"We can never be the best-educated nation in the world until our education has a world view.”

— Richard L. Walker

The Walker Institute of International and Area Studies is the center for global research and outreach on the University of South Carolina’s Columbia campus.

Founded in 1961, the Walker Institute of International and Area Studies is dedicated to fostering cross-cultural understanding on campus, in South Carolina and around the world. As the university’s portal to the world, we help students, faculty and the public see the world through a global lens. We direct two interdisciplinary majors and six area minors.

We’re proud of the excellence of our faculty associates, our exemplary faculty and student research and our student engagement. We’re also proud of our public-facing programming, which includes more than 30 events on wide-ranging global themes and one of the premier conferences on Taiwan.