Warm Greetings from the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM
Happy New Year!
On behalf of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Gadjah Mada University, we pray that this new year will bring blessings and success to all of us. Welcoming 2024, we would like to express our sincere appreciation for our cooperation so far. Hopefully, this new year will further strengthen our partnership and cooperation.
Thank You.
Warm regards,
Dean and the entire FIB UGM Family
Dean of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Prof. Dr. Setiadi, M.Si approved the collaboration program proposed by Ma’arif Nahdlatul Ulama University Kebumen on July 17, 2023. This program is a collaborative seminar activity with the theme “Cross Cultural Understanding” which involves students of the Indonesian Language and Cultural Learning Service (INCULS) FIB, UGM, and the English Language Education Undergraduate Study Program, FKIP, UMNU Kebumen. This program is intended as a resource assignment for lecturers/teachers who are native speakers of English for enrichment lecture activities. This collaboration is carried out by proposing, organizing, and evaluating collaborative activity programs; which are scheduled for four years.
This program began to be realized on December 23 2023 by holding a Sharing Culture Talkshow event which was held at UMNU University Kebumen. In this event, the Faculty of Cultural Sciences sent several INCULS UGM students, including Sundas Ejaz from Pakistan, Nor Najinah Saad from Thailand, Sabrina Joy S. Tan from the Philippines, Mbemba Badjie from Gambia, and Ahmed Abdallah Faouzi Attia from Algeria. They are students studying culture at INCULS UGM and were accompanied in this series of events by Dr. Rudi Ekasiswanto, M. Hum. as Deputy Coordinator of INCULS UGM and Muhamad Zamchasari, S.S. as INCULS UGM teaching staff.
This event began with a Wayang Golek performance which told the multicultural history of Kebumen and continued with various Kebumen regional cultural performances including Kuda Lumping, Lawet Dance, and Pencak Silat Pagar Nusa by the students. Apart from that, traditional Kebumen culinary delights were also served to all participants. The next session was a talk show and presentation of the culture of each country by native speakers presented through INCULS FIB UGM.
This activity will become an annual program for students taking the Cross Cultural Understanding course organized by UMNU Kebumen together with the UGM Faculty of Cultural Sciences as their final project (UMNU Kebumen). This program aims to implement the Tri Dharma of Higher Education by developing collaborative activities that are mutually beneficial.
To deepen the study of Southeast Asia and deepen academic cooperation with Indonesia, the Faculty of Cultural Sciences held a special visit to the NCCU College of Foreign Language and Literature on December 15, 2023 (Friday). The delegation on this visiting team was Prof. Setiadi, M. Si., dean of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Dr. Nur Saktiningrum, SS, M. Hum, dean of academic and student affairs, and Drs. Muhadi Sugiono, M.A., a representative from the Center for Southeast Asian Social Studies.
First of all, the Dean of NCCU College of Foreign Language and Literature, Zheng Jiayu, gave the opening speech. He thanked the group of guests from Indonesia who had come to visit. Next, the conversation was continued by Vice President Zhao Jingqi who gave a brief explanation about the NCCU College of Foreign Language and Literature. After that, we continued with Assistant Professor Cheng Ji Shiwei and Assistant Professor Bao Qiyun from the Bachelor of Southeast Asian Languages and Cultures who each introduced plans regarding Indonesian language courses and academic activities.
In the next material presentation session, Prof. Setiadi, M. Si., gave a presentation on the internationalization of Indonesian. Then Dr. Nur Saktiningrum, SS, M.Hum explained the academic environment of Gadjah Mada University by explaining the INCULS program owned by FIB UGM. The presentation from the FIB UGM team was closed by Drs. Muhadi Sugiono, M.A. explained that ASEAN Identity consists of politics and security, economics, society, and culture. The community supports Southeast Asia’s plan to build a community of “One Vision, One Identity, One Community” in the future.
Finally, Dean Zheng Jiayu and Prof. Dr. Setiadi, M. Si signed a cooperation agreement between the two institutions and exchanged copies. The agreement aims to increase academic cooperation between the two parties, including student exchanges, double degrees, consistent five-year bachelor/master plans, exchange of teachers and researchers, cooperation in organizing lectures, seminars, workshops, etc. .,. With the signing of this MOU, it is hoped that it can further enhance cooperation and exchanges between schools, enrich teaching and research material resources in Southeast Asia, provide more international exchange channels for teachers and students, and foster international professional relations.
At the same time, Zhao Jingqi, deputy dean and program director, signed an academic cooperation plan agreement between the program and the Southeast Asian Social Research Center with Drs. Muhadi Sugiono, MA, to promote cooperation in teaching and research between the two parties, such as summer course programs, internships, cooperative research, and publishing, etc.
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Departing from concerns about the inadequately facilitated rights of people with disabilities, both as performers and art viewers. As artists, Muhammad Jhony Fonsen (Tourism) and the team consisting of Reva (Nursing Science), Hatta (Indonesian Language and Literature), Eqi (Psychology), and Thomas (Chemistry) who were accompanied directly by Dr. Hayatul Cholsy, S.S., M.Hum worked together to initiate the PKM Community Service program with the program title “TOK-SHOW OBAH: Self-Actualization of Disabled People in the Arts through Dance Accompanied by Traditional Toys at the Bina Siwi Orphanage, Yogyakarta”.
Not necessarily causing personal unrest, the initiation of this program was aligned with the problems of the partner, namely the Bina Siwi Orphanage. The existence of a vision and mission that is not in line with implementation is a problem that must be resolved. Even though there are programs that refer to arts activities, these activities are not sustainable due to the high costs that must be incurred to bring in practitioners who are experts in their fields.
The “TOK-SHOW OBAH” program, turns out to be a beacon for our friends with disabilities at the Bina Siwi Orphanage. It can be seen that there are significant changes that can facilitate them. The synergy between the team and the caretakers of the orphanage was able to create a space for self-actualization through a collaboration of works of art with the traditional “Otok-otok” toy. These changes can be seen in increasing self-confidence, increased creativity through movement exploration, a level of happiness that slowly begins to emerge through smiling expressions, as well as their understanding of what art is.
Through a program that ran for approximately 6 months (June-November), of course, it did not continue to run smoothly. There were several obstacles that Jhony and the team were able to overcome in solving the problem. One of them is providing understanding to people with disabilities who have different characteristics. Low intellectual ability affects memory in memorizing dance movements and music tempo. However, the implementation of critical thinking practices, problem-solving, brainstorming with the team and accompanying lecturers, as well as the application of leadership are solution steps in solving problems.
That’s the long process that has been going on for the past year or so, starting from searching for a team and accompanying lecturers, preparing proposals, funding, and preparing progress reports, to qualifying for the 36th National Student Science Week (PIMNAS).
Even though Jhony and the team did not succeed in winning a medal at the prestigious PIMNAS-36 event which was held at Padjadjaran University on 26-30, Jhony managed to achieve an award as PIMNAS-36 Talented Student. Even though they were not successful in donating a medal, the TOK-SHOW OBAH Team also participated in bringing Gadjah Mada University back to winning the overall champion title and escorting the “PIALA ADIKARTA KERTAWIDYA” back home after stopping at another campus.
Jepara, (01/11/2023). A total of 25 sixth and eighth-semester students taking the Professional Japanese Language course in the Japanese Language and Culture Study Program at, the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Gadjah Mada University visited PT. Autocomp Manufacturing Indonesia Jepara Semarang Factory (PT SAMI JF) on Jl. Raya Jepara – Kudus, Sengonbugel, Kab. Mayong, Jepara Regency, Central Java on Friday 1 December 2023. PT SAMI JF is a Japanese PMA under the Yazaki Indonesia Group which is affiliated with Yazaki Corporation, Japan. PT SAMI JF operates in the automotive components industry, namely the production of electrical distribution systems (wiring harnesses) for motor vehicles, especially cars.
This field study is part of the Professional Japanese course in the form of a visit to Japanese industry which aims to introduce students to the world of work, especially the culture and work ethic in the Japanese manufacturing industry directly. After 1-semester students study Japanese communication patterns and business ethics in lectures, at the end of the lecture students are invited to see and experience firsthand the world of work related to the Japanese language, especially in Japanese companies in Indonesia.
The group of students from the Japanese Language and Culture Study Program was received by the Vice President of PT SAMI JF Hidehisa Kurihara and Factory Manager Kazuhiro Fujita along with several staff. On this occasion, Kurihara welcomed this visit event positively and provided the widest possible opportunity for students to learn and gain experience through this activity. He also opens opportunities for students who want to do internships or apprenticeships at his company before graduating from college.
The visit began with remarks from Mr Kurihara, followed by a presentation about PT SAMI JF by Bagus Kusuma Putra as Senior Manager, as well as an explanation of the work ethic and ups and downs of working in Japanese companies by PT SAMI JF. Staff who are also UGM Japanese Literature alumni. Gantira Akbar and Muhammad Fatkul, followed by a visit to the factory area to see firsthand the production process at PT SAMI JF. During the visit to the factory, the group was divided into 4 teams guided by PT SAMI JF staff. After the break, Friday prayers, and lunch, the event continued with questions and answers, discussions and presentations by each team in Japanese regarding what they saw and observed as well as their message impressions during their visit to PT SAMI JF guided by the HRD Supervisor from PT Mrs. SAMI JF Listia. The event closed with judging and announcing the best student presenter team and continued with the presentation of prizes and group photos.
This visit activity was initiated by Stedi Wardoyo, S.S., M.A., and Najih Imtihani, S.S., M.A as course lecturers. The aim of this field visit activity is to encourage students to actively practice Japanese language skills for the business and professional world, as well as to provide concrete descriptions and information about the world of work, especially at Japanese companies in Indonesia. This field study activity was fully supported by the Head of the Japanese Language and Culture Study Program, Drs. Tatang Hariri, M.A., Ph.D. as one of the programs to support the Ministry of Research, Technology and Culture’s policy regarding Independent Learning Campuses and support the achievement of Main Performance Indicator (IKU) 1: Graduate Work Readiness and is also included in the SDGs indicators, namely SDGs 4 and 17: Quality Education and Partnerships to Achieve Goals. By referring to one form of implementation of Merdeka Belajar, students not only learn theoretically in class or on campus, but also go directly into the field to see, observe and experience directly the things they have learned during lectures. Furthermore, through this program it is hoped that it can bring closer, link and match between the academic world and the world of work, as well as provide input for the UGM Japanese Language and Culture Study Program to improve the learning process so that it is even better, able to produce graduates who are qualified and ready to work with good hard skills and soft skills expected by the business world.
