The first program, Presidents, The Press, and Public Perceptions on March 11 takes a critical look at the nation's leadership as a political journalist explains the media's duty to report on the role and responsibility of this elite office. Get insight into the process and examine the role journalism plays in shaping local, national, and global perceptions of the American presidency.

The second program, Beyond the White House: The Presidency Revealed Through Presidential Travel on

March 18 explores the history of how presidents have traveled the nation to meet with and speak to their fellow Americans. Join historian and author, Richard Ellis, as he shares the history of presidential travel and its impact on the changing relationship between American presidents and the citizens they serve.

The third and final program of the series, Heroes, Statesmen, Philanderers, and Fools: The American Presidency in Popular Culture on March 25 explores the American presidency as it has been depicted in television and film – from fictional characters like West Wing's Josiah Bartlet to fictionalizations of real presidents in Birth of a Nation and the internet sensation JibJab. Although primarily intended to entertain, Chicago History Museum historian, Sarah Marcus' depictions will also offer criticism, praise, and alternative visions of contemporary political life. -- www.chicagohs.org