Thursday, January 18, 2024 – The Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FIB UGM) received a school visitation from SMA Negeri 16 Surabaya at the Soegondo Auditorium on the 7th floor of the Soegondo Building, from 9:00 – 11:00 Western Indonesian Time (GMT+7). The visit was aimed as to provide insights for the high school students of  SMA Negeri 16 Surabaya about various universities located outside of Surabaya.

The visit was opened with a short welcome speech by Swety Firmanti, representing the FIB’s Public Relations and Cooperation Unit, followed by a presentation of the visitation vision and mission by the SMA Negeri 16 Surabaya chaperone. After the presentation, they were shown two videos featuring profiles of UGM and the FIB, which increased their curiosity about the university brand known as “Blue Campus.” This was evidenced by more than 10 students asking questions about the university, ranging from courses, job prospects, to alumni records. The event then ended with a photo session and a souvenir handover by SMA Negeri 16 Surabaya to the FIB UGM.

The existence of these visiting activities that various secondary schools often carry out is expected to open the minds of students to the various choices of study programs available at the FIB UGM, so that they can choose a study program or major that is in line with their interests and talents.

Lexicon is a journal published by the English Department, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, in collaboration with the English Studies Association in Indonesia (ESAI). Lexicon was successfully accredited by SINTA Rank 3 from Volume 8 Number 2 of 2021 to Volume 13 Number 1 of 2026.

Until now, 8 of the 14 journals within the Faculty of Cultural Sciences have been accredited by SINTA.

Website  Accreditation Letter

The Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) Development Training Workshop is a workshop event held by the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, on Wednesday, January 17th, 2024. As part of UGM’s goal of openness of educational information through online courses accessible to the public, the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM held a workshop event for educators and lecturers in the faculty. A total of 31 participants from the ranks of educators and lecturers from several study programs at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM participated in the training event held in Room 709, Soegondo Building, Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM, from 09.00 – 13.00 Western Indonesian Time (GMT+7).

The workshop agenda began with an opening and guidance session by the Dean of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM, Prof. Dr. Setiadi, M.Si., S.Sos., followed by a presentation session on the technical aspects and development flow of Massive Open Online Courses that are published through the mooc.ugm.ac.id website by Mr. Wisaksono Adhi, S.PT., from the Faculty of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing. After the presentation session ended, all participants conducted a practice and discussion session to adapt and adjust to accessing the online courses offered by UGM.

Photo 1: Lecturers and Educators during Massive Open Online Courses Development Training Workshop

Photo 2: A presentation session on online course development

Image 1: Poster for the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) Development Training Workshop

On Wednesday, November 22, the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM held a book review event named “Bedah Buku: Arung Samudera Nusantara dan Kosmopolis Rempah” in Room 709 of the Soegondo Building. This event is one of a series of the Seminar Series Kosmopolis Rempah, as the result of collaboration between the faculty along with Kundha Budaya DIY and the Tim Kosmopolis Rempah UGM.

This event was attended by Dr. Sri Margana, M. Hum. as a speaker and book author. Apart from that, there were three responders with different scientific backgrounds, namely Dr. Widya Fitria Ningsih, History lecturer at FIB UGM; Prof. Dr. M. Baiquni, M.A., Professor of Development Geography UGM; and Prof. Dr. Ir. Sri Gardjito, Spice Expert, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, UGM. There was also Prof. Dr. Mustofa, M.Kes., Professor of Pharmacology and Therapy FKKMK UGM and Head of the Tim Kosmopolis Rempah UGM, as the moderator.

Sri Margana started the event by explaining the background to the writing and substance of her book. He said that his book is a response to an application of “Jalur Rempah” as a world heritage by the Indonesian government and the establishment of the Spice Cosmopolis Research Unit at UGM. According to him, the term Jalur Rempah is problematic because it refers to a colonial trade route marked only by physical colonial remains, such as forts and ports. Starting from this issue, he proposed to highlight the influence of spices themselves, namely the creation of a culture of using spices. Therefore, he uses the term “cosmopolis” because the culture of spices has spread throughout the world. He also proposed the word “cosmopolis” to name the UGM Spice Cosmopolis Research Unit.

Widya as the first responder then highlighted this book from a historiographic perspective. According to her, the dominant use of foreign sources can be an opportunity for further studies to use local sources. By using local sources, local perspectives that are not recorded by foreign sources can be told. Apart from that, she also hopes that there will be further studies on spices in Indonesia from a gender perspective. According to her, the historiography on this matter is still dominated by narratives about men’s roles. In fact, spice culture cannot be separated from the role of women, such as in trading, planting and processing spices.

After that, the presentation was continued by Prof. Baiquni, emphasizing the strong connection between history and geography. From the spice trade, humans have established relationships with their environment. The role of spices in human life cannot be completely replaced by current technology. Therefore, spices can be a reminder for people to preserve their environment.

Relations between people from different islands to continents were also established through the spice trade. This relationship then produces a cultural product, one of which is food. Prof. Sri Gardjito explained that spices and the sea as trade intermediaries greatly influenced our food today. From spices and the sea, there is intercultural interaction which results in a combination of processing techniques, ingredients, and even the taste of food. This is considered to be the impact of the cosmopolitan spice trade. One example of the results of the spice trade is black pepper chili sauce, which still exists today and the spices have not changed.

Yogyakarta, July 7th, 2023 – The Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FIB UGM) and National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), Taiwan, collaborated to organize a Summer Program that was held from July 7th, 2023 to August 7th, 2023. Chung-Ching Shiung, Ph.D., a lecturer and archaeologist from National Cheng Kung University, mentored his students in conducting the Summer Program together with Dr. Mahirta, M.A., the Head of the Department of Archaeology at FIB UGM. The focus of the program was on analyzing pottery and other excavation findings from the result of a research project conducted in Tidore back in 2019.

The Summer Program also included visits to several Hindu-Buddhist temples in the Yogyakarta area and to a pottery and batik center in Bayat, Klaten.

The collaboration between NCKU and the FIB UGM Department of Archaeology, not only benefited the students in terms of analyzing the excavation research findings, but it also enriched their experiences through cultural and knowledge exchange. The involvement of international researchers brought a different perspective, expanding archaeology knowledge. This collaboration is in line with SDGs Goal 17, Partnerships for the Goals, which aims to strengthen international global partnerships, and Goal 4, Quality Education, which aims to promote opportunities for quality and sustainable education.

Photo 1: Analysis of excavation findings collaborating with UGM Students

Photo 2: Cultural learning on batik making in Bayat Village, Klaten