OCTOBER 6: PETER ROUSSEL: CAN A TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY PRESIDENT SURVIVE THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY MEDIA?
Who covers the President of the United States on a daily basis, and how are assignments made? How have news-gathering and news generating changed with the growing influence of electronic media? Roussel will explore the answers.

Peter Roussel became press secretary to U.S. Rep. George Bush in 1969, was assistant to President Gerald Ford, 1974-76, and deputy press secretary to President Ronald Reagan, 1981-87. His recently published first novel, Ruffled Flourishes, explores the often-raucous relationship between the White House and the press.

OCTOBER 13: BARTHOLOMEW SPARROW:
UNDERSTANDING POLITICS AND POLICYMAKING IN A WORLD OF INFORMATION OVERLOAD
When news is available 24/7, how are we to make sense of it all? How do the large and complex organizations that produce political news affect the quality and quantity of what we read and hear? Professor Sparrow suggests how to understand contemporary politics and assess political information.

Bartholomew Sparrow is author of Uncertain Guardians: The News Media as a Political Institution. He is a professor of political science at the University of Texas, Austin.

OCTOBER 20: RODERICK P. HART: FEELING GOOD ABOUT FEELING BAD – TELEVISION’S CURIOUS LEGACY
Why is television news so often full of doom? Why does television often invite us to disparage politics or, worse, to disregard it completely? Professor Hart will explain the negative tone of television news.

Roderick P. Hart holds the Shivers Chair in Communication and Government at the University of Texas, Austin, and is director of the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Participation. His published works include Seducing America: How Television Charms the Modern Voter and Campaign Talk: Why Elections are Good for Us. He has been elected to the Academy of Distinguished Teachers at the University of Texas.

OCTOBER 27: PETER ROUSSEL: SO YOU WANT TO FOLLOW A PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN? WHAT TO WATCH FOR!
Peter Roussel has helped run campaigns for offices on many levels. He will take us behind the scenes in the election process and will point out factors that help predict the outcome of presidential elections.