Aisyah Riska, a student from the Master’s Program in Linguistics at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), is an inspiring figure hailing from South Sulawesi. Aisyah’s decision to continue her studies at UGM was a great decision. She aimed to earn her master’s degree and develop her potential in both academic and non-academic fields.

In the academic sphere, Aisyah has shown outstanding achievements. However, her excellence is not limited to academics alone. Aisyah is also active in various non-academic activities that enrich her experience and contribute positively to her surroundings.

As a person with a talent for the arts, Aisyah joined the Seni Pascasarjana UGM and served as the Head of the Theater Division. Additionally, she is active in Theater Gadjah Mada, a prominent theater organization at the university. Aisyah’s skill in theater not only hones her acting abilities but also enhances her communication and teamwork skills.

Not only active in arts organizations, Aisyah is also highly dedicated to the field of education. She actively teaches students from elementary to high school levels who are preparing for graduation exams or entrance exams for the next educational stage. Through this teaching, Aisyah hopes to make a tangible contribution to improving the quality of education for the younger generation.

Aisyah’s public speaking ability also allows her to have an exposure to the role of Master of Ceremony (MC) or moderator at various important events, both at the university level and events organized by local government agencies. Her role as an MC or moderator not only proves her communication skills but also showcases her confidence and high professionalism.

In addition to her academic achievements and involvement in various activities, Aisyah is also focused on being a content creator. Currently, she is part-time worker at the Unit of Public Relations and Cooperation FIB UGM. There, she is responsible for producing content focused on the TikTok platform.

Aisyah has produced many creative contents that have gone viral, demonstrating her ability to understand trends and audience needs. Through the content she has created, Aisyah not only promotes faculty activities and achievements but also provides inspiration and valuable information to many people.

Aisyah Riska’s story is a true example of a student who not only pursues academic excellence but also actively contributes in various fields. Despite her busy schedule and responsibilities, Aisyah continues to show high commitment and dedication. She is an inspiration to many other students to keep striving for their dreams and making a positive impact on society.

Aisyah Riska proves that with hard work, passion, and dedication, one can achieve various accomplishments and make a real contribution to their surroundings. May Aisyah’s inspirational story motivate more students to keep creating and achieving.

Bali is an island with a continuously growing tourist appeal recognized internationally. The glittering tourism industry brings significant economic benefits but often obscures tourism practices that involve children, a well-known issue. Unfortunately, in recent times, the involvement of children in tourism has been linked to sexual tourism practices, and the cases are often hidden from social dynamics.

This prompted four interdisciplinary students from Universitas Gadjah Mada to explore the topic of Child Sex Tourism (CST) in Bali. They are I Ketut Aditya Prayoga from the Tourism Study Program, Ni Luh Feby Riveranika from the Sociology Study Program, Putu Daryatti from the Psychology Study Program, and Adi Surya from the Law Study Program, guided by Dr. Fahmi Prihantoro, S.S., M.A., who has an interest in tourism policy. This research is conducted under the Student Creativity Program in Social-Humanities Research (PKM-RSH), which received funding on April 20, 2024. The team’s success in the PKM-RSH process involved a lengthy selection process, from faculty and university levels to national selection.

The urgency of the topic is quite sensitive as it involves sexual and child-related issues. However, the projected benefits of this research are substantial for creating an environment that better supports the rights and freedoms of children. During the research process, the researchers faced difficulties in finding survivors of CST cases in Bali due to restricted access. Despite this, the research serves as a platform to analyze CST cases more deeply, from factors leading to victimization, the trauma experienced by survivors, to protective measures that can be implemented to minimize future cases through policy briefs and scientific journal publications.

Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) is proud to host the prestigious international conference “Association for Asian Studies in Asia 2024” (AAS-in-Asia). The conference takes place over three days, from Tuesday, July 9th to Thursday, July 11th, 2024, and is attended by approximately 1,400 participants from 43 countries.

On this occasion, the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM serves as one of the main venues for various panel discussions and academic presentations. As a center for cultural and humanities studies, the Faculty of Cultural Sciences at UGM provides adequate facilities to support the smooth running of this international conference.

The “Association for Asian Studies in Asia 2024” conference brings together academics, researchers, and practitioners from various disciplines interested in Asian studies. With participation from 43 countries, this conference offers an extraordinary opportunity to share knowledge, research findings, and perspectives on various important issues related to Asia.

Over the three days, conference participants attend various panel sessions discussing topics such as politics, economics, culture, history, and social issues in Asia. These discussions are led by leading experts in their fields, providing in-depth insights and valuable new perspectives.

In addition to panel discussions, the conference also includes other sessions such as interactive workshops. Participants have the opportunity to interact directly with speakers and fellow attendees, expanding their academic and professional networks.

This conference not only serves as a platform for sharing knowledge but also introduces the beauty and cultural diversity of Yogyakarta to international participants. As a city of culture and education, Yogyakarta offers a rich experience in history and tradition, adding value to the conference.

During the 3rd graduation period held on April 24, 2024, four students from the Master’s Program in American Studies graduated. All four are 2021 cohorts of the Master’s Program in American Studies, namely: Diah Prima, Ratu Nadhirah El Sarah, Krisna Sujiwa, and Riza Rahayu Muludi. The discussions in the theses of these four graduates reflect a diversity of topics ranging from political issues, popular culture, social problems, racism, etc. Broadly speaking, the students’ thesis interests in the study program are grouped into two; namely social issues and literature.

Diah Prima’s thesis is titled: American Influence in Japanese Imagination: A Study of Semiotics on Furudate’s Haikyuu!!. This study discusses the influence of America in Japan and the extent of American influence on Haruichi Furudate’s manga Haikyuu!!. Haikyuu!! itself revolves around the theme of volleyball, a sport introduced by America. In addition, there are other aspects that are also American influences in this manga, such as fashion, hairstyle, technology, and cheerleading. Nevertheless, there are still some limitations to American influence in Haikyuu!!, such as politeness, which is deeply ingrained in Japanese culture and remains unaffected by American culture.

Next is Riza Rahayu Muludi’s thesis titled Constructing the Pursuit of Happiness in the Pursuit of Happiness (2006): Roland Barthes’ Semiotic Analysis. This study aims to see how the pursuit of happiness constructs the lives of Americans in the film The Pursuit of Happiness. The pursuit of happiness is part of the American Dream, which means that every American has the right to their happiness. As seen in the film, the character Chris Gardner has his own happiness in achieving success. Furthermore, other characters besides Gardner also have their own happiness.

Ratu Nadhirah’s thesis, which graduated with Cumlaude honors, is titled Representing Islam in American Superhero Series of 2022. This thesis discusses how Islam is represented in superhero series. Conflicts related to Islam in the Western world, especially in the United States, have been ongoing long before the events of September 11, 2001 (9/11). However, the negative representation of Islam worsened after 9/11. This event promoted stereotypes that spread widely through the mass media, forming a set of characteristics used to identify Muslims, such as thick beards, heavy accents, Arab appearance, the use of hijabs, and more. Nonetheless, in 2022 Marvel Studios released its 7th television series titled Ms. Marvel, featuring the first Muslim superhero as the main character in the history of American superhero series.

Lastly, Krisna Sujiwa’s thesis, titled Freedom of Speech in Transnational Dialogue: a Critical Discourse Analysis of Daryl Morey’s Tweet about the Hong Kong Protest, discusses how a tweet from Daryl Morey, an executive of an NBA basketball club, caused issues between the NBA, America, and China, which eventually led to significant problems for the NBA.

These studies are expected to provide an overview of how research is conducted in the Master’s Program in American Studies, as well as what topics or issues can be researched in the field of American Studies. Furthermore, these studies are also expected to serve as references for future research.

The competition that the Tourism & BSO Sastra Oebah Team participated in on May 15-17, 2024 was called the Indonesian Tourism Competition. The competition was held at Bandung State Polytechnic. For the competition itself, as the title suggests, it is related to tourism. However, there are several general branches of competition, one of which is creative dance. The participants were spread throughout Indonesia, although not all of them participated. At that time, the team of students from the Faculty of Humanities, Gadjah Mada University won 3rd place out of 12 participants. Creative Dance Competition is a talent test that focuses on the creativity of contemporary dance movements including harmonization between wiraga, wirasa, wirama, weitra, accompanied by traditional music and modern Indonesian music. With the theme “Revive The Culture of The Land a Thousand Islands”, this competition aims to create a creative dance where participants can perform extinct traditional Indonesian dance performances with modern vibes.

Sastra Oebah is a semi-autonomous body of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, which is engaged in dance (traditional classical and contemporary creations). In 2023, Sastra Oebah was formed to become the new identity and face of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences. The beginning of the naming of Sastra Oebah itself is because it is in the Faculty of Letters (Faculty of Cultural Sciences) and Oebah means “moving” which is then elaborated as a symbol that BSO Sastra Oebah is a BSO engaged in dance. The establishment of Sastra Oebah was seen by several students who have potential in the field of dance. In this case, Sastra Oebah is able to realize several implied questions related to the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, which is identical to the variety of cultures in it, but does not have an institution/community engaged in this field (traditional classical dance and contemporary creations in particular). The mission of Sastra Oebah itself was formed by not being closed, which means that it is only open to students of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences. However, Sastra Oebah opens as many opportunities as possible for non-faculty students if they have an interest in joining Sastra Oebah. interested in joining as part of Sastra Oebah.