Brought to you by UCC. 

That ‘back to school’ magic is in the air.

And if you’ve always been a little jealous of the students heading back to the classroom, fresh notebooks in hand, this autumn there’s an open invitation to join them.

The hallowed HQ of academia on Leeside, University College Cork is flinging open its doors to us with an intriguing selection of short courses for autumn/winter 2024, offering a chance to unleash your inner intellectual – and (bonus points!) without the crippling exam pressure.

Whether you’ve always secretly hankered to decipher great works of literature or you fancy brushing up on your creative writing skills, tracing your family tree, or getting a decent grounding in nutrition and health, UCC’s night course program has something for everyone.

It’s a chance to challenge your brain, meet like-minded folks who aren’t content with just watching Love Island re-runs all winter, and maybe even unearth a hidden passion you never knew existed.

Think of it as a mental gym membership, but way cooler (and probably cheaper).

Here are five short courses that piqued our interest for this autumn:

WINE STUDIES

October 2nd to November 20th, 2024: 7pm to 9pm on Wednesdays (€300 for eight weeks, including wine)

Tom McKernan leads this exciting class in the Western Gateway Building weekly. Complete with weekly wine tasting experiences – students will taste six wines each evening from the classic wine regions of Europe – it’s guaranteed to turn Wednesday into your favourite day of the week.

THE PHILOSOPHY OF PSYCHEDELIC EXPERIENCES

October 3rd to November 7th: 7pm to 9pm on Thursdays (€170 for six weeks)

A surge of empirical research has uncovered the promising potential of psychedelic drugs in treating a wide range of psychiatric conditions. You can delve deeper into this subject in the capable hands of Dr Danny Forde on Thursdays this autumn.

MEMOIR WRITING IN FOCUS

September 30th to November 25th, 2024, 11am to 1pm on Mondays 

It has been said that autumn has inspired writers throughout the ages to pen some of their finest words and if so, then, fans of Zadie Smith, Doireann Ní Ghríofa, Virginia Woolf and Annie Ernaux will love this cosy autumn class. From free-writing to looking at the intersectionality of gender, race and feminism in autofiction, this course can show you techniques to bring your life to the page in a new and creative way. Lucy Holme’s Introduction to Writing the Personal Lyric and Creative Non-Fiction Essay group meets in Bishopstown Library weekly.

BRAIN HEALTH

September 30th to November 11th, 2024, 7pm to 9pm on Mondays (€170 for six weeks).

The human brain is the most amazing, mysterious and complicated organ. Keeping it healthy is critical to our sense of well-being, especially as we age. In recent years brain scientists have made some remarkable discoveries on how the brain has the capacity to change. Dr Denis Staunton will offer the lowdown as well as plenty fo food for thought in this fascinating course.
INTRODUCTION TO ADDICTION STUDIES

October 1st to November 19th, 2024, 7pm-9pm on Tuesdays (€220 for eight weeks)