Dr. Michael Diamond will speak at Santa Monica College on Oct. 4.

Santa Monica College Announces Fall Lecture Series Line-Up:

The fall line-up of Santa Monica College’s “Global Connections Lecture Series” has been announced, which will start on Oct. 4 with “21st Century Education: Is Asia Outpacing the U.S.,” by Dr. Michael Diamond.

The lecture series is free and seating is on a first-arrival basis. All lectures are at 11:15 a.m. in Humanities & Social Science Lecture Hall 165 on the main SMC campus, 1900 Pico Blvd.

Diamond is professor of education and executive director of Asia Pacific Rim International Study Experience at the USC Rossier School of Education.

He will examine whether students in America are receiving the education they need to be competitive in the new global environment, and what changes our system of higher education must make to remain the world’s leading system and our best export.

The remaining lineup in the “Global Connections Lecture Series” for the fall semester is:

• Oct. 20 – “Securing Your Future: Meeting the Challenges of Technology, Globalization & the Changing Employment Landscape,” with speaker Gregory Wong, labor law attorney who will speak on the legal issues surrounding employees’ use of technology for personal use, particularly social media.

• Nov. 10 – “Inside the Asian Power Elite: Secrets to Asia’s Rise,” featuring Thomas Plate, distinguished scholar of Asian and Pacific Students at Loyola Marymount University, founder of the Pacific Media Center at UCLA and an internationally syndicated columnist and author. The lecture will address developments in recent years that have led to the rise of Asia.

• Nov. 17 – “Foreign Films in a Global Community: Their Impact & Evolution,” with Los Angeles Times and National Public Radio film critic Kenneth Turan. Also an author and director of the Los Angeles Times Book Prizes, Turan will discuss foreign language films in the current international landscape.

The series is sponsored by the SMC Office of Public Programs and the SMC Associates, a private organization that funds speakers and special programs on campus.

For information, call 310.434.4303.