Institutional Memberships for UCLA • UCLA Pourdavoud Institute

The UCLA Program of Iranian Studies, the UCLA Pourdavoud Institute for the Study of the Iranian World, and the UCLA Yarshater Center for the Study of Iranian Literary traditions (in addition to other UCLA organizations) hold a number of active institutional memberships with professional organizations centered on Iranian and Persianate studies as well as the broader ancient worlds. Below is a brief summary of these organizations, as well as the benefits an institutional membership provides our UCLA affiliates.

The American Association of Teachers of Persian (AATP)

The American Association of Teachers of Persian (AATP) is a non-profit, professional organization whose objective is to advance and improve the study and teaching of the Persian language and culture; to promote research in the field of Persian language, linguistics, and literature; to further the common interests of teachers in the field; and to facilitate communication and professional cooperation among its members. One of the Association's primary aims is to bring members together for teacher trainings and to help disseminate recent advances in pedagogical methods by organizing conference panels. We work to maintain our professional profile in such organizations as the Association for Iranian Studies, the Middle East Studies Association, and the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. The association also fundraises to provide members with financial help to attend our events wherever possible. Finally, the association serves as an all-important networking base for members of the Persian language teaching community, on a national and even international level.

UCLA has a 1-year institutional membership held under the UCLA Program of Iranian Studies. The current membership runs through in August 2026 (and we shall renew this membership at that time).

The institutional membership benefits include:

One free individual membership for someone of our choice from our institution, traditionally a lead language instructor (This membership is currently held by Dr. Sahba Shayani, AATP Secretary. Thank you, Dr. Shayani, for representing UCLA and for all your hard work with AATP!)

The American Institute of Iranian Studies (AIIrS)

The American Institute of Iranian Studies (AIIrS) is a non-profit consortium of American universities and museums created to promote academic and cultural exchange between the US and Iran. The specific objectives of AIIrS are to represent American institutions of higher education and research in the field of Iranian Studies, and to expose new generations of students and scholars to Iran and the wider Persianate world. Its purview comprises the historical Iranian world of Central Asia, the Middle East and South Asia as well as the modern political state of Iran. In the belief that person-to-person connections are essential for fostering mutual understanding, AIIrS serves as the main conduit for academic and cultural exchange between the U.S. and Iran. It is the only organization in the country dedicated to funding research in Iranian Studies. The Institute's fellowships and programs aim to create and maintain expertise on an important geographical region and interest in bi-national cooperation. Opportunities for direct contact invigorate the academic resource base and increase the depth of knowledge in the field. The Institute is managed by a Board of Trustees composed of representatives of member institutions. Additional Trustees-at-large and Advisory Committee members are elected to the Board from among distinguished scholars in the field, irrespective of institutional affiliation.

UCLA has a 1-year institutional membership held under the University of California, Los Angeles. The current membership runs through in August 2026 (and we shall renew this membership at that time).

The institutional membership benefits include:

Listing on the website as current institutional members
Submitting news announcements to their newsletter

The American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE)

Founded in 1948, the American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE) is a private, nonprofit organization composed of educational and cultural institutions, professional scholars, and private individuals. Through grants, fieldwork and field schools, ARCE’s partnership with Egyptians contributes to the shared goal of cultural heritage preservation. Over the years, ARCE’s strong relationship with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (MoTA) and the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) has ensured the success of our work together.

ARCE is the primary professional organization for American Egyptologists and scholars interested in studying Prehistoric, Pharaonic, Coptic, Arab and Ottoman Egypt. They maintain a wide range of scholarly and educational activities both in the United States and in Egypt. Among the members are the top American universities and museums with interests in Egypt. Through their programs and publications, ARCE is also internationally recognized as a preeminent Egyptological organization. ARCE fulfills its mission through its active support of archaeological excavation, monument conservation, professional training for Egyptian colleagues, fellowship program, public outreach and publication.

The institutional membership benefits include:

Research supporting members play an active role in the life of ARCE by participating in the governance of the organization and representing major research and expedition interests in Egypt. RSMs provide institutional support to ARCE with a $1,000 annual contribution. Benefits of membership include:

Representation on the RSM Council to raise issues of importance to consortium members
Logistical support in Cairo for research expeditions to Egypt, including processing archaeological permits and visa extensions
- Security Documentation: Professional translation of security forms into Arabic for every individual mission member
- Project Proposals: Professional translation of the project proposal and the detailed work plan
- Document Preparation: Preparation of required physical copies (2 copies of each security form and 5 copies of each passport) as per official regulations
- Permanent Committee Submission: Submitting project files and required photographs to the Permanent Committee and conducting regular follow-ups until approval is granted.
- Contractual Formalities: Coordinating and scheduling the official contract signing between the Mission Director and the Head of the Permanent Committees
- Residency & Visa Assistance: Assisting members with visa extensions, including form preparation, accompanying members to the Mogamma, and collecting residency permits.
- Antiquities Pass: Facilitating and obtaining the necessary antiquities passes for all mission members throughout the season
- Military Liaison: Handling coordination and security clearances with Egyptian Military Authorities for missions in restricted zones
- Equipment & Customs: Obtaining Ministry approvals for the entry of mission equipment and technical devices
- Airport & Logistics: Facilitating airport meet-and-assist services for arriving and departing members
- Accommodation: Assisting with hotel bookings in Cairo and Luxor
- Final Reporting: Translation of each Missions’ Final Reports and submitting 10 physical copies (5 Arabic / 5 English) and digital copies (CDs) to the Permanent Committee
Letters of introduction to other research organizations and institutes in Egypt
Logistical services and access to ARCE facilities, including the library and new Cairo headquarters
Free translation services
Information on research conditions in Egypt
Free subscriptions to ARCE publications including the Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt (https://arce.org/journal)
Invitations to all public ARCE events (https://arce.org/events)
Recognition in publications and on the ARCE website
Invitation to President’s Reception at the ARCE Annual Meeting (https://arce.org/annual-meeting)

UCLA is a current Research Supporting Member via Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures research funds. The current membership runs through July 1, 2026 (and we shall explore renewal options at that time).

American Society for Premodern Asia (ASPA)

The American Society for Premodern Asia (ASPA, formerly known as the American Oriental Society - AOS) is the oldest learned society in the United States devoted to a particular field of scholarship. The Society was founded in 1842, preceded only by such distinguished organizations of general scope as the American Philosophical Society (1743), the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1780), and the American Antiquarian Society (1812). From the beginning its aims have been humanistic. The encouragement of basic research in the languages and literatures of West, Central, South, and East Asia has always been central in its tradition. This tradition has come to include such subjects as philology, literary criticism, textual criticism, paleography, epigraphy, linguistics, biography, archaeology, and the history of the intellectual and imaginative aspects of these civilizations, especially of philosophy, religion, folklore, and art.

ASPA does not have an institutional membership category. The UCLA Library has an institutional subscription to the Journal of the American Society for Premodern Asia (JASPA, formerly JAOS).

American Society of Overseas Research (ASOR)

The American Society of Overseas Research (ASOR) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to initiate, encourage, and support research into, and public understanding of, the history and cultures of the Near East and wider Mediterranean world, from the earliest times. ASOR is apolitical and has no religious affiliation.

ASOR was founded in 1900 by twenty-one institutions—including Harvard, Princeton, Yale, and Columbia. Over a century later, ASOR has approximately 53 consortium institutions, including universities, seminaries, museums, foundations, and libraries. In addition, they have more than 2,200 individual members and more than 40,000 Friends.

ASOR fosters original research, archaeological excavations, and explorations; encourages scholarship in the Near East’s basic languages, cultural histories, and traditions; builds support for Near Eastern studies; and advocates high academic standards. ASOR also offers educational opportunities in Near Eastern history and archaeology to students from all over the world, and through outreach activities to the public.

ASOR communicates news of the latest research findings in our publications, through lectures at the Annual Meeting, and independent overseas institutes in Cyprus and Jerusalem facilitate research in the field by students and scholars. ASOR’s book series and journals, such as Near Eastern Archaeology and the Bulletin of ASOR, are intended for both a lay audience and specialist archaeologists, historians, and biblical scholars. ASOR’s Annual Meeting brings together scholars from around the world to present their latest findings and discuss their research. Fellowship programs are available from our overseas institutes to provide funds for work at these institutes as well as for Mesopotamian studies and student travel to the Annual Meeting.

UCLA has an institutional membership hosted through the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology.

The institutional membership benefits include:

Faculty, students, and staff of member institutions will receive the following benefits:

Voice and vote in member-wide elections (through the institutional representative)
Print delivery of all ASOR publications for your library, including Near Eastern Archaeology (NEA), Bulletin of ASOR (BASOR), and the Journal of Cuneiform Studies (JCS)
Discount of 33% or more on ASOR books purchased by your library
Discounts on Annual Meeting registration for all students and eligibility to present papers for Graduate students affiliated with your institution
Ability for students who attend institutional member schools to register for the Annual Meeting without an individual ASOR membership
Eligibility to apply for $2,000 archaeological fieldwork scholarships on ASOR-affiliated projects
Access to fellowships, grants, and scholarships offered by our affiliated Overseas Research Centers in Jerusalem and Nicosia
Focus articles on special events, programs, and faculty of member institutions in NEA and News@ASOR
Ability to advertise job postings at your institutions in News@ASOR
$250 credit toward a quarter page ad in NEA or BASOR (subject to availability, no cash value)

The Archaeological Institute of America (AIA)

The Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) is the world’s oldest and largest archaeological organization. The AIA is a nonprofit founded in 1879 and chartered by the United States Congress in 1906. We have members in more than 100 Local Societies in the United States, Canada, and overseas. These members include professional archaeologists, students, and enthusiasts, all united by their passion for archaeology and its role in furthering human knowledge.

The AIA promotes archaeological inquiry and public understanding of the material record of the human past to foster an appreciation of diverse cultures and our shared humanity. The AIA supports archaeologists, their research and its dissemination, and the ethical practice of archaeology. The AIA educates people of all ages about the significance of archaeological discovery and advocates for the preservation of the world’s archaeological heritage.

The AIA’s members who are professional archaeologists have conducted fieldwork worldwide. The Institute has founded research centers and schools in seven countries and maintains close contact with these institutions. AIA Members are dedicated to the greater understanding of archaeology, the protection and preservation of the world's archaeological resources, and the support of archaeological research and publication.

The AIA does not currently have an institutional membership category, but we encourage individual membership and participation in this organization.

Individual membership benefits include:

Archaeology Magazine: All memberships include a one-year subscription to the publication that has been captivating audiences for over 70 years. Professional and Supporting members have the option to receive the magazine in print or digital format. All other members receive the magazine in digital format, but can choose to receive it in print at an additional cost.
AIA Society members receive 25% off all books by BAR Publishing. BAR Publishing is one of the most respected publishers of archaeological texts and we're pleased to partner with them to offer this discount on their 3,600+ titles.
American Journal of Archaeology: Professional, Retired and Contingent Faculty, and Graduate Student members receive our premiere academic journal in either digital or combination (print + digital) format with their membership. All other members have the option to receive the AJA at an additional cost.
Affiliation with an AIA Local Society: Share the latest discoveries and meet archaeologists who are changing the way we look at the past.
- The AIA has over 100 local Societies throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe that host programming and carry out the AIA’s mission in their communities. Become an active member of your Society to hear about the latest discoveries through the National Lecture Program, celebrate International Archaeology Day in October, and preserve the past through our Society Outreach Grant program.
As of May 2021, all active AIA Society members have full access to the digital archives of ARCHAEOLOGYmagazine from the first issue in 1948 to the present. Society members can explore any issue and discover which stories the magazine covered throughout the years.
Discounts on Farmers Insurance. The Archaeological Institute of America discount code is FRO. Learn more at farmersinsurancechoice.com/theAIA.
Access to the AIA Travel Discount Program: AIA members receive exclusive access to greater than 50% discounts on hotels, rental cars, and other entertainment options.
Access to the MemberDeals platform: AIA members receive exclusive discounts on movie tickets, sporting events, amusement parks, and other entertainment options.
Professional, Retired and Contingent Faculty, and Graduate Student members are eligible to apply for a full range of fellowships and grants to support their archaeological research.
Professional, Retired and Contingent Faculty, and Gradute Student Members have access to the SCS Placement Service.
AIA Society members are eligible to serve on AIA Committees, which help support the work of the Institute.
Discounts on Annual Meeting Registration: The AIA-SCS Annual Meeting takes place in January each year and is open to all AIA Society members.
- AIA Society members are invited to attend the AIA Council Meeting, held each year during the AIA-SCS Annual Meeting. At this meeting, important decisions that affect the future of the AIA are voted upon.
$100 Off First AIA Tour: Experience a place you’ve never been before on a tour led by a professional archaeologist. Available for all AIA Society members except Undergraduate and Below Student members.
AIA Society members enjoy 20% off of the original price of ARCHAEOLOGY magazine and American Journal of Archaeology back issues.
Receive a 50% discount on an annual plan of JPASS and gain access to the JSTOR archival collection – 1,500 journals, including the AJA.

Association for Iranian Studies (AIS)

Association for Iranian Studies, Inc. (AIS), formerly The International Society for Iranian Studies, Inc. (previously The Society for Iranian Studies), was founded in 1967 as an academic society to support and promote the field of Iranian Studies at the international level. Under its original name, the Society was incorporated in 1973 as a Type B Corporation under Section 201 of the Not-for-Profit Corporation Law of the State of New York. AIS, an affiliated member of the international Middle East Studies Association (MESA), is a private, not-for-profit, non-political organization of persons interested in Iranian Studies in the broadest sense. An elected council and an executive council run the affairs of the organization. The objectives of the Society are to promote high standards of scholarship in the field, to encourage the teaching of Iranian Studies at the graduate and undergraduate levels, and to encourage and facilitate scholarly exchange amongst its international membership. Association for Iranian Studies publishes Iranian Studies, a journal that continues to serve as the principal journal in the field. Iranian Studies is a peer-reviewed journal of history, literature, culture, and society, covering all regions of the globe with a Persian or Iranian legacy, especially Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia, the Caucasus and northern India, as well as diaspora communities of Iranians in Europe and the United States. As an independent, non-partisan, non-political, multi-disciplinary international community of over 500 scholars, students, academic and non-academic researchers, and aficionados of Iranian studies, AIS is committed to promoting the free exchange of ideas, freedom of expression in all forms and all media, and unrestricted pursuit of (academic and non-academic) research, instruction, publication, and presentation (in Iran and internationally) without fear of intimidation and persecution.

UCLA has a 2-year institutional membership under the UCLA Program of Iranian Studies. The current membership runs through August 1, 2027 (and we shall renew this membership at that time).

The institutional membership benefits include:

10 complimentary conference registrations (for members whose individual AIS dues are up-to-date at time of conference registration)*
Listing on the website as current institutional members
Listing in the AIS conference program and conference website as conference sponsors
Discounts on ads placed in Conference Program, Newsletter, and Journal
Ability to submit news announcements to their newsletter

*For equity purposes, we intend to release a call for applications for UCLA affiliates who intend to present at a conference and would like to be considered for free conference registration. Should more than 10 people request institutional support, in advance of the conference registration deadline, we will collect titles and abstracts from accepted papers and create a committee of impartial UCLA faculty. The committee will adjudicate submissions in a blind review. More information on these details will be forthcoming based on conference call for application schedules.

The Association for the Study of Persianate Societies (ASPS)

The Association for the Study of Persianate Societies (ASPS) is a non-governmental, non-political, not-for-profit professional organization for researchers and scholars interested in the culture and civilization of the Persian-speaking societies and related areas in the Iranian civilizational area. It publishes the Journal of Persianate Studies, a collection of scholarly articles, book reviews and conference reports, and the semi-annual ASPS Newsletter. The Association’s biennial conferences have been held in Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina, India, Pakistan, Georgia and Armenia since its inauguration in Tajikistan in 2002. Twelve regional branches give ASPS an international presence. The Association supports the efforts of scholars around the world. It has supported the travel of scholars from Iran and Central Asia to take part in its conferences. The Central Eurasia Research Fund provides funds for scholars from Central Asia. The Association also posts announcements of job openings and upcoming conferences relevant for its members.

UCLA has a 3-year institutional membership held under the UCLA Program of Iranian Studies. The current membership runs through December 31, 2026 (and we shall renew this membership at that time).

The institutional membership benefits include:

A subscription to the Journal of Persianate Studies
A listing in the conference program during our biennial conference along with contact information
One free conference registration*

*For equity purposes, we intend to release a call for applications for UCLA affiliates who intend to present at a conference and would like to be considered for free conference registration. Should more than one UCLA affiliate seek institutional support, in advance of the conference registration deadline, we will collect titles and abstracts from accepted papers and create a committee of impartial UCLA faculty to adjudicate submissions in a blind review. More information on these details will be forthcoming based on conference call for application schedules.