In–Person (Tuesdays) and Virtual (Thursdays) Lectures Series

March 25: The French Revolution, a French Exception?

The French are so proud of 1789 that they tend to forget key precedents to their revolution, such as the American Revolution, which introduced the concept of the rights of man in the 1770s, or the less-known revolution in Holland, not to mention uprisings in the colonies. The revolutionary spirit was not born in France!

April 1: Marie-Antoinette: the Scapegoat of the Revolution

So much has been written about the last queen of France that it has become difficult to understand who she really was and what role she played before and during the Revolution, until her trial in October 1793. A look at the most famous of French queens, beyond the clichés and myths still very much alive to this day and how she became the victim of a new phenomenon: celebrity. The mechanisms of celebrity we are so familiar with today were developed in the 18th century, well before films, tabloids and television. Together with new advertising techniques, the rise of a free press brought a profound transformation in the visibility of the powerful. By the time the Revolution broke out, it was no longer enough to be legitimate; it had become all important to be popular, too.

April 8: Was the King a Revolutionary?

The list of the innovations introduced by the last two kings of the Old Regime in France is impressive. Louis XV and Louis XVI sought to modernize their kingdom, but they failed in the end. Why? Was the Revolution inevitable? In light of the many uprisings (the last being the Yellow Vests protests in 2018), can France be governed and can reforms be accepted by the French public?

April 15: Did the French Revolution Invent the Concepts of “Public Opinion” and Sovereign “People”?

In 1789, the people burst into the political scene and would remain an important actor of the Revolution for the next ten years. The problem is, not everyone has the same idea of what “public opinion” and “people” mean. And despite the proclamation of the universal rights of man, women ended up being excluded from the political life of the nation.

April 22: Robespierre: Should He be Rehabilitated?

The mastermind behind the Reign of Terror, Robespierre continues to divide historians. For some, he hijacked the political scene and became the first tyrant of the modern age while others see in him the mere victim of a dark legend. Who was Robespierre really? How can the regime of terror he imposed on revolutionary France be understood? Was it the result of internal and external threats only?

April 29: Why Kill the King? Was it necessary?

His trial and subsequent death transformed Louis XVI into a martyr, an expiatory victim. Many never forgave the new Republic for his death. However, one thing is certain – this act paved the way for the Reign of Terror and sent a clear message to the French and the world: there would be no turning back.

May 6: Promises and Heritage

When Napoleon Bonaparte unleashed his coup in November 1799 to become First Consul, then Emperor, France had little in common with the kingdom of 1789. The political scene, the French economy and religion, with the separation of Church and State, had been profoundly transformed. The consequences of those ten years were felt worldwide and inspired many other uprisings, including the Russian revolutions of 1917. In the end, how can we explain its enduring heritage?

May 13: The Revolution is Not Over

In 1814 and 1815, the Bourbons managed to return from exile and ascend the throne of their ancestors. Was it the signal of a return to the old days, those of the divine rights of kings? Louis XVIII proved to be a pragmatist by inventing one of the most liberal political regimes in Europe. He helped create a unique situation, a sort of French exception. The political scene in France remained unstable for the greater part of the 19th century and beyond, and the country witnessed many upheavals, but the foundations of a true parliamentary system were laid.

THE FRENCH REVOLUTION READING LIST

Olivier Courteaux received his B.A. in history, M.A. in war and conflict studies, and Ph.D. in contemporary international relations from the University of Paris-Sorbonne.

Olivier has lectured at various Canadian universities, including York University, Ryerson (now Toronto Metropolitan University) and the Royal Military College of Canada, as well as for a number of third age learning groups. He has brought other popular series to LLM, most recently Russia, Ukraine and Eastern Europe in 2023.

He is the author of Canada Between Vichy and Free France, 1940-1945 (2013) and Four Days that Rocked Quebec (2017). He is currently working on his next book: Suez, 1869: the Empress Eugenie’s Last Triumph.

Weeks 1 to 4 – Presented by Jim Poling

March 27: You be the Editor

A show and tell of decisions about real-life newspaper stories, situations, photos and outcomes. These stories will not be gratuitous but they will contain sensitive material involving death, war, crime scenes and ethics. Jim has dealt with all these examples personally.

April 3: Sources Say

We’ve all heard the phrase “off the record.” An examination of unnamed sources, confidential sources and off the record. A look at newsroom practices and the realpolitik and legal system surrounding keeping or telling secrets.

April 10: The Thin Blue Line

A police officer caught up in a prostitution sting was charged with human trafficking. He pleaded with a fellow officer to let him go and his wish was granted. The paper learned of the case and got involved. What happened next is the subject of debate, anger and misery. We go deep inside the newsroom and the police department to look at one story, one case and the lives affected.

April 17: The Right to Know, the Right to be Forgotten

The line between privacy and the public’s right to know is always shifting. Recent legislation in Europe is influencing Canadian media and story archiving in a movement known as The Right to be Forgotten. When information is made public, who gets to see it and for how long? This session offers insight into contemporary news media in Canada, the current state of journalism and the shift to subscription models.

Weeks 5 to 8 – Presented by Steve Buist

April 24: Investigative Reporting 101

Steve’s introductory talk will explain the practice of investigative journalism from the standpoint of journalists. This tutorial will cover the goals and different types of investigative journalism, and how to identify a project that requires investigation. It will also look at specific tools needed for effective investigative journalism, such as interviewing techniques. Other topics will include the legal issues that can arise, as well as some of the ethical principles that should govern the behaviour of investigative journalists.

May 1: Code Red – A Case Study in Investigative Journalism

Code Red was a decade-long investigative project created by Steve Buist that examined the connections between health and wealth. Code Red was a ground-breaking piece of investigative journalism in Canada and one of the most important projects ever published by The Hamilton Spectator.

Working with two McMaster University researchers, the Spectator examined the data from hundreds of thousands of hospital and ER visits by Hamilton residents, broken down to the level of Hamilton’s neighbourhoods. They then compared the health outcomes with social and economic data collected by Statistics Canada. What they found were shocking connections between health and socioeconomic status: the poorer and less educated a neighbourhood, the worse the health of those people. The most shocking finding was a 23-year difference in life expectancy between the best and worst neighbourhoods in Hamilton.

May 8: A Career Retrospective

This talk will examine a number of other important investigative projects Steve published during his career with the Spectator (and a bit with the Toronto Star). One project was “Collision Course,” which used MRI and EEG imaging to look at the impact of concussions on retired Canadian professional football players. Others were the Spectator’s analysis of Ontario’s ill-fated Drive Clean program; “A Pig’s Tale,” which followed Steve’s brief career as the world’s smallest pig farmer; “Unchartered,” a look at the lack of consequences faced by police across Canada who violate people’s Charter rights; and “Blind Faith,” a series that looked at the connections between medical researchers at McMaster University and the pharmaceutical industry.

May 15: What’s Next for a Retired Investigative Reporter

A look at Steve’s new path of interest – helping train university journalism students as well as practising journalists in Kenya, Rwanda and Cameroon to improve the quality of investigative journalism in Africa. The  talk will conclude with some of the challenges journalists face in Africa that we don’t have to deal with here in Canada.

Jim Poling

Jim Poling is Editor-in-Chief of the Waterloo Region Record. Since 2018 he has overseen the print and digital editorial operations at the Record, a daily newspaper founded in 1878. He also manages several community newspapers under the Metroland banner.

Jim is a journalist with more than 40 years of daily newspaper experience. He started his career as a newspaper reporter at the Kenora Miner and News in northwestern Ontario and then The Globe and Mail. He was managing editor at The Hamilton Spectator for more than 12 years and has served in several other newsroom leadership roles. His reporting experience includes municipal politics, crime and the environment. He spent time as a parliamentary news reporter in Ottawa for Southam News and as a correspondent covering Queen’s Park in Toronto.

In 2008 Jim was awarded the Vox Libera award by the Canadian Journalists for Free Expression for his commitment to freedom of the press.

Steve Buist

Steve Buist is a retired investigative journalist and feature writer at The Hamilton Spectator newspaper. He retired as one of Canada’s most decorated journalists, having won or been nominated for nearly 100 awards at the international, national and provincial levels during his career.

Steve was nominated 13 times in total for National Newspaper Awards, the top prize for newspaper journalism in Canada, and he won five times. He was named Canada’s Investigative Journalist of the Year three times and Ontario’s Journalist of the Year five times. He is a two-time winner of the prestigious Hillman Prize for social justice journalism and a two-time nominee for the Michener Award for public service journalism.

In 2019, Steve was named a Distinguished Fellow by Mohawk College in Hamilton and in 2022 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by McMaster University for his journalism contributions to the Hamilton community. He has a B.Sc. in human biology and a Master’s degree in journalism.