Course Description

Instructor: Peter Campos

Until Queen Elizabeth II, her great-great-grandmother Victoria was the longest reigning monarch in British history. But what was Victoria like? How did this barely adult young woman arise to the pinnacle of British power? What were her greatest challenges and how did she overcome them if she did? Who were the major influences in her life? We will examine these and other questions in four phases of Victoria’s life: Before she became Queen; as a young Queen; as a married Queen; and as a widowed Queen and Empress. We will look at her relationships with strong male figures who held her in thrall; her views about women and class; and how she struggled to balance her roles as Queen, a reluctant mother, and a devoted wife. This course will focus on Victoria the person, not the Victorian era or associated domestic or international events, except those that did affect the Queen personally. 

Bio: Peter E. Campos, Ph.D. has been fortunate to have lived in beautiful places: Vancouver, Canada; Honolulu, Hawaii; and the British colony of Hong Kong. He has always had a passion for Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, everything Italian, and Ancient Roman history. He was trained as a Clinical Psychologist and owned a consulting company, PECDOC Health Research Evaluation Services, Inc. to assist community organizations to meet federal grant evaluation requirements. He was formerly on faculty at Emory Medical School's Psychiatry Department and SUNY-Binghamton's Psychology Department. He now enjoys retirement and spending time indulging rescued canine companions and traveling.