Studies, Institutes, and Centers
Studies, institutes, and centers are dedicated to research and teaching about the diverse cultural, historical, and sociopolitical landscapes of peoples and their communities. Interdisciplinary approaches are used to cultivate learning, intellectual exchange, and cross-cultural and intersectional understanding, as well as social justice through policy change.
John L. Warfield Center for African & African American Studies (WCAAAS)
The WCAAAS has been a focal point for campus and community life around the cultural, sociopolitical, artistic, economic, and historical experience of Africans and their descendants. In collaboration with other departments, centers, and colleges/schools, WCAAAS offers research opportunities and programming across a broad variety of disciplines focused on Black people in Texas, the United States, and the African Diaspora including: Africa; North, South, and Central America; the Caribbean; and Europe.
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Institute for Urban Policy Research and Analysis (IUPRA)
Utilizing a racial equity framework, IUPRA strengthens Black communities, promotes social justice, and combats anti-Black racism through interdisciplinary policy research and intersectional policy solutions. IUPRA's mission is based on the understanding of the critical roles that public policy has historically and currently plays in determining the distribution of resources and opportunities by race, ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status, language, sexual orientation, and region.
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Center for Asian American Studies (CAAS)
The mission of the CAAS is to provide an interdisciplinary academic program that transforms how undergraduate and graduate students understand and know the world through the experiences of Asian Americans and other people of color. CAAS also provides resources and organization to foster research and intellectual communities supporting projects about Asian Americans and the Asian diaspora. CAAS focuses on addressing social inequality across all spheres of society such as with historically marginalized populations.
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South Asia Institute (SAI)
As a designated Title VI National Resource Center, SAI sponsors major conferences, scholarly symposia and a bi-weekly seminar. Public engagement activities include K-12 schools, post-secondary institutions, business and civic organizations, and the Texas community at large. Another central mission is to promote the study of contemporary South Asian languages in cooperation with the Department of Asian Studies and the Hindi-Urdu Flagship Program.
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Texas Center for Disability Studies
The Texas Center for Disability Studies envisions a world where all people are recognized, respected, valued, and included, and works toward that vision through research, education, practice, and policy. Disabilities Studies focuses on how disability is constructed, viewed, and understood culturally, politically, economically, and socially. The Center is one of sixty-seven nonprofit University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Research, Education, and Service facilities.
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Schusterman Center for Jewish Studies
Thanks to a generous grant from the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, the Schusterman Center for Jewish Studies is a thriving hub for the study and appreciation of Jewish culture, history, and society since its founding in 2007. The Center reaches audiences beyond the classroom with sponsored lectures, conferences, exhibits, and cultural events. Housing both the Gale Collaborative on Jewish Life in the Americas and the Texas Holocaust Scholars Network, the Center continues to produce and contribute to pioneering research in the field of Jewish Studies.
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LGBTQ Studies
The LGBTQ Studies Program contributes to campus-wide resources for an LGBTQ-friendly and gender-inclusive campus. Central to its mission is the affirmation of queer and trans students, faculty, and staff, including people of color, undocumented people, Indigenous people, people with disabilities, and people with multiple marginalized identities - as well as a commitment to engaging with queer and trans scholarship, including critical race scholarship, disability studies, Indigenous studies, and other interconnected critical frameworks.
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Center for Women's and Gender Studies (CWGS)
The mission of the CWGS is to create committed communities that address the challenges faced in the areas of gender, sexuality, diversity, and equity. CWGS recognizes that ending gender discrimination requires ending the related discriminations against disability, ethnicity, gender identity, race, sexuality, and socioeconomic class. CWGS fosters communities of scholars, teachers and advocates inside and outside UT through: interdisciplinary research, undergraduate and graduate teaching, social advocacy, and community partnerships.
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Center for Mexican American Studies (CMAS)
The mission of the CMAS is to serve Texas and the nation as a leader in the intellectual development of Mexican American and Latina/o studies. Faculty and students affiliated with CMAS study the cultural practices, historical development, and socioeconomic conditions of Mexican American and Latina/o communities.
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Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies (LLILAS)
As a designated Title VI National Resource Center, LLILAS provides training and public engagement programs in Latin American area studies and languages. LILLAS is in partnership with the Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection, one of the world's premier repositories of Latin American and U.S. Latina/o materials. LLILAS sponsors scholarly programs, including symposia, panels, lectures, workshops, and the signature Lozano Long Conference. LLILAS addresses current events of critical interest to the Latin Americanist and Latina/o communities via the foro urgente, a high-profile forum involving scholars and members of the community.
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Center for Middle Eastern Studies (CMES)
The CMES, established in 1960, offers some 300 Middle East language and area studies courses each year. The CMES provides a supportive environment for faculty research and teaching on the Middle East throughout the University, which is carried out by 150 scholars with faculty appointments in 22 departments. The stature of its faculty and the quality of its events, educational outreach, and publication programs have brought the Center national and international recognition in the field of Middle Easter Studies.
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Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS)
The NAIS program fosters and supports teaching and intellectual engagements around the languages, cultures, knowledges, histories, and current political struggles of indigenous peoples. NAIS is particularly concerned with scholarship and intellectual exchange that contributes to the economic, social, and political advancement of indigenous peoples. NAIS also contributes to efforts to build a diverse campus by actively working on recruitment of indigenous students and faculty.
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Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies (CREES)
CREES promotes the study of our region in the form of: language study; providing courses on our region's culture, history, economics, business, and politics; creating opportunities for study abroad and internships abroad; and assisting students in pursuing work opportunities connected to Russia, Eastern Europe and Eurasia. CREEES is committed to reaching out to the campus community, as well as the broader region, to provide access to speakers from Russia, Eastern Europe and Eurasia, and activities that will promote interest in the region.
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UT Austin is an Institutional Member of the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD).