International Division

Institute for Regional and International Studies (IRIS)

Institute for Regional and International Studies (IRIS) is a National Resource Center for International Studies funded by the U.S. Department of Education. IRIS also comprises and provides coordination and administrative support for Wisconsin’s eight area studies centers, six of which are area National Resource Centers, and for the undergraduate International Studies Major of the College of Letters and Science.

IRIS is one the three pillars of the UW-Madison’s International Division, along with International Academic Programs (IAP) and the International Internship Program (IIP).

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African Studies Program

The African Studies Program supports research, teaching, and outreach at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, bringing together scholars in multiple disciplines, students, teachers, and community partners to consider all aspects of land and life in Africa.

The African Studies Program is a U. S. Department of Education Title VI National Resource Center for Africa, a unit in The International Division, and a member of the campus consortium of internationally oriented programs known as the Institute for Regional and International Studies.

Center for East Asian Studies

The Center for East Asian Studies (CEAS) is the focal point connecting East Asia to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. CEAS is dedicated to all aspects of research, education and outreach related to China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Mongolia.

CEAS encourages and supports the cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary study of East Asia. Our center helps to coordinate the community for the study of East Asia on campus, across the UW system, and throughout the state of Wisconsin. Finally, we work to disseminate knowledge about East Asia to better the education and cultural literacy of UW students as well as the general public.

Center for European Studies

The Center for European Studies (CES) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison belongs to a select group of U.S. Department of Education “Title VI” National Resource Centers that are granted funds to educate university audiences, the K-14 community, the broader public and state agencies about Europe.  CES has been an official National Resource Center funded by the U.S. Department of Education and the university since 2000 and has received renewed funding for the 2014-2018 cycle.

CES brings together scholars from across the campus and links departments, courses, and people to offer further stimulation through symposia, conferences, and guest speakers on a variety of topics concerning Europe.

The UW-Madison is home to more than 20 departments offering Europe-related courses.  Students at the university have the opportunity to study almost all European languages.

European Studies is comprised of the Center for European Studies, the Center for German and European Studies, and the Jean Monnet European Union Center of Excellence.

Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies Program

LACIS looks to serve as a local, regional, and national resource center that provides outreach, support services, and information to another university units, K-16, government, civic community and business constituencies.We are a Title VI National Resource Center, in operation since 1973 in consortium with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS).

Middle East Studies Program

The Middle East Studies Program (MESP) fosters knowledge of the Middle East, its past and current economic, social and political developments, and seeks to facilitate teaching, learning, research and public awareness of the diverse array of Middle Eastern languages, cultures, and peoples.

At the core of MESP’s mandate is the pursuit of firsthand knowledge about the range of cultures, languages, and challenges that make this region so unique.

All countries, topics and political positions are studied. Our broad interdisciplinary approach encompasses the humanities and social sciences as well as the arts and natural sciences.

Center for Russia, East Europe, and Central Asia

CREECA’s mission is to support research, teaching, and outreach on Russia, Eastern and Central Europe, and Central Asia.  CREECA approaches this three-part mission by promoting faculty research across a range of disciplines; by supporting graduate and undergraduate teaching and training related to the region; and by serving as a community resource through outreach activities targeted to K-12 teachers and students, other institutions of higher education, and the general public.

Center for South Asia

The Center for South Asia at the University of Wisconsin – Madison is made up of a community of faculty and staff who reflect the diversity and global relevance of South Asian Studies. Through our diverse academic disciplines, summer language instituteannual conference, student organizations and outreach programs, the Center seeks to define and promote greater understanding of South Asian history, language, religion and culture. We also support linkages to other relevant area studies and global studies programs that emphasize transnational flows of culture, people, money in ways that are important to a better understanding of South Asia both in the past and the present.

Center for Southeast Asian Studies

The Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison fosters a wide variety of research, teaching and outreach activities about Southeast Asia. Since 1981, the Center has been recognized as a National Resource Center by the U.S. Department of Education, and has received Title VI funding for program development and Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships. We promote greater understanding of the Southeast Asian region through academic year courses, a summer language institute, study abroad opportunities, a publication series, outreach activities, a weekly public lecture series, student research and study grants, and degree programs. Our faculty and students are a vibrant community of scholars with research and teaching interests in a wide variety of academic disciplines. The Center operates a vigorous and well-developed program committed to the study of Southeast Asia that is recognized as one of the best worldwide.

International Academic Programs (IAP)

International Academic Programs (IAP), or Study Abroad in the International Division, serves as a comprehensive resource for academic experiences worldwide.

International Academic Programs collaborates with academic units to develop and deliver high-quality study abroad programs that foster students’ academic, personal, & professional growth. Please visit IAP’s website for more information on studying abroad, and international academic experiences.

International Internship Program (IIP)

International Internship Program (IIP) cultivates internship opportunities specifically for UW-Madison students that you can search for in our database, in addition to other UW and non-UW internship opportunities. Log-in with your NetID to search some of our past and current openings.

Contact IIP with any other questions about searching, applying, or the opportunities.

Wisconsin Intensive Summer Language Institutes (WISLI)

Please visit the WISLI website for more information on the variety of intensive language learning programs offered at UW-Madison.