Innovation, security, identity and sustainability for the 21st century

HISTORY & MISSION

Human societies face four global challenges during the coming century:

  • Innovation in our technological, social, political and economic practices;
  • Security based on trust and cooperation rather than weapons and war;
  • Identity struggles as people seek power and respect; and
  • Sustainability of both the Earth’s environment and human life.

Since 1996, UCSC’s Center for Global, International and Regional Studies (CGIRS), has addressed these and other challenges through innovative, thoughtful and critical faculty research, undergraduate curricula and public outreach, and policy analysis and action. CGIRS was established through a merger of the Global Transformations ORU and the IGCC funded Stevenson College Program on Global Security. CGIRS is supported by funding from the UCSC Social Sciences Division, various UC systemwide centers, private foundations, corporations and other sources. It is also UCSC campus administrator of two UC system wide MRUs: the Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, based at UC-San Diego, and the Pacific Rim Research Program, both of which fund graduate and faculty research.

RESEARCH & PUBLIC POLICY

The Center for Global, International & Regional Studies (CGIRS) is the primary center for the study of international affairs at UC Santa Cruz. CGIRS' work seeks better understanding of the complex issues surrounding the new economic, social and political structures of the 21st century. Its programs and activities recognize that contemporary societies are anchored in specific regions and locales even as they are also linked to other places and levels by complex political, economic, so cial and cul tural net works of com muni cation and action. CGIRS draws on the expertise of a broad range of university faculty and the participation of students to focus on four core areas—Innovation, Security, Identity, and Sustainability. For more information about CGIRS' projects, please click on the headings listed to the above left.

GLOBAL EDUCATION, ACTION & PUBLIC OUTREACH

As a University-sponsored center, CGIRS has a responsibility not only to conduct research but also to engage in educational and outreach activities. These take several forms:

  • Policy-relevant research: CGIRS fosters innovative theoretical work in the social sciences through faculty-faculty and faculty-student collaborations, linked to policy initiatives and applications necessary for the transition to a sustainable society. The results of this research are made available through the Working Paper Series, Global Policy Briefs, conferences and workships, scholarly books and journal articles.

  • Public outreach: CGIRS seeks to develop opportunities for civic engagement through community outreach and collaboration, public communications, summer seminars, student intern placements at home and abroad, and international networks with other research centers.

  • Student involvement: CGIRS looks for top-ranked UCSC students to participate in advanced curricular initiatives, junior research fellowships, such as the Rick Hooper and Matthews Scholarships, and internships designed to foster new global leadership. It has played a central role in setting up the new Sociology minor in Global Information and Social Enterprise Studies (GISES) and is deeply involved in establishing the new curriculum in Sustainability Engineering and Ecological Design (SEED).

  • Civic engagement: Through the Global Information Internship Program (GIIP), CGIRS enables UCSC students to learn the information economy-based skills necessary to working with community, civil society and non-governmental organizations and increasing their capacity for civic involvement and action. GIIP members are placed in internships, in the United States and abroad, where they can apply their knowledge to build civil society capacity.