One of the world's leading institutes for research and programs on South Asia, the Institute for South Asia Studies (ISAS) at the University of California, Berkeley works with faculty members, graduate students, community members, private institutions, and non-profit organizations to deepen understanding of the region and to create new generations of scholars of South Asia.
ISAS actively:
- Supports teaching and research activities of South Asia-related faculty and their students
- Initiates and administers research projects
- Organizes and hosts lectures, colloquia, seminars, and research conferences
- Develops financial resources for the enhancement of South Asia studies
- Encourages interdisciplinary, regional, and comparative studies of South Asia
- Creates outreach programs in coordination with other institutions of primary, secondary, and post-secondary education
- Administers fellowships and grants for the study of South Asia
- Publishes language textbooks, research notes, and conference reports and an annual newsletter
- Supports cultural and community activities relating to South Asia and South Asians
The Institute is one of the many Organized Research Units on the UC Berkeley campus that are part of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research (VCRO) which seeks to maintain a research environment that fosters creativity, collaboration and community on campus.
ISAS is a part of a number of initiatives which provide a more textured understanding of our world. At the national level, ISAS is one of twelve select Title VI National Resource Centers for study of South Asia whose broader aim is the development of expertise in languages, regions, and transnational trends that may otherwise be neglected. The US Department of Education provides funding to select area or international studies centers that provide language and research instruction in area, regions, or countries. ISAS at Berkeley is one of twelve select institutions nation-wide that receives the Title VI National Resource Center Award for South Asia.
Other Title VI National Resource Centers for South Asia:
- Cornell University
- Syracuse University
- Columbia University
- University of Pennsylvania
- The North Carolina Consortium for South Asian Studies
- University of Virginia
- University of Michigan
- University of Wisconsin
- University of Chicago
- University of California, Berkeley
- University of Washington
- University of Texas at Austin