Course Description

From imperial spouses to artistic duos to entrepreneurial couples, discover the partnerships that forged empires, penned prize-winning prose, started revolutions, or lit up the silver screen. Explore the political intrigue of Cleopatra and Mark Antony, the musical geniuses of Clara and Robert Schumann, the tumultuous literary home of Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald, the artistic legacy of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, and civil rights legacy of Coretta Scott King and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Although these relationships were not always life-long nor without their share of strife, we’ll explore what each half brought to these power partnerships: from collaboration, to competition, to support, to inspiration.

Course Director

Laura Carlson

Laura Carlson is a historian, writer, and media producer. She holds a doctorate in history from Oxford University and has taught history, classics, and food studies both in England and in Canada, most recently at Queen’s University and Centennial College. As a lecturer, and writer, she has been featured on the CBC, Hot Docs, CBS Sunday Morning, and Atlas Obscura. Laura is also host and producer of the award-winning culinary history podcast, The Feast. Over the years, she has worked with international media, museums, and civic agencies, and currently is the Manager of Public Programs at Heritage Toronto.

Laura Carlson

Term and Time

Fall 2025 – starting September
12:50 pm on Friday afternoon
Room TBA in York Hall

Course Outline

Two weeks before the course starts, you can download a printable PDF giving the 10-week detailed course outline.

NOTE: The course outline opens in a new browser tab where you cannot see the LLIR page header and menu. You can download the outline for future reading and printing. When you are finished, return to our website as follows:
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Lecture Notes

Links to resources such as additional reading or play lists are provided here as the Course Director makes them available during term. Like the course outline, lecture notes open in a new browser tab so that you can download and print them.

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