WEA Courses

Language, Meaning and Truth 10 meetings on Mondays starting 14/01/2019. 10:00am - 12:00pm Tutor: Jumbly Grindrod

Why do words and sentences mean what they do? What is the difference between a meaningful and a meaningless sentence; or between speaking literally and speaking figuratively? In this course, we will analyse these questions by exploring key works in the philosophy of language. Doing so will reveal how philosophical insight has been indispensable to the study of linguistic meaning in the past century. We will explore the works of Gottlob Frege, Bertrand Russell, P.F. Strawson, H.P. Grice, J.L. Austin, and others more recent.

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What on Earth is that Noise? Music in the Twentieth Century 10 meetings on Mondays starting 14/01/2019. 2:00pm - 4:00pm Tutor: Gwyn Parry-Jones

Contemporary composers sometimes leave their audiences with the question: What are they up to? This course will cover composers from Debussy, Stravinsky and Bartok to the mysteries of Schoenberg, Webern and Berg, and on to to those writing in a range of styles today.

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Great European Museums and Their Collections 10 meetings on Tuesdays starting 15/01/2019. 10:00am - 12:00pm Tutor: Dalila Castelijn

Paris’s Louvre, Madrid’s Prado, London’s British Museum, Saint Petersburg’s Hermitage, Berlin’s Pergamon Museum and Altes Museum are among the greatest museums in Europe. We shall discover the fascinating origins and development of each museum; examine their distinctive architecture and explore in detail a range of characteristic masterpieces to be found there.

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From Rome to the Romanesque 10 meetings on Tuesdays starting 15/01/2019. 7:00pm - 9:00pm Tutor: Diana Matthews

As the world's first global capital, Rome pioneered a universally adopted architectural style which has outlasted time and has continued to influence building styles to the present day. This course will begin by studying key buildings of the Roman world  in order to understand the secret of their inspirational influence, before moving on to the fall of the Empire.  We then examine what happened to architecture when Rome fell, and how and why a new pan European style began to emerge by the 12C.

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Other Worlds: Exploring Fairy Tale and Myth 10 meetings on Wednesdays starting 16/01/2019. 10:00am - 12:00pm Tutor: Shirley Roberts and Lydia Massey

Explore differing realms of human experience through the potent and affecting fairy tales and myths that we usually meet early in life and continue to derive much pleasure from throughout our existence. Human truths can be discerned at many levels from close study of the texts. These will include poetry, short stories and extracts from plays, novels and film, around Little Red Riding Hood, Bluebeard and some lesser-known fairy tale characters, plus the myths of the Cyclops, Medea, The Labours of Hercules and The Minotaur.

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Ancient Egypt: Theban Temples Explored 10 meetings on Wednesdays starting 16/01/2019. 2:00pm - 4:00pm Tutor: John Billman

The temples of ancient Thebes form a major visitor attraction. Defying a single narrative, tourists visit temples with different characteristics. These include the Mortuary Temple of Ramesses II (the Ramesseum), the cultic temple complex of Amun-Re at Karnak, and the temple of Medinet Habu. We will explore the purpose, decoration, evolution and development of key Theban temples which can be visited today in modern Luxor.

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The Art of Things 10 meetings on Wednesdays starting 16/01/2019. 2:00pm - 4:00pm Tutor: Sandra Smith

In the hierarchy of subject matter created by the great European art academies, pictures of still life, flowers and animals have always had a lowly status, despite their many charms. In this course we will investigate the study of things in pictures, and some sculpture, over time.

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The Art and Architecture of Tuscany 10 meetings on Thursdays starting 17/01/2019. 10:00am - 12:00pm Tutor: Diana Matthews

Tuscany is one of the most beautiful and artistically endowed areas of Europe. In this wide ranging course we aim to study the art and architecture of the Early Renaissance in the major cities such as Florence and Siena, and in the enchanting smaller centres, including Lucca, Arezzo and Pienza.

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Behaving Abnormally 7 meetings on Thursdays starting 17/01/2019. 2:00pm - 4:00pm Tutor: Marie Hughes

We all react differently to personal circumstances and social expectations, producing varying patterns of behaviour, some of which may be viewed as abnormal. What do we mean by this? How do we react to people viewed in that way? How should we treat them? What are the main causes of and therapies for conditions that range from depression, the ‘common cold’ of mental disorders, to bipolarity?

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Moscow and St Petersburg: The Fruits of a Century of Torment and Strife 10 meetings on Thursdays starting 17/01/2019. 2:00pm - 4:00pm Tutor: Mike Grundy

This course is an opportunity to learn about the rich nature and culture of the successive capitals of Russia, from the revolution through to the end of the Soviet regime and beyond. A tormented century of revolution, war and suppression has yielded a harvest of excellence in fine art, design, city planning and unique architecture. The magnificent Metros of these cities, built at Stalin’s command to be showcases for Soviet state excellence in construction, architecture and fabulous decorative design will provide much evidence.

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Building a New Era: From Edwardian Times to the Festival of Britain 8 meetings on Tuesdays starting 22/01/2019. 2:00pm - 4:00pm Tutor: Richard Wilson

The first five decades of the 20th century witnessed momentous changes including two World Wars, and new life changing technology. We will look at the buildings of the Edwardian period and the advent of Garden Cities; the assurance of Neo-Georgian buildings in parallel with the new ground breaking Modern architecture of the thirties; before concluding with a study of the forward looking Festival of Britain in 1951.
♦ Part 7 of the WEA Reading History of British Architecture Series. For details of other courses see the Series page.

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An Introduction to Buddhism 1 meeting on Saturday 09/02/2019. 10:00am - 4:00pm Tutor: Karim Esmail

Buddhism is one of the great religions of the world. Buddhists do not worship "God" or "gods"; they focus on personal spiritual development. After assessing briefly the nature of religion, we will consider the origins of Buddhism in India and its early development and consider its key texts, beliefs and some of its key practices.

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Leonardo da Vinci: A Universal Man? 1 meeting on Saturday 23/02/2019. 10:00am - 4:00pm Tutor: Paul Ranford

Leonardo da Vinci was a designer of war machines, an architect, an engineer, a sculptor and a painter. This study day, based mainly on Leonardo’s own works, reveals the extent of his achievements in the sciences and the arts, and explores whether he was the “transcendental genius” of his time.

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Old Houses Revived and New Ones Built: Country Houses since 1980 1 meeting on Saturday 02/03/2019. 10:00am - 4:00pm Tutor: Adam Smith

The fortunes of country houses revived after 1980 allowing some to become homes again and creating a demand for new country houses. We will examine how and why this happened by looking at examples like Duncombe Park (North Yorkshire) which became a family home again in the 1980’s after decades as a school, Thenford House, (Northamptonshire) revived and surrounded by new gardens by Michael Heseltine and Tusmore Park (Oxfordshire) newly built as a family home in 2000-4.

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50,000 Years of Australian Art and Architecture: From the Rock Art of Kakadu to the Sydney Opera House 1 meeting on Saturday 09/03/2019. 10:00am - 4:00pm Tutor: Glenis Kerr-Elliott

The ‘eye’ of artists Aboriginal, European and Australian is fascinating to explore, It is deeply influenced by the landscape of this vast continent. We shall look at the work of the first Australians: aboriginal artists past and present, before moving on to the fatal impact with the arrival of Cook and the first Europeans. The art of wool and gold will then be followed by highlights of modern and contemporary art and architecture.

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