revenge” on Germany, Russian and Austrian uncertainties and the conflicting nationalisms of the Balkans contributed to bring about the cataclysm of 1914 -18.
Thursdays 1pm to 3pm John Stevens
10 sessions from 12 January £140/£84 HIJ5 Stoke Lodge
The European Reformation 1500-1650
A course about the reforming movements striving for supremacy with the Papacy and frequently with each other. The story of Luther, Calvin and others, of the Catholic Church’s attempts to reform itself from the inside and of the radical Protestant fringe.
Wednesdays 1pm to 3pm John Stevens
8 sessions from 19 April £112/£84 HIJ6 Stoke Lodge
The Spanish Civil War and its implications for Contemporary Spain
The course will examine the origins and consequences of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), for the understanding of contemporary Spain. Taking a historical approach, we will use films, documentaries, literature and history texts to illustrate the issues generated by the conflict, past and present.
Fridays 12.45pm – 2.45pm Gorka Diaz
5 sessions from 13 January £70 / £42 LAS54 Stoke Lodge
Franco’s dictatorship and the transition to democracy
The course aims to explore and understand the nature of Franco’s dictatorship and how
the transition to democracy in Spain evolved.
Taking a historical approach, we will use films, documentaries, literature and history texts to illustrate the issues.
Fridays 12.45pm – 2.45pm Gorka Diaz
5 sessions from 24 February £70 / £42 LAS55 Stoke Lodge
Russian History
NEW Russian History from the rise of the Soviet Union to the Fall of the Wall
A survey of the rise of the Soviet Union after the Russian Revolution. It will focus on Lenin, Stalin and the Terror and the ‘Great Patriotic War,’ the post-war years of the Cold War and the eventual decline under Mikael Gorbachev.
Thursdays 7pm to 9pm Russell Walker
10 sessions from 12 January £140 / £84 HRH2 Online
This course will be delivered online using ZOOM
NEW Russian History from the collapse of the Soviet Union to the present day
The final course covers the years since the Soviet Union fell, including the Yeltsin years of economic hardship, the rise of the Oligarchs and the emergence of Vladimir Putin
Thursdays 7pm to 9pm Russell Walker
10 sessions from 20 April £140 / £84 HRH3 Online
This course will be delivered online using ZOOM