The Institute on World Affairs (IWA) Records documents the work of the IWA with local, national, and international communities in accomplishing its goal of community and campus outreach and education on the subject of international affairs and relations.  The collection dates from approximately 1951-2005, with the bulk of documents created in the 1950s and 1960s.  It consists primarily of paper records, including correspondence and subject files, generated over the 50+ year course of the group's existence, and has been divided into 5 series: Correspondence, Subject Files, Press Clippings, Photographs, and Institute Publications.  There are no subseries.

The Correspondence series includes records dated from 1951-2005.  These files primarily document the IWA's process of selecting and engaging speakers for upcoming IWA Sessions, as well as the process and details involved in assisting speakers with traveling to and staying in San Diego after they have been officially engaged.  This includes scheduling, reservation-making, etc.  The correspondence also includes limited records documenting the IWA's formative years.  Some clippings are scattered through the series.  Materials are filed chronologically by year.

The Subject Files series dates from 1943-2005.  It primarily documents events and other activities the IWA participated in over the course of its existence.  These include materials relating to Annual Conferences, a guest book signed by speakers and panel members, information and publicity relating to speakers, some transcripts, and promotional materials.  Also included is historical information on the early and formative years of the IWA.  Some clippings are scattered through the series.  Records are filed alphabetically by file name.

The Press Clippings series dates from 1951-1991.  The clippings document both the public activities of the IWA, as well as its profile in the community and on campus.  They primarily consist of informational articles about the IWA itself, as well as announcements for different speakers visiting to participate in the Institute.

The Photographs date almost exclusively from the 1960s, when Dr. Minos Generales was director of the IWA.  While only some are captioned and dated, they primarily document IWA sessions, speakers, and other events.  Some are attached to the loose pages of a scrapbook which was dissembled before arrival at the archives.  Because the series is so small, and because many photographs are not dated or captioned, they have not been organized at the item-level.

The Institute Publications series dates from 1961-1969, and includes exclusively those materials published by the IWA on such varied subjects as the IWA's annual proceedings, and the role of warfare, human rights, and the world economy in international relations.  They form  a record of the topics the IWA's speakers and guests focused on and studied.  They are not foldered, and are filed chronologically.