Weekly Evening Courses - Arts and Humanities

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.

This course will take place online on Tuesday evenings from 7pm to 9pm starting on Tuesday 21st October and finishing on Tuesday 25th November 2025.

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 do 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 Monday evenings from 6:30pm to 8:30pm startting on 13 October and finishing on 17 November 2025.

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 do 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.

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 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 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.

Literary Non-Fiction: Ways into Creative Non-Fiction (Online)

Across this six-week course, we’ll be looking at the capacious genre of creative non-fiction, from memoir to food writing to narrative approaches to history, culture, the environment and beyond, breaking down the assumed boundaries that separate non-fiction from its twin, creative writing. Looking in detail at a range of celebrated non-fiction examples, we’ll be discussing what’s original and compelling about their techniques and responding with our own lively experiments in structure, voice and narrative form. At the end of the course there will be an opportunity to share the work you’ve developed over the six weeks and to receive supportive feedback from peers and the course lead.

This 6-week course will take place online on Tuesday evenings from 18:30 to 20:30 starting on 14 October 2025 and finishing on 18 November 2025.

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. 

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

Female Portrait Artists: 16th to 21st Century

This practical art course will help develop analytical and creative skills by reflecting on major art movements.

The Art world has seen a remarkable range of successful female visual artists over the centuries. Their journey, so often a poignant tale of struggle, is inspiring. This 8-week course will examine the achievement of women painters in a diverse range of styles, tracking the story of art from 16th to 21st Century. It will enable students to make practical experiments in a range of genres, including Portraiture, Still Life, Landscape and Abstraction with a series of practical exercises involving drawing materials, paint and collage, using own references.

Aims and learning outcomes

On successful completion of the module you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of Female Art as illustrated by various artists including Evelyn de Morgan and Bridget Riley and will gain mastery of drawing, painting and mixed media techniques in order to develop personal art projects in a range of genres, building on artists’ examples.

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.

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.

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 full time/ part time student of the University or staff member. 

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

Please see our price list below:

Reflective Art in Practice: The Modern British Landscape - 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 14th October 2025 and finishing on 2nd December 2025.

For further information 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. 

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.

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.

(Image credit: Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash)

This 6-week course will take place online on Thursday evenings from 6pm to 8pm starting on
23rd October 2025 and finishing on 27th November 2025.

Please see our price list below:

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

When booking a course please do 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?

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.

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

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

(Image credit: wayhomestudio at Freepik.com)

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.

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.