Image of a peacock logoThe mission of the Institute for South Asia Studies at the University of California is to support the teaching, research, cultural, outreach, development and community activities relating to South Asia and South Asians at Berkeley. An important component of this mission is to extend this support to Berkeley's sister institutions in the University of California system, and in the primary, secondary and post-secondary educational system of the State of California.

ISAS K-14 related activities include:

  • Programs on and off the Berkeley campus
  • Curriculum and materials support for school teachers
  • Information and activities for students and teachers of local primary, secondary and post-secondary schools
  • Partnership for International Education (PIE). A partnership between the four colleges of the Peralta Community College District ((Berkeley City College – BCC, College of Alameda, Laney College, and Merritt College) and four National Resource Centers at the University of California, Berkeley including the Institute for South Asia Studies (ISAS), has been established with funding from a Title VI grant from the Federal Department of Education.
  • The ORIAS Speakers Bureau is a cohort of graduate students who offer 45-minute presentations specifically geared to students from middle school to community college. Each talk models important Common Core Social Studies skills, such as analysis of texts and use of evidence to build an argument. Many talks include content that dovetails with History Social-Science Content Standards, while all talks offer opportunities for inquiry-based student engagement, as outlined in the new History-Social Science Framework. Most presentations are also appropriate for more than one grade level or subject, because they address broad questions while focusing on specific events and topics. Read more here.
  • Community College Faculty Development Seminar to India with CAORC and the AIIS 
    The Institute recognizes the immediate and growing need for U.S. community college professors to provide a global perspective to their students, who now account for nearly 50 percent of all American undergraduates. Administrators and faculty at community colleges understand the value of developing “internationalized” learning environments that both broaden their students’ cultural horizons and foster critical thinking, communication, and leadership skills for an increasingly interconnected world. To support community colleges, the Institute, along with the support of CAORC and the AIIS, offers innovative, cost-effective programming that helps faculty and administrators gain the requisite first-hand experience needed to develop and improve the India component in their international curricula. 
    • CAORC-AIIS 2019 faculty development seminar to India: In January 2019, we received more than 100 applications for this opportunity and were ultimately able to select 16 deserving faculty participants from community colleges and MSIs from across the US. The group, which spent just over two weeks in country comparing the cities of Jaipur, Mysore, and Bangalore, was led by Sandy Freitag and Prithvi Shobhi, with their in-country travel and logistics greatly facilitated by Purnima Mehta and the AIIS staff. Based on initial feedback and evaluations, the participants not only had a wonderful time but also left India with new perspectives on urban sustainability issues as well as new ideas for improving their courses and growing international education related to India on their campuses. Seminar to participants submitted short popular blog articles about their experience:
    • CAORC-AIIS 2020 faculty development seminar to India: The seminar included 16 faculty participants from community colleges and MSIs from around the U.S., all wonderfully led by Sandy Freitag of NC State. The seminar was facilitated by Purnima Mehta and the exceptional staff of AIIS. Each participant submitted a personal blog article reflecting on different aspects of the seminar experience. Included below are also two video testimonials from a few of the participants that were recorded on site. They are included below:

2021 Faculty Seminar Competition Will Open in June 2021!