Date: September 30, October 7, 14, 21, 28, November 4
Time: 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m

Did John Adams listen to Abigail? Was Mary Todd Lincoln depressed? Did Eleanor advise Franklin? Did Edith Wilson really take over for the president? Was Hillary really a co-president? These are questions frequently asked about the First Lady. She has no job description, and her position is unpaid. There is nothing she is required to do, but much that she is expected to do. From the birth of our country through the present, this course will explore the
evolution of the role and the Office of the First Lady. In addition to biographical information, the instructors will explore topics and themes related to the women behind the men, and they will examine how these women helped shape history as they left lasting legacies that still impact many today.

About Diana Carlin & Myra Gutin
Myra G. Gutin, PhD is Professor Emerita of communication at Rider University and a frequent media commentator. For the past 40 years, her research has focused on American First Ladies, and she is the author of The President's Partner: The First Lady in the Twentieth Century and Barbara Bush: Presidential Matriarch.

Diana Carlin, PhD is Professor Emerita of communication at Saint Louis University. She teaches courses on First Ladies for 30 years and is the co-author of U.S. First Ladies: Making History and Leaving Legacies and Remember the First Ladies: America's History-Making Women. Carlin also researches/writes on the topic of women in politics, presidential communication, and political debate.