Weekly Evening Courses - Arts and Humanities

We very much look forward to welcoming both new and returning students to the University of Southampton. Unless otherwise stated, all courses will be taught in person at our Avenue Campus.

We would like to advise that you will need to have the appropriate technology and suitable internet connection in place, as we will be making use of online materials. At Southampton, we use a virtual learning environment (VLE) called Blackboard which is used to deliver learning materials and real-time online teaching for our students.

Ethics in the World - Our Relations to Other Animals

Our relations to other animals are complex. On the one hand, other animals are friends and family—even deities. On the other, we kill and eat them. As the population rises, technology evolves, and habitats are destroyed, understanding these relations is more urgent than ever.

These debates and concerns are reflected in many of the ‘big issues’ of our time: climate change, extinction, conservationism, buying ethically, and so on. On a more personal level many people are turning away from eating meat and animal products with Veganism currently on the rise and some of us are even also starting to question whether we should have pets.

During this six-week course, you will be guided through these important philosophical debates, tackling a central question each week. We’ll examine these questions both theoretically and in terms of their practical implications, demonstrating how philosophy is a valuable tool for decision-making in our everyday lives.

Classes will take place at the Avenue Campus on Wednesday evenings from 6.30pm to 8.30pm starting on 10th June 2026 and finishing on 15th July 2026.

Please see our price list below:

• Standard price - £115.00
• Staff/student/alumni price - £100.00

Please note: if you select the Staff/student/alumni price option, you must use an online store account that has been set up with your University email address and fill out your University staff or student ID number when prompted as part of the questionnaire data section.

When booking a course please consult our Terms and Conditions which set out our cancellation and refund policy. 

Payment using the Online Store can only be completed via Visa and Mastercard Credit/Debit Card or PayPal.  AMEX is not accepted.
If you have not previously created an account for the Online Store, you will need to create an account to make a booking.

We very much look forward to welcoming both new and returning students to the University of Southampton. Unless otherwise stated, all courses will be taught in person at our Avenue Campus.

We would like to advise that you will need to have the appropriate technology and suitable internet connection in place, as we will be making use of online materials. At Southampton, we use a virtual learning environment (VLE) called Blackboard which is used to deliver learning materials and real-time online teaching for our students.

Ethics in the World - What is Value?

This course offers the opportunity to investigate the part of our world that makes it meaningful – its value. From the beauty of art to the excitement of a new relationship, we see value almost everywhere we look. And yet, it’s hard to say exactly what we’re seeing when this happens. Value isn’t, after all, something we can prod with a scientific instrument.

So, how are we supposed to find out what value is? Week to week, we’ll explore some different puzzles about it through six key questions. For example, are our moral judgements more than just emotional reactions? Can we choose what we value? Is there really such thing as having ‘good taste’ in art?

By the end, you’ll have been introduced to some of the most important topics in Value Theory today – along with ideas that will challenge the way you see the world, and life itself.

This 6-week course will take place at the Avenue Campus on Tuesday evenings from 6.30pm to 8.30pm starting on 3rd February 2026 and finishing on 10th March 2026.

Please see our price list below:

• Standard price - £115.00
• Staff/student/alumni price - £100.00

Please note: if you select the staff or student price option, you must use an online store account that has been set up with your University email address and fill out your University staff or student ID number when prompted as part of the questionnaire data section.

When booking a course please consult our Terms and Conditions which set out our cancellation and refund policy. 

Payment using the Online Store can only be completed via Visa and Mastercard Credit/Debit Card or PayPal.  AMEX is not accepted.
If you have not previously created an account for the Online Store, you will need to create an account to make a booking.

We very much look forward to welcoming both new and returning students to the University of Southampton. 

We would like to advise that you will need to have the appropriate technology and suitable internet connection in place, as we will be making use of online materials. At Southampton, we use a virtual learning environment (VLE) called Blackboard which is used to deliver learning materials and real-time online teaching for our students.

Exploring Histories of Conflict
‘Sung up and down by minstrels’: The Soundscape of Discord in Seventeenth Century England (online).

Perhaps you enjoy the chamber music of Henry Purcell, the intimate lute settings of John Dowland, or the grand masses of William Byrd – but have you ever heard the performance of a libellous ballad, the ear-splitting clamour of rough music, or considered the meaning of a Black Sanctus? 

Welcome to the bizarre, noisy, and thought-provoking sound-world of seventeenth century English discord, in which music could be harnessed as a powerful weapon in the destruction of individual or collective authority. 

Discover how new technologies facilitated the spread of libel and misinformation in musical form; how composers of libellous song earnt grizzly punishments, and how, unlike other tools of combat, music provided a potent means of perpetuating slander, calling on ridicule, gossip and rumour to publicly disgrace its victims. 

Throughout this course, we bring the murky underbelly of seventeenth-century musical discord into the twenty-first, as we consider what the clamour of the past can reveal about how we regulate social behaviour, express dissent and engage in political debate today. 

Weekly topics will include: Slander and Libel: Politics and War; Crime and Punishment; Rituals; and Hearth and Home.

Click below to watch a short taster session.

YouTube Link

This course will take place online on Tuesday evenings from 6.30pm to 8.30pm starting on Tuesday 28th April 2026 and finishing on Tuesday 2nd June 2026.

Please see our price list below:

Standard price - £115.00
Staff/student/alumni price - £100.00

Unfortunately, you can only select the staff or student price option if you are a current or alumni student of the University or staff member.

When booking a course please consult our Terms and Conditions which set out our cancellation and refund policy.

Payment using the Online Store can only be completed via Visa and Mastercard Credit/Debit Card or PayPal.  AMEX is not accepted.
If you have not previously created an account for the Online Store, you will need to create an account to make a booking.

We very much look forward to welcoming both new and returning students to the University of Southampton.

We would like to advise that you will need to have the appropriate technology and suitable internet connection in place, as we will be making use of online materials. At Southampton, we use a virtual learning environment (VLE) called Blackboard which is used to deliver learning materials and real-time online teaching for our students.

Exploring Histories of Conflict: Capturing Conflict: Exploring the history of war photography

From Roger Fenton’s use of a horse-drawn ‘photography van’ to capture the Crimean War (1853-1856) through grainy black and white images to the moment-to-moment documentation afforded by smartphones today, photographs have fundamentally shaped our understanding of modern war. In this course, students will learn how photography and the role of photographers has evolved in the context of conflicts. This will include consideration of what has made certain photographs iconic and the impact of censorship, innovation, and changing norms on what captures the public’s imagination. War photography is part of the broader story about how visual documentation informs and influences perceptions about political events, and this course will encourage you to think critically about what role the increasing democratisation of information and technology plays in this story. Using a broad selection of reading and photographs, each session will highlight the various perspectives that have historically determined what we see of war via editorial and curatorial selection, and you will have the opportunity to visually analyse images as well as engage in free-ranging discussions. Weekly topics will include: the early days of photography; propaganda and censorship; photographing protest movements; humanitarian photography and the 24-hour news cycle; and photography in the Digital Age.

This 6-week course will take place at the Avenue Campus on Tuesday evenings from 6:30pm to 8:30pm startting on 12 May 2026 and finishing on 16 June 2026.

Please see our price list below:

Standard price - £115.00
Staff/student/alumni price - £100.00

Please note: If you select the staff/student/alumni price option, you must use an online store account that has been set up with your University email address and fill out your University staff, student or alumni ID number when prompted as part of the questionnaire data section.

When booking a course please consult our Terms and Conditions which set out our cancellation and refund policy.

Payment using the Online Store can only be completed via Visa and Mastercard Credit/Debit Card or PayPal.  AMEX is not accepted.
If you have not previously created an account for the Online Store, you will need to create an account to make a booking.

We very much look forward to welcoming both new and returning students to the University of Southampton.

We would like to advise that you will need to have the appropriate technology and suitable internet connection in place, as we will be making use of online materials. At Southampton, we use a virtual learning environment (VLE) called Blackboard which is used to deliver learning materials and real-time online teaching for our students.

Exploring Regional Histories: Historical Narratives of Winchester

This course will explore eight centuries of Winchester’s history, from the unique perspective of local legends and writings about the region. From the life and legend of Alfred the Great, through Arthurian folklore, Winchester’s round table and on to the battle of Guy of Warwick and the giant Colbrand, the course will immerse you in the tales that have been told about this ancient city.

Each week, you will explore a different historical narrative, or legend, to uncover the common themes, and ask key questions about why these accounts were written, and how they influenced the city. We will look at the development of these stories over time and the reasons behind their growing prominence in creating a rich cultural sense of place and history in the ancestral capital of Wessex. Drawing on archaeology, historical sources, and folklore this wide ranging and exciting course offers you the chance to view Winchester in a whole new light.

Click below to watch a short taster session.

YouTube Link

This 6-week course will take place at Winchester School of Art on Tuesday evenings from 6pm to 8pm starting on 24th February 2026 and finishing on 31st March 2026.

Please see our price list below:

• Standard price - £115.00
• Staff/student/alumni price - £100.00

Please note: if you select the staff/student/alumni price option, you must use an online store account that has been set up with your University email address and fill out your University staff, student or alumni ID number when prompted as part of the questionnaire data section.

When booking a course please consult our Terms and Conditions which set out our cancellation and refund policy.

Payment using the Online Store can only be completed via Visa and Mastercard Credit/Debit Card or PayPal.  AMEX is not accepted.
If you have not previously created an account for the Online Store, you will need to create an account to make a payment.

We very much look forward to welcoming both new and returning students to the University of Southampton. 

We would like to advise that you will need to have the appropriate technology and suitable internet connection in place, as we will be making use of online materials. At Southampton, we use a virtual learning environment (VLE) called Blackboard which is used to deliver learning materials and real-time online teaching for our students.

The Spaghetti Western: The good, the bad and the beautiful (Online)

This course is perfect for both the devoted fans of the genre and complete newcomers.

Initially criticized for being a cheap imitation of the American western, the 1960s Italian western subverted and revolutionized the genre. Introducing irony, cynicism, black humour, sadistic violence, cartoonish action, and leftist overtones, it became a world phenomenon. It kept on surprising the public with its gradually increasing eccentricity, while also mirroring its troubled historical times, defined by growing crime and unemployment rates, riots, police brutality and corruption scandals.

This course evaluates the spaghetti western in all its glory. It focuses on its unusual evolution and historical context, but also enormous flexibility which resulted in the production of truly peculiar hybrids, combining the western with the elements of gothic horror or the kung-fu film. We will discuss the most famous and the most obscure spaghetti westerns in equal matters, using numerous film extracts to illustrate the analysed content.

Click below to watch a short taster session.

YouTube Link

This course will take place online on Wednesday evenings from 7pm to 9pm starting on 22 April 2026 and finishing on 27 May 2026.

Please see our price list below:

Standard price - £115.00
Staff/student/alumni price - £100.00

Please note: if you select the staff/student/alumni price option, you must use an online store account that has been set up with your University email address and fill out your University staff, student or alumni ID number when prompted as part of the questionnaire data section.

When booking a course please do consult our Terms and Conditions which set out our cancellation and refund policy.

(Photo credit - Taylor Brandon, Unsplash)

Payment using the Online Store can only be completed via Visa and Mastercard Credit/Debit Card or PayPal.  AMEX is not accepted.
If you have not previously created an account for the Online Store, you will need to create an account to make a booking.

We very much look forward to welcoming both new and returning students to the University of Southampton. 

Unless otherwise stated, this Reflective Art in Practice course will be taught in person at our Highfield Campus, Building 34. Please click here to view a map of the Campus.

Please note: if you select the staff or student price option, you must use an online store account that has been set up with your University email address and fill out your University staff or student ID number when prompted as part of the questionnaire data section.

Unfortunately, you can only select the staff or student price option if you are a current or alumni student of the University or staff member.

Please see our price list below:

Reflective Art in Practice: Exploring the Still Life - 8 week course

• Standard price - £145.00
• Staff/student/alumni price - £125.00

This 8-week course will take place on Tuesday evenings from 7pm to 9pm starting on 21st April 2026 and finishing on 9th June 2026.

When booking a course please consult our Terms and Conditions which set out our cancellation and refund policy.

This course examines the theory and practice behind a range of art movements with an illustrated lecture looking at context and incorporating group discussion. This is followed by a practical session in which techniques and ideas are sampled.

Exploring the Still Life

This broad and highly personal genre was taken to new heights of experimentation by Picasso and Braque in the early 20^th Century. We will look at the way artists have responded to still life subjects with a series of practical exercises using drawing materials, paint and collage, using chosen objects. By the end of the Unit you will be able to make experimental and resolved still life art, and expand your knowledge of this genre.

Payment using the Online Store can only be completed via Visa and Mastercard Credit/Debit Card or PayPal.  AMEX is not accepted.
If you have not previously created an account for the Online Store, you will need to create an account to make a booking.

We very much look forward to welcoming both new and returning students to the University of Southampton. 

Unless otherwise stated, this Reflective Art in Practice course will be taught in person at our Highfield Campus, Building 34. Please click here to view a map of the Campus

This course examines the theory and practice behind a range of art movements with an illustrated lecture looking at context and incorporating group discussion. This is followed by a practical session in which techniques and ideas are sampled. 

This 8-week course will take place on Tuesday evenings from 7pm to 9pm starting on 13th January 2026 and finishing on 3rd March 2026.

Please see our price list below:

• Standard price - £145.00
• Staff/student/alumni price - £125.00

Please note: if you select the staff/student/alumni price option, you must use an online store account that has been set up with your University email address and fill out your University staff, student or alumni ID number when prompted as part of the questionnaire data section.

When booking a course please consult our Terms and Conditions which set out our cancellation and refund policy.

Payment using the Online Store can only be completed via Visa and Mastercard Credit/Debit Card or PayPal.  AMEX is not accepted. If you have not previously created an account for the Online Store, you will need to create an account to make a booking.

For further details about this course, please click on Read More below.

We very much look forward to welcoming both new and returning students to the University of Southampton. Unless otherwise stated, all courses will be taught in person at our Avenue Campus.

We would like to advise that you will need to have the appropriate technology and suitable internet connection in place, as we will be making use of online materials. At Southampton, we use a virtual learning environment (VLE) called Blackboard which is used to deliver learning materials and real-time online teaching for our students.

Ritual as a Means to Make Sense of the World: Cosmology, Ritual, and Belief

Anthropology can be described as the study of humanity. Part of this includes how humans understand the functioning of the world and indeed universe.  This understanding informs our daily actions and practice, becoming codified as ritual.  This course presents an introduction to the anthropological study of ritual.  We will investigate ritual across a wide geographical and temporal range of case studies, ending in the final session to create a contemporary ritual, either individually, or as a group(s) to comprehend our world. 

Utilising archived film, photographs, field recordings, iconography, text and anthropological accounts (ethnography) we will explore humanity’s attempts to make sense of the world and universe; whether this be through science, divine ancestors, spirits, or gods.  We will explore the cross-cultural (and temporal) similarities and differences, and how these cosmological understandings are put into practice in the form of ritual.

This 6-week course will take place at the Avenue Campus on Tuesday evenings from 6pm to 8pm starting on 21st April 2026 and finishing on 26th May 2026.

Please see our price list below:

• Standard price - £115.00
• Staff/student/alumni price - £100.00

Please note: if you select the staff or student price option, you must use an online store account that has been set up with your University email address and fill out your University staff or student ID number when prompted as part of the questionnaire data section.

When booking a course please consult our Terms and Conditions which set out our cancellation and refund policy.

Payment using the Online Store can only be completed via Visa and Mastercard Credit/Debit Card or PayPal.  AMEX is not accepted.
If you have not previously created an account for the Online Store, you will need to create an account to make a booking.

We very much look forward to welcoming new and returning students to the University of Southampton. Unless otherwise stated, all courses will be taught in person at our Avenue Campus

We would like to advise that you will need to have the appropriate technology and suitable internet connection in place, as we will be making use of online materials. At Southampton, we use a virtual learning environment (VLE) called Blackboard which is used to deliver learning materials and real-time online teaching for our students.

The Art of Film: Learn how to make a film in six steps, from script to editing

During this six-week course, you will learn how to create a short film or a short audio-visual project, from theory to practice. 

The sessions will focus on different aspects of cinematography, namely six fundamentals of filmmaking: from step one, which is the script, to the last step, which is the editing and post-production.

The course begins with an introduction to the basics of scriptwriting. Then we focus on film direction and outstanding filmmakers, before moving on to learn about camera and photography operations and terminology.

Next, we examine artistic surroundings and aesthetics of cinema illustrated by examples from Art films and directors.

Finally, we cover the meticulous process of editing and post-production. This includes an opportunity for hands-on practise. By the end of the course you should be able to create your own project, using the very basic of tools, either in class or at home.

Click below to watch a short taster session.

YouTube Link

This 6-week course will take place at the Avenue Campus on Thursday evenings from 6.30pm to 8.30pm starting on 21 May 2026 and finishing on 25 June 2026.

Please see our price list below:

• Standard price - £115.00
• Staff/student/alumni price - £100.00

Please note: if you select the staff/student/alumni price option, you must use an online store account that has been set up with your University email address and fill out your University staff, student or alumni ID number when prompted as part of the questionnaire data section.

When booking a course please do consult our Terms and Conditions which set out our cancellation and refund policy. Please note, that should we need to move teaching online, you will not be entitled to any refund other than those already set out in our Terms and Conditions.

Payment using the Online Store can only be completed via Visa and Mastercard Credit/Debit Card or PayPal.  AMEX is not accepted.
If you have not previously created an account for the Online Store, you will need to create an account to make a booking.

We very much look forward to welcoming both new and returning students to the University of Southampton. 

We would like to advise that you will need to have the appropriate technology and suitable internet connection in place, as we will be making use of online materials. At Southampton, we use a virtual learning environment (VLE) called Blackboard which is used to deliver learning materials and real-time online teaching for our students.

The Art of Philosophical Thinking: Mind, Consciousness and Personal Identity (Online)

Who am I? What is my purpose in life?

Join us in search of answers to this and many other questions about what it is that make you, you. This thematic course offers an exploration of the mind, what it is, and how it is structured. We will introduce you to key ideas on consciousness, subjective experience, and ‘the mind-body problem’. You will engage with the work of philosophers such as Wittgenstein, to help you wrestle with some of the most critical questions in the philosophy of mind and key concepts that inform this field.

To find out more about this course, click below to watch a short taster session.

YouTube Link

This 6-week course will take place online on Thursday evenings from 6pm to 8pm starting on
7th May 2026 and finishing on 11th June 2026.

Please see our price list below:

• Standard price - £115.00
• Staff/student/alumni price - £100.00

Please note: if you select the staff or student price option, you must use an online store account that has been set up with your University email address and fill out your University staff or student ID number when prompted as part of the questionnaire data section.

When booking a course please consult our Terms and Conditions which set out our cancellation and refund policy.

Payment using the Online Store can only be completed via Visa and Mastercard Credit/Debit Card or PayPal.  AMEX is not accepted.
If you have not previously created an account for the Online Store, you will need to create an account to make a booking.

(Image credit: Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash)

We very much look forward to welcoming both new and returning students to the University of Southampton. Unless otherwise stated, all courses will be taught in person at our Avenue Campus.

We would like to advise that you will need to have the appropriate technology and suitable internet connection in place, as we will be making use of online materials. At Southampton, we use a virtual learning environment (VLE) called Blackboard which is used to deliver learning materials and real-time online teaching for our students.

The Art of Philosophical Thinking: The Nature of Reality: Mind, World and God

We use the term ‘real’ to distinguish what actually exists from what appears to exist. In this six-week course, we will investigate what’s real in three different domains: mind, world, and God. 

This course serves as an introduction to metaphysics, but the scope is broader than that. We will be asking big questions, such as ‘What is consciousness?’ and ‘Does God exist?’ 

In Part 1, we will contemplate the nature of our mental lives. We will confront the mind–body problem and the challenge of explaining subjectivity. 

In Part 2, we will consider the nature of the external world. We will reflect on what space and time are before considering Descartes’s radical scepticism, the simulation hypothesis, and Moore’s defence of common sense. 

In Part 3, we will inquire into God’s existence. We will consider Anselm’s argument for why He must exist and see how Spinoza equates God with nature. 

This 6-week course will take place at our Avenue Campus on Thursday evenings from 6.30pm to 8.30pm starting on 23 April 2026 and finishing on 28 May 2026.

Please see our price list below:

• Standard price - £115.00
• Staff/student/alumni price - £100.00

Please note: if you select the staff or student price option, you must use an online store account that has been set up with your University email address and fill out your University staff or student ID number when prompted as part of the questionnaire data section.

Payment using the Online Store can only be completed via Visa and Mastercard Credit/Debit Card or PayPal.  AMEX is not accepted.
If you have not previously created an account for the Online Store, you will need to create an account to make a booking.

We very much look forward to welcoming both new and returning students to the University of Southampton. Unless otherwise stated, all courses will be taught in person at our Avenue Campus.

We would like to advise that you will need to have the appropriate technology and suitable internet connection in place, as we will be making use of online materials. At Southampton, we use a virtual learning environment (VLE) called Blackboard which is used to deliver learning materials and real-time online teaching for our students.

The Serious Pleasure of Literary Reading: Exploring the Roots and Routes of the Novel

This course will take you on a journey exploring the novel’s roots and routes. Starting with a well-known quintessential British novel, the course aims to examine how diverse cultures adopt and reshape the novel form to express unique histories, voices, and identities. As each text shows how writers bend literary traditions to confront social, political, and personal realities, you will engage with critical questions about narrative form, cultural identity, and the global circulation of literature. Alongside close readings, we will consider the historical and cultural contexts that shaped each work, and discuss how novels both recognise and challenge dominant narratives of nation, empire, and belonging. This course is ideal for those who like great stories, and want to see how the novel travels, transforms, and speaks across cultures.

This 6-week course will take place on Thursday evenings from 7pm to 9pm starting on 23rd April 2026 and finishing on 28th May 2026.

Please see our price list below:

• Standard price - £115.00
• Staff/student/alumni price - £100.00

Please note: if you select the staff or student price option, you must use an online store account that has been set up with your University email address and fill out your University staff or student ID number when prompted as part of the questionnaire data section.

When booking a course please consult our Terms and Conditions which set out our cancellation and refund policy.

Payment using the Online Store can only be completed via Visa and Mastercard Credit/Debit Card or PayPal.  AMEX is not accepted.
If you have not previously created an account for the Online Store, you will need to create an account to make a booking.

We very much look forward to welcoming both new and returning students to the University of Southampton. Unless otherwise stated, all courses will be taught in person at our Avenue Campus.

We would like to advise that you will need to have the appropriate technology and suitable internet connection in place, as we will be making use of online materials. At Southampton, we use a virtual learning environment (VLE) called Blackboard which is used to deliver learning materials and real-time online teaching for our students.

The Serious Pleasures of Literary Reading: Women's Writing Through Time

Time travel with us on a journey to discover how women’s writing has developed over the centuries. What were the social conditions in which women wrote? How did changes in laws and different movements lead to a rise in women’s writings?

The course will start by discussing the writings of Jane Austen and her continued influence today. It will then move on to the Victorian writers such as Mary Shelley and the Brontë sisters. In later weeks we will engage with an overview of the three waves of feminism, exploring what each of these feminist waves entailed and the writing that emerged as a result. A slight detour takes us into the world of women writing crime fiction, with a focus on Agatha Christie, to consider women writing in an often male-dominated genre. Wide ranging and varied, this course will open up new perspectives on some of literature’s greatest female writers.

Click below to watch a short taster session.

YouTube Link

This 6-week course will take place on Wednesday evenings from 7pm to 9pm starting on 29th April 2026 and finishing on 3rd June 2026.

Please see our price list below:

• Standard price - £115.00
• Staff/student/alumni price - £100.00

Please note: if you select the staff or student price option, you must use an online store account that has been set up with your University email address and fill out your University staff or student ID number when prompted as part of the questionnaire data section.

When booking a course please consult our Terms and Conditions which set out our cancellation and refund policy.

Payment using the Online Store can only be completed via Visa and Mastercard Credit/Debit Card or PayPal.  AMEX is not accepted.
If you have not previously created an account for the Online Store, you will need to create an account to make a booking.

(Image credit: wayhomestudio at Freepik.com)