Malaysia, January 1, 2025 – Universitas Gadjah Mada’s Arabic Literature Study Program is sending its students to participate in a student exchange at Universitas Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) through the Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards (IISMA) program in 2024. IISMA is one of the flagship programs of Kampus Merdeka organized by the Indonesian Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology. The activity takes place from October 7, 2024 to February 23, 2025.

Through this program, Elvira Sundari, a 2021 Arabic Literature student, had the opportunity to broaden her academic and cultural horizons by taking four courses from three different faculties. In the Faculty of Education, she studied “Social Media in Language Learning” and “Teaching of Literature: Reading The Word and The World”. From the Faculty of Islamic Studies, she took the course “Comparative Arabic Literature”, and in the Faculty of Social Sciences she attended the class “Intercultural Communication”. These activities support the development of cross-cultural and scientific understanding relevant to her field of study.

In addition to studying, Elvira also participated in various additional activities. She participated in a poetry declamation competition during the UKM 2024 Book Festival. She won third place in the competition and was the only participant from Indonesia. On another occasion, she recited Indonesian poetry during Arunika 2024, an Indonesian cultural festival in Malaysia.

“This opportunity gave me the experience of learning in a different environment, allowing me to learn more about literature and culture in Malaysia,” Elvira said. Her participation in this program reflects her spirit to continue learning and establishing relationships between nations.

[Public Relations of Faculty of Arts UGM, Bulan Churniati]

Malaysia, 7/12/2024 – Two students of the Arabic literature study program successfully presented their essays related to women’s empowerment in the Asean Muslimah Exposure 2024 (AME 2024) event in Malaysia. The program organized by the Qurthubiyah Institute organization was held from December 6 to 8, 2024. As an organization, Qurthubiyah Institute aims to be a forum for empowering Muslim women with character, knowledge, and skilled personality by internalizing Islamic values in life. Thus, the Asean Muslimah Exposure program is designed to increase Indonesian Muslimah’s understanding of social issues through hands-on learning experiences in Asean countries.

In the AME 2024 program, there are three main activities held on Saturday, December 7, 2024. The three activities are Essay Presentation, Panel Discussion, and Campus Tour which took place at the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) and University Malaya (UM). Essay Presentation and Panel Discussion activities held at IIUM were not only attended by AME 2024 participants, but also attended by IIUM students who are members of the Islamic Studies Forum Indonesia (ISFI) organization.

In this activity, there were several delegates who presented their papers, and two of them were students of the Arabic Literature Study Program, Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Gadjah Mada. The first student was Vanisa Putri Andarista with her essay entitled The Trend of Delaying Marriage “Waithood” In Indonesian Women and How Islam Views It. The essay was awarded The Best Analytical Perspective. While the second student, Ragil Samas Khofifatunnur conveyed ideas in his essay entitled The relevance of “Risalah Perempuan Berkemajuan” to Increasing The Inclusiveness of Women’s Empowerment In Village, and won The Best Delegates Paper award.

From the series of AME 2024 activities, students not only gain experience in making and presenting their essays, but also gain abundant knowledge through the discussions that have been held. In addition, students are also more familiar with the dynamics of lectures in Malaysia, the socio-cultural conditions of the local community, and how Islamic values are implemented there. With the many experiences and insights that have been gained, students are expected to play an active role in disseminating these insights so that the benefits are received by more people, as is the goal of the Qurthubiyah Institute.

[Public Relations of Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM, Sandya Kirani]

Malaysia, 7/12/2024 – Dua mahasiswa program studi sastra Arab sukses mempresentasikan esainya terkait pemberdayaan perempuan dalam acara Asean Muslimah Exposure 2024 (AME 2024) di Malaysia. Program yang diselenggarakan oleh organisasi Qurthubiyah Institute ini dilaksanakan pada tanggal 6 hingga 8 Desember 2024. Sebagai sebuah organisasi, Qurthubiyah Institute bertujuan untuk menjadi wadah pemberdayaan muslimah yang berkarakter, berpengetahuan luas, serta berkepribadian terampil dengan menginternalisasi nilai-nilai Islam dalam kehidupan. Dengan demikian, program Asean Muslimah Exposure dirancang untuk meningkatkan pemahaman muslimah Indonesia tentang isu-isu sosial melalui pengalaman belajar langsung di negara-negara Asean.

Dalam program AME 2024 terdapat tiga kegiatan utama yang dilaksanakan pada hari sabtu, 7 Desember 2024. Tiga kegiatan tersebut yaitu Essay Presentation, Panel Discussion, dan Campus Tour yang bertempat di International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) dan University Malaya (UM). Kegiatan Essay Presentation dan Panel Discussion yang bertempat di IIUM tidak hanya dihadiri oleh peserta AME 2024, tetapi juga dihadiri oleh mahasiswa IIUM yang tergabung dalam organisasi Islamic Studies Forum Indonesia (ISFI). 

Dalam kegiatan tersebut, terdapat beberapa delegasi yang mempresentasikan karya tulisnya, dan dua diantaranya merupakan mahasiswa Program Studi Sastra Arab, Fakultas Ilmu Budaya, Universitas Gadjah Mada. Mahasiswa pertama yaitu Vanisa Putri Andarista dengan esainya yang berjudul The Trend of Delaying Marriage “Waithood” In Indonesian Women and How Islam Views It. Esai tersebut berhasil mendapat penghargaan The Best Analytical Perspective. Sedangkan mahasiswa kedua, Ragil Samas Khofifatunnur menyampaikan gagasan dalam esainya yang bertajuk The relevance of “Risalah Perempuan Berkemajuan” to Increasing The Inclusiveness of Women’s Empowerment In Village, dan berhasil mendapatkan penghargaan The Best Delegates Paper.

Dari rangkaian kegiatan AME 2024, mahasiswa tidak hanya mendapatkan pengalaman untuk membuat, dan mempresentasikan esai yang dibuatnya, tetapi juga mendapatkan ilmu yang berlimpah lewat diskusi-diskusi yang telah dilakukan. Selain itu, sedikit banyaknya mahasiswa juga lebih mengenal dinamika perkuliahan di Malaysia, kondisi sosial budaya masyarakat setempat, dan bagaimana nilai-nilai Islam diimplementasikan di sana. Dengan banyaknya pengalaman dan wawasan yang telah didapatkan, mahasiswa diharapkan dapat turut berperan aktif untuk menyebarluaskan wawasan tersebut agar manfaatnya diterima oleh lebih banyak orang, sebagaimana tujuan dari Qurthubiyah Institute.

[Humas FIB UGM, Sandya Kirani]

A total of six students of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences underwent a Certified Cultural Internship program placed at the Balai Pelestarian Kebudayaan region X (Yogyakarta – Central Java), this internship is part of the Certified Internship and Independent Study activities. They came from several study programs namely Cultural Anthropology (Amandha Eva, Gemma Padira, Via Vitarina, and Widya Pandega), History (Duhita Prananing Tyasayu), and Arabic Literature (Salma Shidqiyah). The six students were divided into two fields, namely Assistant Cultural Heritage Recorder and Assistant Recorder of Cultural Promotion Objects. For four months from September to December 2024, they had the opportunity to expand their knowledge related to cultural heritage preservation, starting from multi tagging analysis, documentation, the process of determining cultural heritage and intangible cultural heritage, data collection, to interviews.

Documentation of internship students while exploring Ijo Temple

Not limited to data collection, interns also have the opportunity to participate in the process of the Cultural Heritage Expert Team hearing and play a direct role in the formation of Regional Cultural Thoughts (PPKD). Before collecting data directly in the field, they were introduced to the Directorate General of Culture and its duties and functions, they also received briefings related to the types and legal protection of Cultural Heritage and Cultural Promotion Objects,

As a final project, they translated the cultural heritage into a magazine entitled Tracing the Charm of Ijo Temple: Civilization Above the Clouds, a “Cultify” podcast inviting KI Gondo Suharno, and flashcards containing several Objects of Cultural Advancement as learning media for students in kindergarten. In addition, they also worked on individual assignments in the form of scientific papers on critical reviews of various aspects of cultural heritage.

[Public Relation of Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Sandya Kirani]

In order to support the sustainability of inclusive and sustainable development, it is important to understand how anthropology graduates can utilize their competencies to contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) A sharing session held at Sambi Resort on Friday, December 4, 2024 provided interesting insights related to the career journey of anthropology alumni in the development sector and the challenges faced. The event was presented by Reza Altamaha, an alumnus of the cultural anthropology undergraduate program class of 2016 who currently works as a Technical Assistant at Folur Project Indonesia.

With the title “From Theory to Action: Practitioners’ Experience in Driving Change,” Reza talked about the importance of knowledge and learning in building competence, both from a technical perspective and in understanding the various positions available in the development sector. According to him, career paths in this sector have clear stages, starting from entry level roles such as technical assistant and field coordinator, to senior positions such as project director or project advisor. In addition, there are also opportunities for those interested in working as freelancers or consultants.

Challenges in a Development Career

The main challenges faced by those working in the development sector, including in projects such as FOLUR, are funding and bureaucracy. Reza emphasized that communication with project heads is sometimes an obstacle, especially in coordination that involves many parties. In addition, mental health is also an important issue, given the high work pressure in this sector.

Photo of Reza during Sharing Session

Career development and extensive networking are also key in this sector. Reza emphasized the importance of deepening specialization through training and joining mentoring programs to get work-related guidance. In addition, volunteering and hands-on experience with social issues in Indonesia can help build sensitivity to the real conditions faced by society.

Reza also explained the importance of building a contextual CV or CV that is relevant to previous experience and the job being applied for. This is very important to show how academic background and practical experience can be integrated with the desired position in the world of work.

Another topic highlighted next was morality at work. Reza emphasized the importance of personal integrity and considered resigning from a job if moral values are threatened. The decision should be made carefully, considering factors such as financial condition and long-term career choices.

The event was closed with the distribution of one free book entitled “Shadow Play” by Sheri Lynn Gibbings by asking the best question. This was followed by a group photo with all participants.

[Public Relation of Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Sandya Kirani]