On Saturday, May 4th, 2024, the anthropology linguistics class held a field trip to Cilacap in order to get to know the locals, in particular the people who live in the coastal area. Approximately 65 students joined the field trip. They were divided into two classes, which were Class A and Class B. Class A focused on the people and the place around Teluk Penyu Beach such as how people communicate in a particular situation and the toponym around the town. Meanwhile, class B tried to picture the people and its culture. For instance, some groups observed how the locals present their gratitude through sedekah laut and how the people who are fishermen use the equipment, particularly the people in Tegalkamulyan village.

“We were intrigued by the event that they called sedekah laut, a special event only held by people in Cilacap,” said Fandi, a student from class B. He further explained that people in Cilacap deliver their gratitude towards the Almighty by serving some offerings. “ We were dumbfounded that they use more than 100 kinds of things as the offering where each symbolizes a certain idea,” Fandi stated.

Another group from class B tried to describe the equipment used by the local fishermen where they discovered that naming the equipment based on its appearance such as its size and its shape. A similar topic also was discussed by a group from class A. Auna explained that his group tried to illustrate the toponym around the town. On the other hand, Dila and her group took ethnographic communication to observe the interaction between fish traders and the buyers in TPI (Fish Auction Place). “We should’ve visited the TPI but unfortunately we came a little bit too late and the weather wasn’t that good which made them close the TPI. However, we still got the data in particular about the type of communication by interviewing several fishermen,” Lova added.

This field trip was initiated to implement what the students have learned in class and also to get more information from the experts as Dr. Suhandano delivered his remarks to officially open the activity. “The field trip was fun and insightful. We didn’t not only learn about the linguistics aspect but also tried to dig deeper to understand the culture that will enhance the analysis,” Ulfa said.

This field trip was held in cooperation between the Master’s Program in Linguistics and the fishermen organization, Himpunan Nelayan Seluruh Indonesia Kabupaten Cilacap. “We do hope that such an activity like this will always be conducted. It gave us the real picture of being a researcher and also created a strong collaboration with organizations and the people,” said Imam.

UGM Anthropology Department collaborated with Faculty of Social Science Chiang Mai University (CMU) Thailand to Organize Summer Course “Knowledge Enhancement Program” from June 8-14, 2024. The program, attended by 9 CMU students from Myanmar, China, Japan, Thailand, and 8 UGM Anthropology Department students, included activities such as lectures, fieldwork at three locations in Yogyakarta (Panggungharjo Village, Kaliurang, and Kali Code Village), and presentations of field findings.

The Summer Course aims to provide CMU and UGM students the opportunity to explain the conditions of their respective countries, particularly regarding economic, environmental, social, or cultural aspects of regional economic development. This is expected to foster sensitivity and critical thinking towards everyday issues through participation in field activities. Additionally, the program seeks to offer opportunities for undergraduate and postgraduate students and scholars from ASEAN countries to exchange and share their knowledge and culture with fellow students and academics, fostering inter-university regional relationships.

On Saturday, June 8, 2024, 9 CMU students arrived in Yogyakarta accompanied by Dr. Putthida. On Monday, June 10, 2024, the Summer Course was officially opened by the Dean of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences at UGM, Prof. Setiadi, followed by lectures from UGM Anthropology lecturers: Zamzam Fauzanafi, Ph.D., Prof. Pujo Semedi, and Dr. Pande Made Kutanegara, who provided an overview of the three fieldwork areas.

On Tuesday, June 11, 2024, CMU and UGM students, accompanied by Agung Wicaksono, Ph.D., and Dr. Putthida, began fieldwork in Panggungharjo with the topic “The Development of Yogyakarta’s Peri-Urban Regions.” At the site, students conducted observations and interviews with local residents about the changes in Panggungharjo over time, from land use changes to waste management innovations by the Panggungharjo Village Government, which has become a model for public service management.

The fieldwork continued to the second location in Kaliurang, specifically in Padukuhan Kaliurang Timur, with the theme “The Wealth and Poverty in Rural Yogyakarta.” Similar to previous activities, each CMU student was paired with a UGM student as a translator. In Kaliurang, participants received materials on the causes and impacts of poverty experienced by the local community and visitors.

On Wednesday, June 12, 2024, Summer Course participants continued fieldwork in Kampung Kalicode. There, they met with Pak Totok, a tour guide, who explained the history of Kampung Kalicode. This fieldwork focused on the theme “Inter-Ethnicity Relations in Yogyakarta City,” observing the dynamics and relationships between ethnic and religious groups in Kampung Kalicode.

To conclude the Summer Course, on Thursday, June 13, 2024, students were asked to present their findings from the fieldwork. Each student offered their perspectives and reflections based on what they discovered in their country and fieldwork areas. Dr. Putthida, who accompanied the CMU students, hoped that the UGM-CMU Summer Course would contribute significantly to national and regional efforts toward development and tolerance of socio-economic, political, and cultural diversity, which are key to successful regional integration.

Authors: Bety Oktaviani & Vincamira Tasha Florika

The Information and Documentation Management Officer (PPID) of Universitas Gadjah Mada regularly updates public information as a form of commitment to the implementation of information disclosure at UGM. In connection with this, PPID invited representatives of each faculty at Universitas Gadjah Mada, especially the Public Relations (Humas) section, to attend the 2024 Public Information Update Coordination Meeting which was held online on Thursday, May 30, 2024 at 9 until 11 am.

Dr. Andi Sandi Antonius Tabusassa Tonralipu, S.H., LL.M. as the Main Information and Documentation Management Officer expressed his gratitude for the attention and good cooperation. It is hoped that after this meeting, there will be concrete steps to improve transparency and accessibility of information within the university. Hopefully, the meeting results in a more proactive policy in providing relevant and up-to-date information to all stakeholders, be it students, staff, or the general public. Thus, Universitas Gadjah Mada can be increasingly recognized as an institution that is transparent, accountable, and responsive to the information needs of the community.

On June 1, 2024 from 4 to 6 pm in the courtyard of Soegondo Building, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Gadjah Mada University, Palmerah, Yuk! together with Perpustra continued their efforts to enlighten others through literacy discussions with Maman Suherman and Kalis Mardiasih as speakers. They invited literacy communities and publishers as parties who participate in fighting for the literacy movement. Perpustra UGM together with Palmerah, Yuk! has held a discussion related to efforts in nurturing literacy. This discussion highlighted the importance of access to books and efforts to make books as living objects that actively meet their readers, in order to continue our struggle to enlighten each other.

Jakarta, June 8, 2024 – The Korean Language and Culture Program at UGM sent five of its students to participate in the final round of the 22nd K-Speech Oratory Contest Indonesia, organized by the Indonesia Korea Speech Eloquence Association and held at the National University (UNAS). The five students were Ida Ayu Nastiti, Anggita Lintang Herdiwan, Nasywa Athallah Putri, Firmansyah Haryo Yudhoyono, and Naufal Java Fakhriansyah.

The event began with a performance by UNAS students and was followed by Big Group Oratory Speeches from each university, including UGM, which successfully submitted its Big Group Oratory Speech via video. The event continued with the introduction of the judges and remarks from relevant parties. After these segments, 27 individual category participants performed in the order determined by the organizers, followed by performances from 7 team category participants. While awaiting the judges’ evaluations, the event included a door prize distribution session and an overall evaluation of the participants’ performances. The event concluded with the awarding ceremony and a group photo session.

Students from the Korean Language and Culture Program achieved several awards in this competition. Anggita Lintang Herdiwan won First Place in the individual category, while Nasywa Athallah Putri, Firmansyah Haryo Yudhoyono, and Naufal Java Fakhriansyah won Third Place in the team category.

This competition provides a platform for students to showcase their potential, particularly their ability to speak Korean in public. This skill is one of the potentials that the Korean Language and Culture Program at UGM aims for each of its students to develop. Certainly, this achievement is due to the students’ courage and the support provided by all the program’s lecturers.