History Courses
Explore the stories, events, and ideas that have shaped our world.
History courses at WEA Sydney explore key events, cultures, and ideas from ancient civilisations to modern Australia and global history. These courses encourage curiosity, critical thinking, and a deeper understanding of how the past continues to influence the present.
Find the right course for you
Women in the Shadow
Available Classes
Women in the Shadow
<p>We will dig deep to discover the army of women who were busy working in the shadow, while men happily bathed in the spotlight. Each week of this course will be devoted to a different area of study
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Honest Crooks and Crooked Cops
Available Classes
Honest Crooks and Crooked Cops
<p>Australia’s past is rich with stories of crime, corruption and blurred moral lines. This course explores true stories of criminals, police and opportunists, examining how law and justice were
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Cycladic "Art" - 5,000 Years Young
Available Classes
Cycladic "Art" - 5,000 Years Young
<p>Ancient Cycladic figurines were once dismissed as primitive but later inspired modern artists such as Picasso and Henry Moore. This course explores their form, meaning and cultural context, tracing
...Available Classes
Portraits of Scandinavia: Norway and Denmark
<p>The cold lands of the far north have in fact produced inspiring examples of music, drama, art and philosophy to match the best of the more famous cultures of France and Italy. Explore the genius of
...Approximately 6 hours
A Celebration of 400 Years of Women Artists
Available Classes
A Celebration of 400 Years of Women Artists
<p>In every century there have been outstanding women artists who have achieved a reputation that has tested time and sat well-earned, alongside their male colleagues. Often their life stories are
...Approximately 5 hours
Available Classes
From French Royalty to Empire - Art and decorative elegance from Louis XIV's Versailles to Napoleon
<p>French monarchs managed their images as carefully as any self-branded celebrity today. How did Louis XIV use the artisans and artists of the day through his patronage to enhance and dazzle his
...Approximately 4 hours
Available Classes
Portraits of Russia: Rublëv, Pushkin, Turgenev, Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov and Tchaikovsky
<p>This course, focussed on the life and work of some of Russia’s most outstanding personalities, will begin with the work of Andrey Rublëv, Russia’s most famous icon painter, and his circle, and the
...Approximately 6 hours
Greenway, Blacket and Burley-Griffin: Three Architects' Legacy to Sydney
Available Classes
Greenway, Blacket and Burley-Griffin: Three Architects' Legacy to Sydney
<p>There are many well-known architects who have helped shape Sydney’s buildings. Three of the best known worked in different eras, former convict Francis Greenway, in the 1810’s and 1820’s, Edmund
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The Apollo 13 Emergency of 1970
Available Classes
The Apollo 13 Emergency of 1970
<p>Examine the events of the Apollo 13 emergency of 1970, when the NASA spacecraft, bound for the moon, was crippled by an explosion in the ship’s Support Module oxygen tanks. The lives of three
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Continuing Middle Egyptian
Available Classes
Continuing Middle Egyptian
<p>This course continues the study of Middle Egyptian, building on prior knowledge to deepen reading confidence and understanding. Participants further develop grammar, vocabulary and translation
...Continuing Middle Egyptian
<p>This course continues the study of Middle Egyptian, building on prior knowledge to deepen reading confidence and understanding. Participants further develop grammar, vocabulary and translation
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