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Lecture series

Weekly lectures from experts in their fields

Structured as a series of six weekly lectures on a given topic, our lecture series offer a comprehensive introduction to your chosen subject.

All of our lecture series can be enjoyed at Rewley House, Oxford, with the majority also being livestreamed – so you can choose to attend online or in person.

Some of our lecture series also offer the option of attending individual lectures, as well the whole series.

If joining us in Oxford, tea and coffee are provided before or after each lecture.

Our programme of lecture series for 2024-25 have now all closed. To stay informed as to when our 2025-26 series of events is announced, sign up to our email mailing list.

Upcoming courses

Raiders, Traders and Crusaders: A History of the Baltic Rim

Online - live • Short courses • Lecture series • Hybrid - in person or online

The people from the sparse populations and inhospitable lands surrounding the Baltic Sea have played a creative and totally disproportionate role in the history of Europe and the world. This lecture series examines their history and influence

Wed 16 Oct 2024 – 20 Nov 2024
11:00am – 12:15pm

European Leaders in the Cold War

Online - live • Short courses • Lecture series • Hybrid - in person or online

The Cold War posed difficult challenges for European countries both East and West. This lecture series analyses how six European leaders navigated their way through this period.

Fri 18 Oct 2024 – 22 Nov 2024
2:00 – 3:15pm

Khrushchev: Eastern European Clampdown Reveals Limits of Ideological Reform

Online - live • Short courses • Lecture series • Hybrid - in person or online

Acknowledged to be a relative liberal in domestic policy, Nikita Khrushchev’s foreign policy was a complicated mixture of hard-line repression and conciliatory diplomacy with the US and NATO. This lecture examines the contradictions of ‘co-existence’.

Fri 18 Oct 2024
2:00 – 3:15pm

De Gaulle: Making France Great Again

Online - live • Short courses • Lecture series • Hybrid - in person or online

This talk focuses on the maverick foreign policy of Charles de Gaulle, which infuriated both superpowers. While showing military independence from the USA, he was no Soviet apologist, gratuitously insulting communism on a visit to Moscow.

Fri 25 Oct 2024
2:00 – 3:15pm

Six Flemish Masters

Online - live • Short courses • Lecture series • Hybrid - in person or online

The Flemish Masters brought major changes to European art in the 15th century. Strong jewel-like colours and attention to minute detail became priorities in the creation of their work. Alice Foster explores the work of six masters in this lecture series.

Fri 25 Oct 2024 – 29 Nov 2024
11:00am – 12:15pm

Brandt: The Contradictions of 'Ostpolitik'

Online - live • Short courses • Lecture series • Hybrid - in person or online

Willy Brandt enjoyed electoral success at home and was hailed as a statesman abroad, but his more recent critics have argued that his diplomacy strengthened the repressive East German regime. This talk assesses Brandt’s contested legacy.

Fri 01 Nov 2024
2:00 – 3:15pm