To enable qualified students to examine, under the tutelage of outstanding scholars, some of the finest collections of materials relating to the development of culture in the U.S., the American Studies Program offers a one-semester internship at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. The academic program consists of a seminar on museum studies taught by Dr. Laura Katzman of the Smithsonian; a tutorial on research methods; and a research project under the supervision of a Smithsonian staff member. Research projects have dealt with such topics as the northward migration of African Americans, women's participation in sports, American participation in world's fairs, Charles Wilson Peale's papers, the rise of modernism in American art, and the use of infant baby formula in the antebellum south. 

The program takes place every year during the fall semester. A well-publicized informational meeting is held in early February of every year. The program is not limited to American Studies majors. Most of the students who go on the program are juniors but seniors are also eligible. Rosetta Cohen of Smith's Department of Education directs the program.

To find out more about the Smithsonian, especially its National Museum of American History, where many of the students intern, see http://www.si.edu/nmah/.