From a Federal Reserve press release:
"In March 2012, Chairman Ben S. Bernanke will deliver a four-part lecture series about the Federal Reserve and the financial crisis that emerged in 2007. The series begins with a lecture on the origins and missions of central banks, followed by a lecture that will discuss the role and actions of the Federal Reserve in the period after World War II. In the final two lectures, the Chairman will review some of the causes of, and policy responses to, the recent financial crisis, focusing specifically on the actions of the Federal Reserve."
The first lecture is today at 12:45 EST. Here's the schedule for all four lectures. Of course, you don't need to watch live. You can watch later, or wait until a transcript is available. For details, go to the link above.These lectures are being delivered to an undergraduate course at the George Washington University School of Business, so I expect that they will be pedagogical in tone and focus on giving a lot of background information--not on breaking news about imminent changes in monetary policy. But for teachers and students, inside academia and out, it's a chance to hear it all from the horse's mouth.
Lecture 1: Origins and Mission of the Federal Reserve
Watch live on March 20, 2012 12:45 p.m. ET
Lecture 2: The Federal Reserve after World War II
Watch live on March 22, 2012 12:45 p.m. ET
Lecture 3: The Financial Crisis and the Great Recession
Watch live on March 27, 2012 12:45 p.m. ET
Lecture 4: The Aftermath of the Crisis
Watch live on March 29, 2012 12:45 p.m. ET