The Department of Anthropology at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), held a Cultural Anthropology Proposal Seminar as an essential step for students before conducting fieldwork. The seminar was divided into 10 clusters, including Care and Health, Economy, Environment and Humanity, Infrastructure, Arts & Media, Youth, Gender, Farmers, Communities, and Popular Culture, with a total of 58 participating students. This open forum was attended by examiners, and graduate student mentors (Master’s and Ph.D.), and was also open to the public.

Each day, 10 to 20 students presented their research proposals, where they received feedback and constructive suggestions from faculty and mentors. The seminar took place over three days—Thursday, September 19, 2024, Friday, September 20, 2024, and Monday, September 23, 2024. It was held in three rooms (Soegondo 511, 514, and 709), with 12 faculty members serving as examiners and 9 graduate students as mentors. In the seminar, each student presented their research proposal in front of the examiners and mentors, followed by a discussion session to provide suggestions and critiques. The goal was to help students refine their research plans before heading into the field.

One of the examiners, Dr. Muhammad Zamzam Fauzanafi, S.Ant., M.A., or more commonly known as Mas Zamzam, emphasized that the beginning of research stems from our curiosity or the questions we want to answer. He stressed the importance of thoroughly reviewing research questions before starting a project. This was intended to ensure the alignment of the title with the question, define the research boundaries, and deepen the students’ understanding of their chosen topic. Throughout the discussions, Mas Zamzam consistently asked students to further explain their research questions, urging them to reflect critically on their research approach. The hope was that by the time they enter the field, students will have a clear grasp of the data needed and the appropriate boundaries based on their research topic.

The Cultural Anthropology Proposal Seminar was not only a critical academic milestone for students but also supported several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequality). Through mentoring and open discussions, students were trained to gain a deeper understanding of the social, economic, and cultural issues they were investigating. The aim is that their research will make meaningful contributions toward addressing societal challenges such as social inequality, health problems, environmental issues, gender, and community concerns—ultimately contributing to more inclusive and sustainable development.

[FIB UGM PR, Writer: Bonifacius Edo, Editor: Aldiza, Translator: Aldiza]

University campuses serve as ideal spaces to explore knowledge beyond the classroom. Discussion forums can be created as a response to pressing issues, such as inequality in Indonesia. These discussions can be sparked through various media, including music and film, which is exactly what the Anthropology Students Association (KEMANT) has done through its event, Rembukant #2, a program initiated by KEMANT’s academic division. This second edition of Rembukant invited participants to watch a film and explore the creative process behind the music currently trending in Papua Highlands.

The event took place on Thursday, September 26, 2024, in Room 521+522 of Soegondo Hall, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, UGM. With the theme “Celebrating Identity Through Music: Technology, Tradition, and Globalization in Wisisi Nit Meke,” KEMANT encouraged participants not just to watch but also to engage in a discussion with the filmmaker. The event featured Wok The Rock as the film’s producer, Asep Nayak as the musician and main actor, and Cania, a 2020 UGM Cultural Anthropology alumna and current film researcher. The event was moderated by Puspita Nindya Sari, a 2023 Cultural Anthropology student.

The event began with a film screening, followed by a discussion with the speakers, and concluded with a Q&A session and a flashmob of the Aster dance, led by Asep Nayak. Aster dance is a popular dance in Papua today, performed to the beat of wisisi music created by Asep Nayak.

The second speaker, Asep Nayak, shared his journey as a wisisi musician and film actor. He explained how his passion for music led him to learn FL Studio software on his own via YouTube. Through his storytelling, Asep highlighted the significance of wisisi music and its collaboration with Aster dance in the context of Papuan society.

The final speaker, Cania, provided an anthropological analysis of the film. She shared her perspective on how the film reflects the intersection of technology, tradition, globalization, and identity.

The discussion was engaging and interactive, with the film Wisisi Nit Meke offering new insights into how wisisi music and Aster dance have become part of the identity of the indigenous Papuan community. The internet, as a result of technological progress, has made global information more accessible, including tutorials for using FL Studio, which has become a tool for creative expression. Rembukant #2 concluded with a flashmob of the Aster dance, accompanied by wisisi music led by its creator.

[FIB UGM Public Relation, Writer: Puspita Nindya Sari, Editor: Aldiza, Translator: Aldiza, Photos: Afkar Alhamid]

The Department of Anthropology at Universitas Gadjah Mada invited Professor Emeritus Sabine Troeger from the University of Bonn to teach a research methodology course. She is both an experienced educator and practitioner with decades of experience in development studies and climate change. Among her achievements is involvement in the design and implementation of programs by the German International Cooperation Agency (GIZ) in various African and Asian countries. The course was held in 14 sessions during September 2024 and was attended by both undergraduate and graduate Anthropology students. The general lecture with Professor Sabine also served as a preparatory class for undergraduate students selected to participate in the 2024 Merdeka Campus Competition Program (PKKM).

In this course, students had the opportunity to deepen their understanding of applying participatory methods, widely used to engage communities in empowerment programs. Rather than just listening to lectures, students tried using several tools, such as Venn diagrams, spider diagrams, and well-being matrices, to understand how they can be applied in field data collection. In the second half of the course, students presented readings from scholars like Jurgen Habermas, Foucault, and Robert Chambers, which helped them apply theories to their own research.

Although the course was conducted in a block system with consecutive sessions, participants’ enthusiasm remained high from start to finish. This was due to the varied teaching methods and the active role students played in presenting their ideas. Professor Sabine Troeger expressed her delight in conducting the course and seeing the students’ enthusiasm. To close the course, she invited her students to dinner for an informal discussion about their research interests for the future. The hope is that through such activities, quality education as aligned with SDG 4, and partnerships for shared goals as aligned with SDG 17, can be achieved.

[Public Relation of FIB UGM, Writer: Novilatul Ananda Ramadhani, Editor: Aldiza]

The Master of American Studies study programme in collaboration with the Association of American Studies Students and Alumni (ASSA) organised a Journal Article Writing Workshop. This internal activity which was attended by American Studies Master students was held on Wednesday, 17 September 2024.

The event was divided into two sessions. In the first session, the material was delivered by Dr Aris Munandar, M. Hum, Head of the Master of American Studies Program, Universitas Gadjah Mada. He has conducted various researches covering topics such as language, communication and culture, applied linguistics, educational linguistics, and socio-humanities.

In this first session, the speakers conveyed an overview of the structure of writing journal articles to students.  Generally, the core structure of a journal article consists of introduction, method, result and discussion or commonly abbreviated (IMRaD). In more detail, journal articles are generally systematically composed of abstract, introduction, literature review, methods, results and discussion, and conclusion and reference.  In writing the abstract, the author must pay attention that the abstract includes the background, objectives, methods, results, and contributions or implications of the research. Then, when presenting the introduction, the author must be able to present a description of the latest phenomenon studied and the specific objectives of the study. Third, when writing the literature review, the author can explain the development of previous research, identify research gaps, and affirm the urgency of the chosen research topic.  Fourth, in the methods section, researchers must explain research procedures and how to analyse data clearly and systematically. Fifth, when presenting results and discussion, researchers can connect research data with relevant concepts and literature. Finally, in the conclusion section, researchers are expected to emphasise the main findings and implications of the research with related issues.

In the second session, the material was delivered by Emma Natasha Octoveria, S. S., M. A. who is a graduate of Master of Linguistics, Gadjah Mada University. Collaborating with Dr. Aris Munandar, M. Hum., she has successfully published her article in the Scopus Q-1 indexed journal.

In this second session, Emma delivered material entitled “Literature Review: Balancing between Sensibility and Credibility”. In her presentation, she provided many tips and tricks in writing a literature review. In writing a literature review, the author must pay attention to previous research that will be reviewed must be relevant to the material object, formal object, and context that will be studied. The author can do a literature review mapping first to facilitate the search and writing. Then, she stated that the key to receiving articles in reputable journals is the selection of previous research taken from reputable journal articles. In addition, in this session, Emma also provided practical examples of writing good literature reviews to students by showing examples of writing literature reviews from reputable and quality journal articles. To facilitate writing citations and references, Emma also demonstrated directly how to use the reference management application, Mendeley, easily, practically, and efficiently. “The use of this Mendeley will greatly help in the efficiency and management of the author’s writing time,” she said.

In addition to explaining the basic concept of article writing structure, he also conveyed other important things related to tips and tricks for students to conduct research. Some of them are, first understanding the target of the article’s readers, considering what they should need to know, and also providing evidence in an article so that the assumptions given are justified. In short, the event was closed with an interactive question and answer activity from the participants, and the resource person also gave very concise and easy-to-understand answers so that it increased the participants’ insight in understanding article writing.

At the end of the session, each resource person emphasized participants/students to increase their reading references of reputable journal articles. This aims to build a reading habit and familiarize students with being exposed to quality academic writing structures, which will indirectly build students’ thinking patterns to be able to produce quality research reports in the form of journal articles.

On 2nd of October 2024, at Soegondo Building Auditorium, Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB) Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) was honored to receive a visit from students of SMAN 2 Kuta Selatan. This activity aims to provide insight into the excellence of FIB UGM and explain the career prospects for graduates.

In the event, representatives of undergraduate and postgraduate students of FIB UGM shared their experiences and reasons why they chose this faculty. Aisyah Riska, a graduate student majoring in Linguistics, revealed that her initial interest came from the many renowned linguistic experts who teach at the Faculty. “This faculty has experienced and well-known lecturers in their fields, which is certainly an added value for us as students,” said Aisyah.

Meanwhile, Sandya Kirani, an undergraduate student from Anthropology department, added that the Faculty is ranked first in Indonesia and around 50th in the world. “I feel proud to be able to study at this highly reputable faculty. This is an important consideration for me in choosing a major,” she explained.

The event also discussed job prospects for graduates of FIB UGM. Many alumni have successfully pursued careers as ambassadors, translators, lecturers, and CEOs in the tourism sector. This shows that education at FIB UGM is not only qualified, but also relevant to the needs of the current world of work.

In the context of international cooperation, FIB UGM also establishes partnerships with various institutions abroad. This cooperation includes student exchange programs, joint research, and international seminars, which certainly enrich students’ learning experience. Hopefully, this visit can provide inspiration and motivation for them in determining their next educational steps.