Multi-Day Seminars

The application period is January 9, 2026 and close January 19, 2026. Apply here!

The Cold War: From Origins to Apogee, 1945-1962

Tucson, AZ | March 27-29, 2026

After defeating Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, the American people looked forward to a long period of peace and cooperation with their former allies in the Soviet Union. What they got instead was 45 years of simmering international hostility, occasionally breaking out in proxy wars, and on several occasions bringing the world to the brink of nuclear war. This seminar will examine roughly the first half of the Cold War, from its origins through the Cuban Missile Crisis, with an emphasis on the different ways that the ongoing contest with the Soviet Union was handled by Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, and Kennedy.

• Discussion Leader: John Moser
• Historic Site: Titan Missile Museum 
• (NOTE: For the guided tours, guests are required to ascend and descend 55 stair steps. There is no elevator access to the underground tour. Visits made by guests unable to independently use the metal grate stairs that lead underground without the use of cane, crutches, walking stick, walker, or wheelchair, will be limited to the surface portion of the site)
• Hotel: Desert Diamond Casino & Hotel

JFK and the New Frontier

Boston, MA | April 10-12, 2026

This workshop will examine the presidency of the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy. The early 1960s was a time of prosperity, optimism, and idealism in America, and the young president embodied those themes. We will begin by looking at the issue of Kennedy’s Catholic religion during the 1960 election. Then we will focus on JFK’s domestic policy initiatives as well as his changing attitudes toward civil rights during his short administration. Lastly, we will examine his Cold War foreign policy, especially in relation to Cuba and Vietnam. The workshop will also include a tour of the JFK Presidential Library and Museum, as well as a walking tour of Columbia Point, the home of the JFK Library, which includes a wealth of interesting history.

• Discussion Leader: Vincent Cannato
• Historic Site: John F. Kennedy Presidential Museum
• Hotel: Courtyard by Marriott Logan Boston Airport

Jefferson and Madison

Charlottesville, VA | April 17-19, 2026

A few months before he died, Thomas Jefferson asked James Madison to “take care of me when dead.” This unusual request was the culmination of a friendship that lasted over five decades and formed the backbone of perhaps the most successful political coalition in American history. This seminar will examine the writings of Jefferson and Madison to understand where they agreed and where they disagreed and to discern, perhaps, where they were right and where they were wrong.

• Discussion Leader: Jeremy D. Bailey
• Historic Site: Monticello
• Hotel: Residence Inn by Marriott Charlottesville Downtown

Summer 2026 schedule will be coming soon!