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Adult Education courses and classes
2017
R SUMMER R
JUNE:
Surrenden Road, Brighton
(Free car park , bus no. 5b stops outside)
"BEAUTIFUL AND USEFUL"-
Victorian Arts & Crafts
A reaction to mass production, the Arts and Crafts Movement was a group of craftsmen, artists, designers and architects who aimed to raise the status of the applied arts (useful) to that of the fine arts (aesthetically significant).
It was largely inspired and led by William Morris, whose firm produced hand-made textiles, books, wallpapers and furniture. The idea was to return to the use of natural materials and make individual items. The style was full of colour, as were the paintings – mainly narrative, full of symbolic meaning, especially the Pre-Raphaelites.
Lots of fabulous illustrations
SATURDAY 17 JUNE 11am-2pm
Fee £22 Tel: 01273 546602
1940s and the Homefront in Wartime
We study domestic, working and social life on the home-front during World War Two, the impact it had during this period and its life-changing effects post-war.
Monday 5 weeks 1.30-3.30pm start 24 April Fee £60 concessions: £42, £21 Ref: COM091
Art Deco, Modernism and the 'Jazz Age' 1918-1939
Course focuses on the new, iconic and very distinctive post-WWI style that emerged 1920s & '30s.
Illustrated with slides, books, images and film clips, including period travelogues.
Monday 5 weeks 6.30-8.30pm start 24 April. Fee £60 concessions: £42, £21 Ref: COM452
Exploring Brighton's Rich History: 2 classroom sessions and 3 field trips
Fascinating history of Brighton in two classroom sessions giving a brief historical overview and looking at early maps, followed by three field trips, getting to know our unique city.
Saturday 5 weeks 11am-1pm start 6 May . Fee £60 concessions: £42, £21 Ref: COM081
City College at Whitehawk Inn
The Victorians 1851-1875
Rich and poor - their living conditions, leisure activities, education and campaigning women.
Wednesday 10 weeks 1-3pm start 3 May Fee £75 (£10 MB/VOL) £30 EBPC FULL
Holy Cross Church Hall, Woodingdean
Edwardians: Extravagance and Economy 1900-1914
We study what life was really like in the short golden age before war was to change the idyll of elegant living for the affluent few compared with abject poverty for the working class.
Preston Village Open Day
Free events for all the family in Preston Park, St Peter's Church and reduced half price entry (children free) at Preston Manor -includes guided mini-tours by Sarah Tobias
Saturday 24 June 10am-5pm
The Grange Gallery, Rottingdean
(Museum and Library)
SEA PICTURES
Readings by Anita Gilson & Sarah Tobias
to accompany Mike Bensley's exhibition of paintings
who will give a short talk before the readings.
SUNDAY 30 JULY 2-3pm
Refreshments including cream teas available
after the readings served in the garden if fine.
KIPLING'S POEMS
Read by Sarah Tobias & Anita Gilson
August afternoon date tba
Refreshments including cream teas available
after the readings served in the garden if fine.
R-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------R
Brighton Open Doors: http://www.rth.org.uk/whats-on/open-door The Regency Town Walk Friday 7 September 11am Brighton Woodvale Cemetery Tour Sunday 10 September 11am Guided by Sarah Tobias |
2017/18
Autumn 2017
Conflict and
Revolution: The Stuart Age 1603-1702
We study themes of population, agriculture, social and domestic life and
women’s role in this period which includes Civil War (1642-1651) and
Interregnum (1649-1660) when England was in military power under Oliver
Cromwell. After the 1688 Glorious Revolution came a time of restoration and
rebuilding including Christopher Wren’s St Pauls Cathedral. This interesting,
exciting period witnessed foundation of the Bank of England (1694), growth of
London, trade and science.
Illustrated with powerpoint slideshows, prints and paintings.
10 weeks Monday
1.30-3.30pm. Start Mon 18 September 2017 (end 27 Nov)
Ref COM142 fee £115 concessions available for those on benefits
Cinema and Society
1896-1960
We study history and experience of cinema-going, exploring how screen
reflected society and how much society influenced filmmakers. We discuss
origins, cinematic experiments, Hove pioneers, cinemas, stars, directors and
cinema staff together with social trends, including cultural and local history,
wartime and 1950s second cinema boom and slump. The advent of rock ‘n’ roll
meant a new generation of cinema-goers who rolled in the aisles and rocked the
cinemas.
Illustrated with film clips and powerpoint slideshows.
10 weeks Tuesday
7-9pm. Start Tue 19 September 2017 (end 5 Dec)
N.B. no class 17
October
Ref COM520 Fee £115 concessions available for those on benefits
The Novel as Social
History: 20C Women Writers
Unique course comprising literature,
social and cultural history and book club.
Within the pages of the novel we discover more than a story. We study
the social and cultural history by exploring background information we are
absorbing unwittingly and which is not the main theme, but which gives us a
deeper and clearer understanding of period and general minutiae of everyday
life.
THIS TERM: 20c women writers include Amber Reeves, E.M Delafield, Elizabeth von Arnim, Nan Shepherd, W.H. Young, Dorothy Whipple, Marghanita Laski, Elizabeth Jane Howard, Elizabeth Jenkins and Barbara Pym. Full reading list available from tutor when you have enrolled and you are expected to
participate in group discussion.
5 weeks fortnightly
Saturday 11am-1pm starting 23 September (end
18 Nov)
Ref COM076 Fee £60
Varndean College at Holy Trinity Church Hall, Woodingdean
Culture and Society Between the Wars 1918-1939
Varndean College at Holy Trinity Church Hall, Woodingdean
Culture and Society Between the Wars 1918-1939
Life changes after the First World War – high living for the wealthy
declined with lack of servants, but cultural life took on a particular aspect
reflected in architecture, design, fashion, music, literature, cinema and
distinctive style of Art Deco and Modernism. Further
changes altered everyday living and perceptions, especially how women viewed
their role, although little was being done to change their status even though
they had contributed so greatly to the war effort and workforce. Pioneers, such
as Marie Stopes with her birth control methods aimed at freeing women from the
continual cycle of child-bearing, and others, such as Amy Johnson, took on
exciting challenges.
Various
events had an impact on people’s lives, including the launch of Penguin
paperbacks in 1935, and Gollancz’s Left Book Club in 1937, which enabled the
working-class to purchase books cheaply, thus opening up a whole new world to
them; as did cinema-going which reached its height of popularity in the 1930’s
and influenced the way people lived, including how they dressed and spoke. It
was also educational and informative, as well as an escape from the drudgery of
everyday life.
6 weeks Monday 10.15am-12.15pm start 9 October
MET Autumn Single Saturday
Looking at Art as
Social History: Victorian Narrative Painting
Victorian narrative painting opens up our view of art, enabling us to
see and enjoy it in a totally different way. Full of symbolism, it exposes
features we hardly notice - informing us about the period and its massive
social and cultural changes. Artists were painting domestic scenes and 'real
life' and were not afraid of controversial subjects which might shock.
We look at paintings, drawings, fashion plates, cartoons and advertising
posters and all is illustrated
with many powerpoint slides.
Saturday 14 October 2017 11am-3pm
Ref COM522 Fee £25
A Sussex Christmas: customs,
myths and legends of winter in the festive season
We study origins, meanings and significance of
fascinating winter and Christmas customs from Pagan to mid-twentieth century; learn how traditions evolved, discover who
Saint Nicholas was, the godforms that became Father Christmas and Santa Claus,
and discover some of the myths and legends surrounding Christmas in Sussex from
Winchelsea to Rye. We discover lots
of interesting and entertaining information including reminiscences of a family
Christmas in a tiny cottage in Rottingdean.
Illustrated with powerpoint slidesows, books and
documentary.
Saturday
25 November 2017 11am-3pm
Ref COM521 Fee £25
Brighton
Metropolitan College (City College)
at Whitehawk Community Centre
at Whitehawk Community Centre
Late Victorian
Britain 1875-1902
We focus on cultural aspects of society, considering and contrasting expansion and development, and reflecting on wider issues surrounding debates on effects of change in society, community as a whole and women's status.
Wednesday 10 weeks 1-3pm Start 20 September
Fee £75 (£10 MTB/VOL) £30 EBPC
We focus on cultural aspects of society, considering and contrasting expansion and development, and reflecting on wider issues surrounding debates on effects of change in society, community as a whole and women's status.
Wednesday 10 weeks 1-3pm Start 20 September
Fee £75 (£10 MTB/VOL) £30 EBPC
BRIGHTON METROPOLITAN COLLEGE (City
College)
AT PRESTON MANOR – Unique venue
AT PRESTON MANOR – Unique venue
This historic house, at the end of
Preston Park, decorated in Edwardian style and with rooms on four floors, is a
delightfully unique and hugely atmospheric setting for studying. The tutor is
also a house guide and lecturer.
The Edwardians
(1900-1910)
We study the short ‘Golden Age’ before ‘the black pit of war’ (J.B.
Priestley’s description) that was to change the idyll of elegant living for the
wealthy socialising on a grand scale, but was also a tarnished age for the poor
living in slums. We compare domestic, social and cultural life, including how
paintings and literature depicted society. Includes house tours above and below
stairs.
Illustrated with powerpoint slideshows, books, prints, paintings and
texts.
8 weeks Tuesday 1-3pm Mon 03 October 2017 (end 28 Nov)
8 weeks Tuesday 1-3pm Mon 03 October 2017 (end 28 Nov)
Surrenden
Road, Brighton
(bus no. 5b stops outside)
(bus no. 5b stops outside)
An
Edwardians Christmas
A delightfully nostalgic exploration of Christmas customs and traditions. We study how wealthy Edwardian families enjoyed an elegant festive season packed with many of the traditions we still enjoy today, such as cards, gifts, games, greenery, decorations, tree and roast dinner with delightful desserts followed by games. We compare this with the meagre but special Christmas for the poor and for which families saved to enjoy festive food and tiny treats and toys for the children.
Saturday 2 December 11am-2pm Fee £25
A delightfully nostalgic exploration of Christmas customs and traditions. We study how wealthy Edwardian families enjoyed an elegant festive season packed with many of the traditions we still enjoy today, such as cards, gifts, games, greenery, decorations, tree and roast dinner with delightful desserts followed by games. We compare this with the meagre but special Christmas for the poor and for which families saved to enjoy festive food and tiny treats and toys for the children.
Saturday 2 December 11am-2pm Fee £25
SPRING 2018
Eighteenth-Century
England from Anne to George II (1702-1760)
We study morals,
manners, fashions and foibles of the period and contrast culture, industry, the
Enlightenment and literature with a world of gambling, vice, drunkenness,
thieves and rascals - of all classes. We discuss innovations and changes
leading up to modernization, including advances in agriculture, new styles of
architecture, gardens, grounds and public buildings, and look at social and
domestic life. A fascinating period which includes flight and computers.
Illustrated with
powerpoint slideshows, books, prints, paintings and texts.
Monday
10 weeks 1.30-3.30pm start 15 January
Ref COM265 Fee £115 concessions available for those on benefits
Making
Waves: the development of Brighton – a unique resort
We study Brighton’s
history, discussing possible explanations for its rise in popularity, fame,
infamy, and unique development; considering why a poor fishing town should have
developed into something more than just a seaside resort. We focus on aspects
that have made Brighton an unusual resort, including its ‘racy’ image and
interwar razor gangs. Other topics include poverty and slum housing and how
rapid expansion causes problems as well as prosperity.
Illustrated with
maps, powerpoint slideshows, prints, paintings and texts.
Tuesday 10 weeks 7-9pm start 16
January
Ref COM451 Fee £115 concessions available for those on benefits
SPRING Saturday course:
The
Novel as Social History: Comparing 20th Century Male and Female Novelists
Unique
course comprising social and cultural history and book club
Within the pages of
the novel we discover more than a story. We study the social and cultural
history by exploring background information we are absorbing unwittingly and
which is not the main theme, but which gives us a deeper and clearer
understanding of period and general minutiae of everyday life.
THIS TERM: novelists
include Nevil Shute and Monica Dickens. Full reading list available from tutor: and
you are expected to participate in group discussion.
5 Fortnightly Saturdays 11am-1pm start
13 January
Ref COM174 Fee £60
BRIGHTON METROPOLITAN COLLEGE (City College)
AT PRESTON MANOR – Unique
venue
This historic house,
at the end of Preston Park, decorated in Edwardian style and with rooms on four
floors, is a delightfully unique and hugely atmospheric setting for studying.
The tutor is also a house guide and lecturer.
In the
Shadow of the Century: Life and leisure 1900-1914
We study social
conditions, domestic and working life for all classes in town and country; the
arts, literature, fashion, travel, leisure, holidays and early cinema. The
summer season’s giddy whirl for women of fashion was in sharp contrast to poor
wives and mothers trying to keep a decent home and the family fed.
Includes house tours.
SPRING Single Saturdays at
Brighton Metropolitan (City College), Pelham Street:
Victorian
Rituals of Death and Mourning
Death and mourning
were part of everyday life in Victorian England. Death played an intricate and
symbolic role. Mourning was filled with ritual and lasted a long time - two
years for a widow - and spawned much industry in the way of clothing,
jewellery, teapots, stationery and everything associated with undertaking.
Illustrated with powerpoint slideshows – plus a rare opportunity to view
short b&w film “Dido’s Lament: Victorian Rituals of Death and Mourning”,
screened 2014.
Saturday
03 February 11am-3pm
Ref COM523 Fee £25
Ref COM523 Fee £25
Space,
Light & Speed: Art Deco and Modernism 1918-1939
The Decorative
Movement, Modernism or ‘moderne’, later described as ‘Art Deco’ was based on
classical and other influences, including Egyptian - after the 1922 opening of
Tutankhamun’s tomb. The distinctive iconic style of space, light and speed,
utilised modern technology and innovations such as plastic, chrome, aluminium
and electricity. Smooth lines and geometric patterns featured on architecture,
advertising, fashion, jewellery, furniture, glass, ceramics, lighting,
metalware, technology and cinema.
Illustrated
with powerpoint slideshows, books and paintings. and texts.
Surrenden Road, Brighton
(bus
no. 5b stops outside)
"Beautiful and
Useful" - Victorian Arts & Crafts
A reaction to mass
production, the Arts and Crafts Movement was a group of craftsmen, artists,
designers and architects who aimed to raise the status of the applied arts
(useful) to that of the fine arts (aesthetically significant). It was
largely inspired by William Morris, whose firm produced hand-made textiles,
books, wallpapers and furniture. The idea was to return to the use of natural
materials and make individual items. The style was full of colour, as were the
paintings - mainly narrative, full of symbolic meanings, especially the
Pre-Raphaelites.
Lots of fabulous
illustrations.
Saturday 3 March 11am-2pm Fee £25
Saturday 3 March 11am-2pm Fee £25
R SUMMER 2018 R
Innovation
and Experiment: Georgian England 1760-1800
This was a time of enlightenment, literature, the
Grand Tour, scientific experiment observance of nature and the arts. Great
advances were being made, Industrial Revolution was under way and there were
many innovators, inventors and original thinkers who helped mould the period.
We look at manufacturing, commerce, trade, shopping and banking, as well as
trade in slaves, sugar, tea and tobacco and domestic and social life.
Illustrated with powerpoint slideshows, books,
prints, paintings and texts.
Monday 5 weeks 1.30-3.30pm start 16 April
Ref COM091 Fee £60
From
Page to Screen: the film of the novel
We study novels and films
and view movie clips, followed by analysis and comparison, discussing
alterations filmmakers made to screenplays, often changing storylines or
removing characters from novels on which they were based and glamorising the
whole. E.g. Hitchcock’s film ‘Young and Innocent’, completely differed from the
novel ‘A Shilling for Candles’ by Josephine Tey on which it was based.
Illustrated with film clips
and books. A list of the novels is available from tutor.
Tuesday 5 weeks 7-9pm start 17 April
Ref COM452 Fee £60
Summer Saturday
courses
Summer
Reading: Books, books and more books!
Unique course comprising literature and social and
cultural history.
Books for summer reading - recommendations,
discussion, background social history... and novels to read before class. If
you like books, literature and social history – this is for you! A different, unusual, exciting way of reading
and learning in a friendly, relaxed group. We also view extracts of two of the
novels that were made into films.
A reading list is available from the tutor and you
will be expected to participate in group discussion.
2 Saturdays 11am-2pm 21 April & 5 May
Ref COM449 Fee £60
Summer
in the City: exploring Brighton’s unique history
2 classroom sessions & 3 Brighton field trips
We study the fascinating history of Brighton in two
classroom sessions giving a brief historical overview and looking at early
maps. This will be followed by three field trips, getting to know our unique
city, discovering lots of hidden gems and understanding how Brighton evolved
from a small Georgian fishing town to the vibrant seaside resort of today.
Be prepared to walk on each field trip for almost
two hours, to wear suitable clothing for all weather and to bring water if it
is hot.
11am-1pm start 12 May (end 9 June)
Ref COM081 Fee £60
Sarah Tobias MA, BA Hons, Dip Eur Hum
Entertaining lecturer in social, cultural and local (Brighton, Sussex, UK) history
Contact me for talks/guided walks/visits for groups, clubs, societies.
Current list of 30+ topics
Also contact me for poetry readings and narrations.
More information about me, my subjects, research and contact:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-tobias-0318943a?trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile
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Courses -Venue Addresses, transport and refreshments
Brighton Metroplitan College MET (formerly City College)
Pelham Street, Brighton BN1 4FA
Location:
Behind York Place & London Road, turn up Cheapside – Aldi supermarket on corner. Or, turn left in Trafalgar St walking down from Station.
Transport & Parking:
Lots of buses nearby.
Nearby car park, about 5 minutes walk.
Railway station few minutes walk
Refreshments and further information:
Restaurant. Tea and coffee bar on balcony of Main Building.
Coffee shops, small cafés and public houses in nearby London Road
London Road and Trafalgar Street: many shops, some banks and supermarkets
Whitehawk Inn Community Centre
Whitehawk Road Brighton, BN2 3NS
Transport & Parking:
Buses stop nearby and some outside venue
Metered street car parking
Refreshments:
Café and garden area
Further information:
Shops, Co-op, public library in same road.
Few minutes walk to sea, beach and Marina or East Brighton Park
Varndean College
Surrenden Road, Brighton, BN1 6WQ
Transport & Parking:
Car park, bus no. 5b stops outside
Refreshments:
Vending machine for cold drinks
Holy Cross Church Hall, Woodingdean
Warren Road, Brighton, BN2 6ND
Transport & Parking:
Car park outside Library and Community Centre over the road, opposite church hall. Bus nos 2, 22 stop nearby.
Refreshments:
Tea-making facilities in hall. Small cafes nearby. Downs Hotel almost next door serves tea, coffee and refreshments at bar and has outside area.
Further information:
Woodingdean public library over the road. Shops, Co-op, dry cleaners nearby
Preston Manor
Preston Drove, Brighton BN1 6SD
Location:
Situated at end of Preston Park.
Transport & Parking:
Buses and rail nearby
Free parking outside and in adjacent street.
Refreshments:
No cafe. Refreshments provided by staff
Chalet restaurant in park and public houses opposite
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In Very Loving Memory
 2016 
2015 2013
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