Yogyakarta, 1/9/2025 – The Arabic Study Program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, has introduced an Entrepreneurship lecture led by Dr. Ir. Siti Andarwati, S.Pt., MP., IPU., ASEAN Eng. The lecture is designed to provide students with entrepreneurial insights focused on fostering innovative, impactful, and sustainable mindsets.

In its opening lecture, students were introduced to the scope of entrepreneurship, the urgency of cultivating young entrepreneurs in Indonesia, and their role in driving national economic growth. Referring to data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), the lecture highlighted how the limited availability of formal jobs must be balanced with the creation of new business opportunities, particularly among the younger generation.

The class also emphasized the philosophical differences between entrepreneurship and wirausaha (sociopreneurship). While entrepreneurship is often rooted in Western individualistic philosophy, the Indonesian concept of wirausaha underscores harmony between individual and community, aiming for broader social benefits.

Students were further equipped with knowledge of entrepreneurial psychological profiles, including self-confidence, results orientation, risk-taking, and future-oriented thinking. The Plan-Do-Check-Action (PDCA) cycle was introduced as a key strategy for building consistent and sustainable business practices.

As part of the interactive session, students worked in small groups to develop and present business ideas, focusing on identifying market opportunities, crafting business plans, and showcasing product innovations. These activities were designed to sharpen their teamwork, problem-solving, and presentation skills while encouraging creative thinking.

Through this course, Arabic Study Program students are expected to cultivate creative and innovative mindsets while viewing entrepreneurship as a meaningful path to contribute to sustainable development. The program also supports the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure).

Author: Muhammad Ardiansyah

Yogyakarta, 21/3/2025 – Keluarga Mahasiswa Antropologi (Kemant) UGM went westward to the Faculty of Engineering, to visit the Library of the Department of Mechanical and Civil Engineering (DTMI). DTMI has been sending invitations to student bodies all across the university to visit their library, to share what they’ve been developing these past few months: a library that provides a comfortable public space for students. The library sits on the southern part of the department building, right next to the parking lot. The space inside it is moderately big, about twice the size of the Anthropology Reading Room on the fifth floor of Soegondo. In front of the entrance, sits a locker for students to put their bags in.  Next to that is the receptionist table, and next to that are rows of tall bookshelves filled all the way to the top. Books of many different kinds can be found; from the typical engineering books about Autocad and metallurgy, to fictional novels and even some biographies. Beside these bookshelves, many students are sitting in an arrangement of tables – some are doing their homework, some are playing board games, and some are merely socializing with each other. The library has a built-in decibel-meter, used to measure the sound level in the room; it beeps loudly when the sound goes over a certain threshold, a reminder to the students to keep it down. Aside from the main room with shelves and tables, the library also holds two isolated rooms – walled up with glass – to serve as meeting/reading rooms, where students who need more silence can go and sit.

Dhika, a third-year mechanical engineering student serving part-time as the library keeper, explained that this vibrant atmosphere is a relatively new experience. Back then, the DTMI Library was a cramped space that seldom held visitors. With dreams of an easy and accessible public space for students, Dhika and a few friends of his then advocated for the improvement of the library. The space was renovated, lifting up the ceiling and widening the interior. The book collection was expanded to hold more kinds of books, not just limited to engineering guides. Some professors also donated to the library’s collection; not just books, but also board games to enrich the place. Another thing that changed was the opening hours. Whereas back then the library was only open during working hours on Monday to Friday, nowadays the place can be accessed by students from morning until night, seven days a week. With these changes, the library became a gathering place where students can spend their time on campus, facilitated by the existence of myriad books and games in the library. The once-barren place is now filled with student activity, and the whole place became more lively.

After the tour, the Kemant representatives were free to explore the library by themselves. Some read the new book additions that haven’t been sorted into shelves, but most tried to play the board games that are available. While accompanying the excited students, Dhika reiterated the point of this visit: spreading awareness to students from all over UGM about the importance of a common space such as the DTMI Library, and to help realize the dream of a public space for students from all faculties and departments.

Author: Amadeus Abhirama Paramanindita

Yogyakarta, 27/8/2025 – The Master’s Program in Linguistics, Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB) Universitas Gadjah Mada, held a public lecture entitled “An Outside Perspective: Classifying Languages in Multilingual Spoken Corpora” at the R. Soegondo Auditorium. The event was open to both the academic community and the general public, featuring Dr. Zara Maxwell-Smith, Lecturer in Indonesian Studies at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS), UNSW Canberra, as the keynote speaker.

The lecture was officially opened by the Head of the Linguistics Master’s Program, Prof. Dr. Suhandano, M.A. In his remarks, he encouraged participants to collaborate in advancing linguistic research and to make the most of the opportunity to learn from the invited speaker.

In her presentation, Dr. Zara first highlighted the major challenges in building multilingual spoken corpora. She explained that such corpora are notoriously difficult to annotate and describe. The difficulties include managing non-verbal cues in transcripts, converting oral communication rules into written systems across different languages, transcriber subjectivity, and the significant amount of time required for manual transcription.

She then presented findings from her research on Indonesian Language for Foreign Speakers (BIPA) classroom data. According to her, teachers’ speech is part of their professional identity, and training data can shape perceptions of teaching practice as well as teachers’ understanding of their own work. This, she noted, calls for sensitive approaches to avoid negative impacts on employment and professional reputation.

Despite these challenges, Dr. Zara emphasized the empirical benefits of such research. The findings provide valuable insights for teachers, curriculum developers, educational researchers, and policymakers. Moreover, the study helps advance the teaching of Indonesian, contributes to resources for bilingual natural language processing (NLP), and places education at the center of technological applications in the field of language.

Yogyakarta, 23/7/2025 – The Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, once again held its postgraduate graduation ceremony for the fourth period of the 2024/2025 academic year on Wednesday, 23 July 2025. The event took place at the 7th-floor Auditorium of the Soegondo Building, FIB UGM, and was attended by faculty leaders, lecturers, and the families of graduates, creating a solemn and heartfelt atmosphere.

In this period, the Master’s Program in Literature successfully graduated three graduates, one of whom was Maharanny Setiawan Poetri, who earned the distinction of being the fastest graduate.

Maharanny was enrolled in the ‘by research’ program starting from the even semester of the 2023/2024 academic year. The ‘by research’ program is a special program within the Master’s Program ofLiterature that offers a curriculum more focused on research and requires fewer coursework credits compared to the regular program. One key difference between the ‘by research’ and the regular program is that applicants for the ‘by research’ program must submit a thesis proposal as part of the admission requirements. This program is designed for students who already have a strong research focus and are prepared to engage intensively in the thesis-writing process from the beginning of their studies.

With strong dedication and perseverance, Maharanny completed her postgraduate studies in just three semesters. Her achievement demonstrates that completing a graduate program in a short period is not impossible, provided there is commitment, discipline, and a clear research direction. Her accomplishment serves as an inspiration for anyone seeking to pursue their academic journey effectively and purposefully.

Maharanny’s success also reflects the flexibility and innovation of the Master’s Program of Literature in responding to the diverse academic needs of its students. The existence of the ‘by research’ program provides an opportunity for students to undertake their graduate studies in a more structured and efficient manner, without compromising the academic standards expected of a master’s program graduate. Congratulations to all graduates of the Master’s Program of Literature, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, UGM, for the fourth graduation period of the 2024/2025 academic year. May the knowledge and experience gained during your studies serve as a valuable foundation for your future endeavors.

By: Marsya Kamila/Public Relations, Master’s Program of Literature

Amid the surge of technology and the rise of artificial intelligence capable of arranging sentences neatly, Kumala–student of Arabic Literature–chose writing as her path of expression and contribution. “AI-generated writing may be neat, but the emotion and meaning can only come from humans,” she said.

For Kumala, being a student of Arabic Literature is not just about reading classical works or understanding the Arabic language in depth, but also about learning how to voice stories powerfully. Content writing became the medium she chose to bridge theory with practice. She believes that good writing can serve as a bridge connecting emotion, information, and action.

From Interest to Action: How Kumala Began Writing Content

Kumala’s interest in content writing grew alongside her curiosity about the creative process behind content itself. For her, the brainstorming stage is the most crucial. “That’s where it all starts–before the visuals and editing, there’s an idea that needs to be packaged attractively and powerfully,” she explained.

Kumala also brings her academic passion for literature into the world of content. One of her favorite courses is Geoculture and Geopolitics of the Middle East, which opened her eyes to major issues that could be conveyed through writing. “One day, I want to write content that acts as a catalyst to voice issues in the Middle East,” she added.

First Steps at UNAI and Valuable Lessons from One Piece of Content

Although she’s still new to her role as a content writer at UNAI, Kumala has already experienced the challenges of this world. She started by writing carousel content for Instagram, a format that may seem simple but demands high precision. Her biggest challenge? “Finding ideas that are relevant, trending, and emotionally engaging enough to capture the audience’s attention. It’s not easy, but it’s very rewarding,” she said.

Of all the content she has created, her first piece remains the most memorable, not just because it was the first, but because she had to carefully listen to a speaker with an American accent, filter out many sentences, and condense them into a single impactful paragraph. “That’s where I learned how to craft a sentence that truly ‘says something’,” she shared.

The Content Writer as a Communication Bridge

According to Kumala, the role of a content writer is crucial within an institution. “At UNAI, content writing is part of the communications department. So we don’t just create content, we deliver the institution’s messages, vision, and values to the public,” she explained. This shows that good writing isn’t just about aesthetics, it’s also about strategy.

A Message to Students: Dare to Step Outside Your Comfort Zone

Amid her academic and non-academic commitments, Kumala continues to strive to stay motivated. She holds on to one principle: “The life we live today is the dream we had yesterday. So make the most of it and live it wholeheartedly.”

For students who still hesitate to explore beyond their field of study, Kumala has a message: “Being different isn’t bad. Try as many new things as possible, as long as they don’t harm others or yourself. Don’t reach old age with regret, be a youth who explores, and an elder with stories to tell.”

In this digital era, Kumala believes it’s essential for students to equip themselves with various skills. “We don’t know which skill will open the door to our future career. So don’t be afraid to explore. Technology may be advanced, but we humans must be even more advanced.”

And for fellow Arabic Literature students interested in content writing, Kumala ends with one practical tip: “Write what you think. Set small milestones for your skill development so you don’t get stuck in one place and can keep growing.”

[Public Relations of FIB UGM, Candra Solihin]