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Dante’s Inferno, one of the masterpieces of Western literature, is structured as a journey Dante takes through the different levels of Hell, observing the souls damned for various kinds of self-centred actions (sins) while alive, providing us with a series of insightful images and dramas, taking us deep into the psychological depths of humanity. The course takes us through the 34 cantos of Dante’s Inferno, progressing slowly so we can question, discuss and savour the literary features and the vision of human nature presented in the poem.

This course will examine Ireland’s unique contribution to twentieth century poetry in English. We will explore the work of two Nobel Prize winners, W.B. Yeats and Seamus Heaney, plus the work of Patrick Kavanagh, Louis MacNeice and Michael Longley. Additionally, we will refer in passing to poems by numerous other poets such as Paul Muldoon and Derek Mahon. We will analyse those elements which have contributed to Ireland’s distinctive contribution to world literature in the last 100 years, and discuss the relationship between a politically troubled history and creativity. There will be ample opportunities for discussion in what will be lively sessions.

In this course we will be celebrating, criticising and discussing together writings which either portray rebellion and defiance, or which by their very style overturn the rules. From the most modern writers today such as Sarah Moss and Zoe Gilbert through to Shakespeare’s plays and back in time to legendary figures described by the earliest writers in English, questions arise around rebels, their actions – and how authors perceive them: what situations drive personal or political acts of rebellion? What is an author’s intention in presenting disobedience or unrest? How do writers portray to us the act of rebellion or the character of a rebel? Together, we shall be seeking answers.

This course will range from the beginning of the twentieth century until its end, and explore the wealth of short stories written during this period by women. We will encounter the usual suspects such as Katherine Mansfield, Virginia Woolf, Elizabeth Bowen and Doris Lessing, but the course will also assess the stories of less well-known writers, many of whom are worthy of much deeper study. These writers will emerge from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. As all our texts are by women, we will discover the importance of these voices, often disappeared in a patriarchal society, and recognise how vital these women’s voices were and are.

The Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley famously said that ‘Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world.’ This course tracks the development of English poetry, from the sonnets of Shakespeare to the contemporary poetry of Jack Underwood, Emily Berry, and Rachael Allen. As well as considering each of the poets in isolation from week to week, we will also use the seven week course to ask ourselves: how has poetry developed through the years, and what has remained the same? As well as considering each of the poets and poems in isolation from week to week, we will also take the opportunity to compare what aspects No previous knowledge of poetry is necessary – everybody is most welcome!

Welcome to our enchanting Story Sacks Creation Course! This immersive course is designed for any craft enthusiast who wants to bring children's books to life in an engaging and interactive way. This hands-on course is perfect for anyone who loves to make story time more engaging and educational. Plan and create a unique bag that holds all your themed activities and materials. Plan and create a unique bag that holds all your themed activities and materials. By the end of the course, you will have created your own story sacks, filled with delightful activities and resources to make reading time a magical experience for children. These story sacks make amazing gifts!

Each week we focus on a classic work of fiction, reading and discussing key passages. The texts include short novels which can be read in one week, and longer novels which we’ll study over two weeks. The course is organised chronologically and spans over130 years, from the late 19th century to modern times. We begin with Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Grey and end with Claire Keegan’s Small Things Like These. We’ll share and debate interpretations, sharpen our critical and appreciative faculties, understand what fiction can tell us about the society and culture that produced it, and, hopefully, be inspired to read other works by the writers featured on the course.

Chekhov found the nineteenth century novel form too ponderous: he wrote fiction, not novels, and everything he wrote, even in his teenage years, was rushed into publication. Through this single volume selection of his stories we explore the power of this meteoric phenomenon. NB the title of this course is a book title, and access to this book, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, published by Penguin and Vintage, is a necessary starting-point. We shall divide the book into roughly equal sections and study them week by week. Mostly the stories will be read in preparation for the classes, and the central activity of the course will be our own appraisal, through close discussion, of the meaning and suggestion of the individual stories, both as this affects us and as it may have affected the original reader. Since the stories are chronologically arranged, this will allow us a broad focus on Chekhov's development as a writer of prose narrative.

Are too many too quick to dismiss the fantasy genre as pure entertainment and/or escapist spectacle? Are there varying degrees of fantasy on screen, rendering the term fantasy film as something rather too broad? We examine a selection of five films, all using elements of fantasy to tell their stories. In Orlando, adapted from literature, elements of fantasy are used to highlight inequalities within society. Young Einstein, a film derided by critics in the U.S, makes use of alterative history and elements of surrealism to both entertain and arguably present some deeper comments regarding humanity and innovation, does its fantastical approach help or hinder? Labyrinth offers a unique screen vision by immersing the viewer in a vivid fantasy world earning itself cult status to this day but is it for children, adults or both? Spirited Away makes use of animation to comment on the modern world, here, the fantasy element is fundamental to its approach. More recent films such as Barbie prove fantasy can be big at the box office, using a variety of different approaches to both entertain and relevant social comment. Are all these fantasy films as much if not far more than meet the eye? Are there any reoccurring themes approaches? And is fantasy an ideal medium for the screen? Orlando (1992), Young Einstein (1988), Labyrinth (1986), Barbie (2023), Spirited Away (2001).

It has been said that Shakespeare wrote with the spirit of a poet and the acuteness of a philosopher and through this fascinating course you will examine the links between his works and philosophy This is a beginner’s course which enables new or refreshed learning of the Shakespeare’s timeless plots, interesting characters and key themes in his witty comedies and profound tragedies. While examining how Shakespeare depicts ancient yet modern ideas of power, ambition, revenge, love, good, evil, mercy and despair in drama, memorable imagery and poetic lines.