Institutional Partners

The UCLA Alan D. Leve Center for Jewish Studies is the leading research center for the study of Jewish culture and civilization in California and one of the largest and most active centers in the world. Its mandate is to serve the faculty members at UCLA and other local universities conducting research in Jewish Studies, UCLA undergraduate and graduate students, and the broader Los Angeles community, exposing all to the riches of a great world culture, as well as to the values of diversity and tolerance that accompany its study.

The URC at UCLA is the oldest continuing interfaith organization in Los Angeles, dating from 1928. Our members are comprised of a diverse group of campus chaplaincies, religiously affiliated institutions, and community service organizations. From our office just off campus at Hilgard and Westholme, the URC serves the UCLA community – students, faculty, alumni, friends, family, and neighbors – by bringing together diverse visions of faith.

The UCLA Center for Buddhist Studies trains scholars and educates members of the broader community about Buddhist religion and culture in all of their diversity. Among U.S. universities, only UCLA aspires to cover all of the major traditions in this world religion.

The Center for India and South Asia (CISA) supports research, hosts public lectures and workshops, and collaborates with other institutions and centers to raise the profile of South Asia on campus and, more generally, in Southern California. Our goal is to transform UCLA into one of the leading poles of integrated research activity on India and South Asia in the country through research, collaboration and academic integration.

The Younes & Soraya Nazarian Center for Israel Studies promotes the study of the history, culture and society of Israel as a modern Jewish and democratic state. It sponsors courses for students of all backgrounds, conducts innovative research and brings leading scholars, policymakers and artists to UCLA for public programs and performances. Originally founded in 2005 as the UCLA Israel Studies Program, the Nazarian Center was established in 2010 as the first full-fledged Israel Studies center on the West Coast and one of four in the nation that are named and endowed. Located in Los Angeles, which boasts the second-largest Jewish and Israeli communities in the United States, the Center is a premier source of scholarship and education about Israel.

LAFI’s purpose is to study the great works and achievements of Western and other civilizations, with particular emphasis on the foundations of free institutions. Through undergraduate course offerings and public events, CLAFI serves UCLA students and faculty as well as the general public community.

For over half a century, the Center for Near Eastern Studies has promoted interdisciplinary study of the Middle East at UCLA and beyond, raising public awareness of the region’s diverse peoples and cultures and their relevance to today’s world.

The USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture explores how religions change and make change in Southern California and across the globe.

The Academy for Judaic, Christian, and Islamic Studies was founded to promote, through academic as well as lay discourse and education, greater understanding of the interrelations and commonality among the three monotheistic religions stemming from a common religious  heritage.  Its mission is the advancement of dialogue among Jews, Christians and Muslims; the conduct of research and publishing the results; and teaching what has been found and experienced.  Today, that important work focuses significantly on a course entitled Judaism, Christianity and Islam: Interrelated Religious Traditions at the University of California, Los Angeles, as well as presentations on that theme at Loyola Marymount University and local houses of worship.

The UCLA International Institute educates students, supports scholarship on the world at UCLA and serves as a campus and community resource. With a history dating back to 1958, the Institute is the central hub for global and area studies on campus. Its more than 25 centers and programs support innovative multidisciplinary research on specific world regions and pressing global issues; its rigorous academic degree programs promote the study of globalization, international development, global health, and diverse regions of the world.

The Near Eastern Languages and Cultures (NELC) department sees as its mission the scholarly discovery, interpretation, dissemination, and preservation of the history, practices, and conceptual categories originally from the Near Eastern region, the cradle of human civilization, created over a period of more than 10,000 years and continuing as a font of human innovation and a focus of world attention. NELC concentrates its teaching and research on Northwest Asia and North Africa, a region of the world usually called the Middle East (for modern studies) or the Near East (for ancient studies). Some cultural studies, including Islamic Studies, Jewish Studies, and Iranian Studies, can transcend those geographical boundaries.

Defined by a dynamic blend of theory and practice, World Arts and Cultures/Dance (WACD) is led by a renowned faculty of scholars, activists, curators, filmmakers, and choreographers dedicated to critical cross-cultural analysis and art-making. Our department is the place to make dances, explore digital media, curate exhibitions, become an arts activist, and develop scholarly expertise in culture and the arts. We draw upon multiple disciplines and artistic approaches while encouraging students to position their work within broad social contexts.