Subjects - WEA Sydney

Portraits of the Netherlands: Holland and Belgium

This course focuses on the outstanding works of art and music that have emerged from the Low Countries: the paintings of the Van Eyck brothers, and the Flemish school in the early 15th century; the music of Clemens non Papa and Jan Sweelinck, Holland’s greatest late Renaissance composers; Rembrandt and the Golden Age of Holland; Mozart in the... [More]

Best Of The Best: Famous Literary Characters

Of all the characters we meet in our reading lives, there are few who become very real to us – so real that we feel we actually know them. In this course we will look at how it is that writers can sometimes achieve this by the way in which they use description, conversation and interaction. This is not going to be a highly academic course, rather a... [More]

Literary Landscapes: Cities and Beyond

Complex, ambiguous; familiar and alien – these are the cities of the world. In this course we explore the writing that has created and exposed the landscapes and structures, both built and natural, of four of the world’s great cities. The main landmarks, social, historical and cultural characteristics and events, and both fictional and real people... [More]

Celebrity Politics... The Next Big Thing?

The 2016 election of Donald Trump as US President has been described as the first ‘Celebrity Election’ in the West. More recently the trend continues. In the Ukraine celebrity comedian Volodymyr Zelensky became President and a former Ukrainian rock-star(sic), Svyasoslav Varachuk, has entered parliament there. Boris Johnson has been described, even... [More]

This course has no current classes. Please the waiting list.

Biology and Destiny

A perennial topic for philosophical speculation is the question of personal autonomy, or ‘what we can choose’ versus ‘what is pre-ordained for us’ and it is now coming into the realm of experimental science. We may soon be in the uncomfortable position of being provided with answers! In this course we will discuss various aspects of what its... [More]

The Fall of the Roman Empire and the Birth of Europe

For over 400 years, Germanic barbarians roamed across Western Europe and broke up the decrepit Roman Empire. In these convulsions, new nations were born and Christianity began its ascent as the dominant religious power. We follow the tracks of the major tribes and the outstanding personalities, down to Charlemagne and the idea of a new Empire being... [More]

Bismarck And The Second Reich

In the middle of the 19th century, the idea of the unification of Germany became a huge popular movement. The declining nobility opposed it, but it gave Prussia the opportunity to enlarge its power base and for Bismarck to emerge as the architect of the Second Reich. We will trace the remarkable career of this most powerful man of half a century,... [More]

Murder, Bloody Murder

This course will focus on the ways in which murder is represented in five very different books. From this core the roles of the detective, the victim and the murderer will be examined, providing comparisons for readers who have an ongoing fascination in this macabre subject. Course Tutor Allison Halliday Supplied Course Material Truman Capote, In... [More]

Crossing the Blue Mountains

Since the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, Europeans had wanted to cross the distant blue barrier presented by the mountains. From a distance the mountains looked as if they could easily be crossed, typified by Governor Phillip’s intention, ‘to shortly explore their summits.’ But the Europeans found them to be a region of plateaus, deeply gouged... [More]

This course has no current classes. Please the waiting list.

Create and Enjoy Your Own Bonsai

Discover its history and find out which plants are most suitable and how to maintain them. Learn which types of containers, soil, materials and equipment are preferable; and how to prune, shape, style and display them. Comprehensive notes are provided. COURSE OUTLINE Introduction History Chinese/Japanese Suitable Specimens Styles Containers Soil... [More]

This course has no current classes. Please the waiting list.