Regional studies

Regional studies at Columbia integrate a variety of fields into the interdisciplinary study of various geographic regions. The regional studies trend took off after World War II and heightened with decolonisation. It has since died down, but remains a potent force in academic research.

Undergraduates at Columbia may major or concentrate in the study of various regions, in programs managed by the various regional studies institutes. Graduate students have a number of masters programs available to them in regional studies.

Regional studies institutes

Columbia has seven institutes which serve as faculty clusters and research centers for various regions of the world, and several additional regionally-related research centers. Although many are formally affiliated with SIPA, their purpose, by and large, is to reach out and engage the rest of the university, as well. They include:

• The Institute of African Studies
• The Center for Brazilian Studies
• The Center for Iranian Studies
• The East Central European Center
• The Harriman Institute (for the study of the former Soviet Union and its satellites)
• The Institute for the Study of Europe
• The Institute of Latin American Studies
• The Middle East Institute
• The Southern Asian Institute
• The Weatherhead East Asian Institute