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

24 March 2026 – The Trump Doctrine: Principles, Instincts and Strategic Disruption

An introduction to the core ideas that shape Trump’s approach to the world: transactionalism, sovereignty, skepticism toward alliances and the primacy of national interest. This session sets the conceptual framework for the rest of the series.

31 March 2026 – America First: Redefining U.S. Power and Global Leadership

A study of how “America First” reorients U.S. engagement with the world. We examine shifts in diplomacy, trade and multilateralism, and how this approach challenges long‑standing assumptions about American leadership.

7 April 2026 – Allies and Adversaries: Rethinking the Architecture of Alliances

This lecture explores Trump’s approach to NATO, Europe and traditional partners, alongside his posture toward strategic competitors. It highlights how his worldview tests the resilience of alliances and forces other states to reconsider their own strategic autonomy.

14 April 2026 – Trade Wars and Economic Nationalism

A deep dive into tariffs, renegotiated trade agreements and the use of economic pressure as a geopolitical tool. We look at how Trump’s economic nationalism reshapes global supply chains and challenges the norms of free‑trade orthodoxy.

21 April 2026 – The Middle East, Asia and the Search for Leverage

An examination of Trump’s regional strategies, from the Indo‑Pacific to the Middle East. This session focuses on how his administration uses unpredictability, bilateralism and pressure tactics to pursue U.S. interests.

28 April 2026 – Communication, Media and the Performance of Power

This lecture analyzes Trump’s use of communication – from rallies to social media – as an instrument of foreign policy. We explore how messaging, spectacle and narrative shape perceptions of American power at home and abroad.

5 May 2024 – The Future of the International Order: What Trump Reveals About the 21st Century

A concluding reflection on what Trump’s worldview tells us about the evolution of global politics: the crisis of multilateralism, the return of great‑power competition and the growing tension between sovereignty and interdependence. We consider how other states, including Canada and Europe, are adapting to this shifting landscape.

Olivier Courteaux is a historian and international relations specialist trained at the University of Paris-Sorbonne, where he earned a B.A. in history, an M.A. in war and conflict studies, and a Ph.D. in contemporary international relations, shaping an expertise that bridges military conflict and international diplomacy.

He has taught at York University’s Glendon College, U of T, Toronto Metropolitan University and the Royal Military College of Canada, and is known for bringing clarity and narrative depth to complex global issues.

Olivier is the author of The War on Terror: The Canadian Dilemma (2009), Canada Between Vichy and Free France, 1940–1945 (2013) and Four Days That Rocked Quebec (2017). He is currently completing his fourth book, Suez, 1869: The Last Triumph of the Empress Eugénie, a study that revisits the opening of the Suez Canal through the lens of imperial ambition, diplomacy and the twilight of a remarkable reign.

26 March 2026 – Course Introduction and the Romance of the English Castle

• The contribution of King Arthur
• The earliest: Tintagel and Camelot
• Winchester Castle
• “The French Connection”: 1066 and all that
• Warwick Castle
• King William’s Norman Skyscraper: 1080
• Castle Rising
• Norman Postlude: Leeds Castle
• North Wales’s enchanted castle Conwy
• Scotland the Brave: Edinburgh, Glamis, Dunvegan and their legacy

 2 April 2026 – Early French Chateaux and “The Chateaux Country”

• Ivry La Bataille
• Sainte Chapelle for fortress Paris
• The Louvre: from castle to palace
• Fontainebleau
• The vital importance of the Loire River
• Chateau de Langeais and Chambord
• Blois et Cheverny
• Amboise and Azay-Le-Rideau

 9 April 2026 – Henry VIII and the English Country House

• Politics at Leeds Castle
• If Walls Could Talk: Grace and Favour at Hampton Court Palace
• Rival bastions of power: Hever Castle
• St James’s Palace London
• The majesty and tragedy of Whitehall Palace
• Nonsuch
• The tragedy at Fotheringay Castle
• Stately homes – Woburn Abbey, Downton Abbey, Fonthill Abbey
• “The Three Vanbrughs”: Castle Howard, Blenheim, Seton Delaval

 16 April 2026 – Palaces as Power: Building in the Age of Absolutism

• The rise of Imperial Madrid
• The Escorial – and the glory of Philip II
• The Louvre revisited
• Vaux Le Vicomte and the twilight of French aristocracy
• The chateau at Saint-Cloud
• The Versailles of Louis XIV and V
• The Versailles of Louis Philippe: “All the Glories of France”
• The mission of Gérald Van der Kempe and Jackie Kennedy

 23 April 2026 – Castles and Palaces in Imperial China and Japan

• A great fortress for China
• The massive fort the Yongle Emperor built
• The political significance of “a summer place”
• The samurai tradition in Japan
• Great Japanese castles
• The work in castles of filmmaker Akira Kurasawa

 30 April 2026 – Early American Great Estates

• Historic Colonial Williamsburg
• Stratford Hall
• Mount Vernon
• Liberty Hall
• Monticello
• Arlington

 7 May 2026 – American Mansions of the Gilded Age

• The Breakers
• Biltmore
• Oleana
• Winterthur of historic Delaware
• Kykuit, the Rockefeller estate; Sleepy Hollow at Tarrytown
• Hearst Castle and the Golden Age of Hollywood
• Falling Water – Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece

 14 May 2026 – Great Estates of Ontario and Canada, Drawing Conclusions

• Hatley Castle in BC
• In Ontario: Dundurn Castle, Bellevue, Batterwood House
• In Toronto: Rosedale, Summerhill, Dovercourt, Casa Loma, Spadina, Oaklands, Glendon Hall and the F.P. Wood Estate
• Big Question: If you had a chance to live in any of our great residences, which one would you like to occupy?
• Reviewing books for ongoing reading

James A.S. Thompson has been an adult education instructor teaching on demand for twenty years. He has taught history, art and architecture, and social history courses at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies, George Brown Seniors Association, Glendon LLIR and the LIFE Institute at Toronto Metropolitan University. His well-received courses include Great Museums of the World, the Super Collectors, the Propaganda Masters, and Tyrants, Dictators and Democrats. He is a former volunteer at the AGO and currently volunteers and promotes the East Asian collection at ROM. He is soon to publish a book based on ten years of research with Dundurn Press. James lives in Toronto.