PC Degrees: B.A./Political Science
                  Honorary Doctor of Laws - 2008

Career Path: An internationally renowned scholar of capital punishment, Sarat is also a pioneer in the development of legal study in the liberal arts and in the humanistic and cultural study of law. After graduating from PC as a member of the Liberal Arts Honors Program, Sarat went on to earn master's and doctoral degrees in political science from the University of Wisconsin and a juris doctor degree from Yale Law School.

He has been teaching at Amherst College since 1974 and has earned a reputation for his extraordinary commitment and skill as a teacher. He is founder and chairperson of Amherst's Department of Law, Jurisprudence, and Social Thought, as well as the founder of the national scholarly organization, the Association for the Study of Law, Culture, and the Humanities (ASLCH).

Throughout his career, Sarat has authored or edited more than 60 books, including The Killing State: Capital Punishment in Law, Politics and Culture (Oxford University Press, 2001), When the State Kills: Capital Punishment and the American Condition (Princeton University Press, 2001), and The Cultural Lives of Capital Punishment: Comparative Perspectives (Stanford University Press, 2005). He also has made numerous guest appearances on National Public Radio, The News Hour, Odyssey, and The O'Reilly Factor.

Sarat's scholarship and literary contributions have been recognized numerous times. He is the recipient of the 1997 Harry Kalven Award, given by the Law Society Association for distinguished research on law and society. He also received the 2004 Reginald Heber Smith Award and the ASLCH's James Boyd White Award, both for scholarly achievement.

Family: Wife Stephanie; three children.

Staying Involved: In 2001, Sarat gave the Distinguished Alumnus address at the annual Liberal Arts Honors Program Convocation. Sarat also follows the College news quite avidly, reading all College publications.

Transforming Quote: "It is not too much to say that the education at PC changed my life. The teaching that I received was transformative for me. It awakened my intellectual curiosity, challenged my intellect, and at the same time gave me confidence that I could rise to the occasion and meet the challenges. Two teachers at Providence College, Richard Alsfeld '61 (political science) and Zygmunt Friedemann (political science), were particularly important to me. I remember vividly feeling a little intimidated and a lot inspired by what Alsfeld and Friedemann were able to do and how they were able to teach."