USC is committed to interdisciplinary research and to programs that build on the resources of Southern California and Los Angeles - two of the four initiatives of the university's strategic plan. Using the unique library collections at USC, as well as the resources of other institutions, the research center actively supports a broad range of interdisciplinary research, with a special focus on materials relating to Southern California. The 21st century has widely been characterized as the Pacific Century. To the extent that the Pacific Rim has a capital at all, it is not Tokyo or Singapore or Sydney or San Francisco or Seattle. Rather, the political, economic and cultural crossroads of the Pacific Rim is Los Angeles and Southern California. As a result, the interdisciplinary study of Southern California will be of paramount importance to those seeking to understand the dynamic and influential Pacific Rim. The scholarly examination of Los Angeles and Southern California also has implications for high-growth cities worldwide as this region increasingly serves as the 21st century urban paradigm. Previous  |  Next