Mysore Palace, India
South Asia Institute
With over 60 faculty members in more than 25 schools and departments, the University of Texas at Austin has one of the most distinguished South Asia programs in the country.
The South Asia Institute was established as part of a university initiative to promote South Asian programs, especially those pertaining to contemporary issues, across the entire university and in the larger community. As a National Resource Center for South Asia funded by a Title VI grant from the U.S. Department of Education, the institute sponsors major conferences, scholarly symposia and a weekly South Asia Seminar. The institute also provides Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships to students pursuing graduate degrees relating to South Asia in any department or school of the University.
Additionally, the Title VI grant also provides resources for outreach programs to K-12 schools, post-secondary institutions, business and civic organizations, and the Texas community at large. Another central mission of the Institute is to promote the study of contemporary South Asian languages in cooperation with the Department of Asian Studies and the Hindi-Urdu Flagship Program. Bengali, Hindi, Malayalam, Sanskrit, Tamil, and Urdu are currently taught in the department.
The South Asia Initiative underscores the University's commitment to making the University of Texas South Asia program one of the best in the country.
The brief video below highlights the strengths of programs, events, and resources offered by the South Asia Institute at UT Austin.
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• Faculty and Student Research
• Language Programs
• Public Engagement
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American Institute of Indian Studies (AIIS)
The American Institute of Indian Studies (AIIS) was formed to further the knowledge of India in the United States by supporting American scholarship on India. The programs of AIIS foster the production of and engagement with scholarship on India, and promote and advance mutual understanding between the citizens of the United States and of India. AIIS is committed to equity, inclusion and access to all communities in fulfilling its mission. It will promote wider diversity throughout the organization, in the interest of addressing the historical disenfranchisement of communities globally.
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Hemispheres: The International Outreach Consortium
Hemispheres, the international outreach consortium at the University of Texas at Austin, offers a broad educational program to increase knowledge and understanding of Western Europe; Latin America; the Middle East; Russia, East Europe, and Eurasia; and South Asia. Using the resources of one of the nation’s largest research institutions, we work with educators to address critical needs and to supplement existing knowledge of the world around us.
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South Asia Book Award
The South Asia Book Award, administered by the South Asia National Outreach Consortium, is given annually for up to three outstanding works of literature, from picture books to young adult novels, which accurately and skillfully portray the experience of individuals living in South Asia, or of South Asians living in other parts of the world. Honor Books and Highly Commended Books will also be recognized by the award committee for their contribution to this body of literature on the region.
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Center for East Asian Studies (CEAS)
With over 60 Core and Affiliate faculty from a dozen departments across UT, the Center represents the extraordinary depth and breadth of faculty expertise in the study of East Asia. Created in 2004, the Center is housed in the Department of Asian Studies, and features scholars drawn from across campus who focus on East Asia in their research and teaching.
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Center for Taiwan Studies (CTS)
The Center for Taiwan Studies (CTS) at UT Austin, housed in the Department of Asian Studies, aims to promote interdisciplinary engagement with Taiwan’s history, culture, and politics. It was founded in March 2021 with the support of a grant by Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the leadership of Asian Studies and Comparative Literature Professor Yvonne Chang. With the establishment of the new center, CTS Director Chang builds on the success of UT’s Taiwan Studies program that she launched in 2009 as one of the first in the country.
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