American Studies Diploma Program Marks 50 Years

More than 50 graduates of Smith’s “foreign legion”—that is, international students who came to Smith for the American Studies Diploma Program—recently returned to campus to celebrate the program’s 50th anniversary and to reminisce about the experience.

To date, 450 men and women representing 50 countries have participated in the intensive yearlong program. Students are required to take a graduate seminar focusing on comparative and transnational readings of American culture, as well as at least five additional courses in American studies or related disciplines, and write a thesis.

Graduates often go on to prestigious positions as university professors, authors and ambassadors, but it’s the lifelong friendships, global perspective, and love of learning that alumni consider hallmarks of the DIPL experience.

The Global Studies Center will host a celebration for the American Studies Diploma Program Thursday, October 18, at 4:30 p.m. For more information, contact global@smith.edu.