The Palestinian and Arab Studies (PAS) Program was launched at the University of California, Berkeley in 2024 as an intellectual and academic hub for the study of Palestinian and related Arab history, politics, culture, and society. As the first such program on the West Coast, PAS proudly seeks to showcase research and scholarship on Palestine and the Arab world.
Building on UC Berkeley’s reputation as a leading venue for scholarship, PAS serves as a space for scholars and students working on modern Palestine across multiple disciplines. It seeks to provide a welcoming and supportive academic environment for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as for faculty and researchers at UC Berkeley whose work focuses on and intersects with Palestinian studies.
Through its core faculty members and affiliated scholars, PAS offers dynamic programming, including lectures, workshops, book launch discussions, arts and cultural exhibits, research colloquia, and international conferences. PAS promotes rigorous academic research, student engagement, and public facing programming. PAS also aims to bring together members of UC Berkeley and the wider Bay Area community, as well as colleagues and students from across California and the world, to advance knowledge about Palestine and the Palestinian people.