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Pacific Islands Studies


Pacific Islands Studies provides courses that center Indigenous Pacific Islander perspectives and provide a more nuanced understanding of historical and contemporary concerns in Oceania and the diaspota. Salt Lake City’s Pacific Islander population, which is one of the oldest on the continental US and one of the largest per capita, offers a unique opportunity to explore the intersections of the global and the local in this interdisciplinary program.

Pacific Islands Studies at the U connects indigeneity, defined as the relationship of autochthonous peoples to their homelands, languages, ceremonial cycles and sacred histories, to migration, travel, and diaspora. We study the global processes that structure contemporary Pacific Islander experiences.

Pacific Islands Studies Certificate

The Pacific Islands Studies program offers an interdisciplinary undergraduate certificate.

The Pacific Islands Studies interdisciplinary undergraduate certificate provides courses that expose students to significant topics in the histories, politics, and cultures of Indigenous Pacific Islander peoples (including peoples from Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia). The certificate complements any major or minor, helps you fulfill general education requirements, and allows you to integrate Pacific Islander knowledges into any career!

  • Pacific Islands Studies Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Certificate

    15 Credits

    The Pacific Islands Studies interdisciplinary undergraduate certificate features coursework designed from an Indigenous Pacific Islander perspective. The certificate enhances any major or minor, will help you fulfill general education requirements, and prepare for any career!

    The course of study is designed to facilitate integrative learning, providing students with opportunities to make connections between their major and the PI Studies Certificate and to think critically about complex problems. The certificate also provides students with opportunities to think globally, as the required courses offer broad historical and contemporary knowledge about the Indigenous Pacific and the global Pacific Islander diaspora.

    certificate requirements    check your progress

Pacific Islands Studies Newsletter


Subscribe to receive the official newsletter of Pacific Islands Studies at the University of Utah. This monthly newsletter shares Pacific Islander resources, events, and updates directly to your inbox.

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Questions? Contact us to learn more about our programs.