On Wednesday, September 11, 2024, the Master’s Program in Middle Eastern Cultural Studies in collaboration with the Bachelor’s Program in Arabic Literature at Universitas Gadjah Mada held a National Seminar on the theme of Palestine: From Nakba to Tufan Al-Aqsa at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM. The event invited experts in Arabic literature and culture, namely Prof. Dr. Sangidu, M.Hum. and Prof. Dr. Fadlil Munawwar Manshur, M.S., from Gadjah Mada University and Dr. Uki Sukiman, M.Ag. from UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta. The three speakers discussed the history of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict from 1948 and the struggle of the Palestinian people to gain state sovereignty.

In the first session, Prof. Dr. Sangidu, M.Hum. raised the hot issue of the Palestinian people who on Wednesday, May 15, 2024 yesterday, commemorated 76 years of Nakba (the day of catastrophe or the day of disaster) which as is known that May 15, 1948 was the day of the outbreak of the first Arab-Israeli war. The first Arab-Israeli war in 1948 lasted for approximately 10 months until it ended in March 1949, with Arab defeat. The Gaza War or Operation Tufan Al-Aqsa, which erupted on October 7, 2023, deserves to be called the second Nakba because this operation was the largest Palestinian resistance attack against Israel launched by the resistance faction in Gaza, Hamas, against the Israeli side in Palestine. This operation revealed a large number of depravity and rottenness of the Zionist government and its Western allies, as well as the breakdown of the justice system and global ethical and moral standards.

The second session of the seminar was continued by Prof. Dr. Fadlil Munawwar Manshur, M.S. who focused on the discussion related to the struggle of Palestinian Arab writers in literary works, both poetry and novels. Prof. Fadlil said that the Nakba tragedy had given birth to literary works in the form of Arabic poetry and short stories containing the resistance of the Palestinian people against Israel. The poems and short stories use the iltizam language style, which is a language style that contains the resistance of the Palestinian people against the Israeli occupation. The advantage of this iltizam language style lies in the ability of poets and short stories in describing the cultural conflict between Arab-Palestinian culture and Jewish-Israeli culture.

One of the Palestinian Arab writers who continues to produce literary works of resistance is Mahmoed Darwish. Entering the third discussion, Dr. Uki Sukiman revealed the role of the United States and Israel in Mahmoed Darwisy’s prose. He explained that the Palestinians must be freed from the political commodities of the United States. So far, the United States has used the Palestinian issue as a “line” to defend its interests in the region. According to Dr. Uki, stronger pressure is needed from the international community to Israel on the basis of respect for the universal principles of relations between countries that are anti-oppression, anti-colonialism and against all forms of colonialism. This pressure is expected to condemn and urge Israel to withdraw from Palestinian land.

Yogyakarta, 01/06/2024-The Arabic Literature Study Program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) announced that one of its students has successfully completed an internship program at Mojok Book Publisher, Yogyakarta. This internship program began on February 19, 2024 and ended on May 31, 2024, for approximately three months. During this period, students were involved in various publishing activities including manuscript editing, literature research, and product marketing.

There were three students from the Faculty of Humanities who participated in this internship program, one of whom came from the Arabic Literature Study Program, Elvira Sundari, and the other two came from the French Language and Literature Study Program, Muhammad Ardan Fitriansyah and Catharina Maida. Accompanied by French Language and Literature Lecturer, Ari Bagus Panuntun, S.S., M.A., and working under the auspices of the Mojok Book Editorial team, they had the opportunity to learn firsthand about the book publishing process from the beginning to the end.

The purpose of this internship program is to provide students with practical experience that can complement their academic knowledge so that it is relevant to the skills needed in the publishing industry. Student interns also have the opportunity to publish their own work. They were entrusted by the Mojok Book Editor to write the book Jelajah Kuliner Lokal: Caring for Food, Caring for Sovereignty, which was a collaborative project with Paniradya Kaistimewaan. As a final project, they also managed to publish their first book entitled Yang Harus Kamu Baca Sebelum Kuliah di Jogja. Both books can be purchased at the Mojok Store online and offline bookstore.

This internship experience not only benefits the students but also strengthens the relationship between the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM and the publishing industry in Yogyakarta. The success of this program shows the commitment of the Faculty of Humanities UGM in bridging the gap between education and industry. The collaboration between the Faculty and Mojok Book Publisher also opens up opportunities for further cooperation in the future, both in the form of internship programs and other publishing projects.

The Master’s Program in Middle Eastern Cultural Studies in collaboration with the Bachelor of Arabic Literature Program at Gadjah Mada University held a National Seminar in order to Mangayubagya the retirement of Dr. Hindun, M.Hum with the theme Palestine: From Nakbah to Tufan Al-Aqsa on Wednesday, September 11, 2024 in Room 709, Soegondo Building, Faculty of Cultural Sciences. The event was attended by the deans of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, namely Dr. Nur Saktiningrum, M.Hum. (Vice Dean for Academic and Student Affairs), Mimi Savitri, M.A., Ph.D (Vice Dean for Research, Community Service, Cooperation and Alumni), Suray Agung Nugroho, S.S., M.A. (Vice Dean for Finance, Assets and Human Resources), retired lecturers, alumni and students from the Master of Middle Eastern Cultural Studies and Arabic Literature. The event opened with remarks from representatives of the dean of FIB UGM and continued with giving impressions and messages from representatives of lecturers, alumni, and students from both study programs.

Dr. Hindun is a lecturer in the Intercultural department with expertise in Arabic literature, especially in the poetry of Resistance literature (Adabul Muqawamah). She studied Arabic literature from bachelor to doctoral degree and has served for 40 years at Universitas Gadjah Mada. She has pursued the study of Arab resistance literature, especially Palestine, which until now is still being fought against Israeli occupation. In her speech, Mrs. Hindun said that the struggle for Palestinian independence will never end. She appealed to the invited guests that it is not only the Palestinians who are struggling, but all people of the world who have a humanitarian spirit. Therefore, this seminar certainly provides a deeper insight into the history of the Palestinian conflict to the latest information in the area. For the younger generation, it is hoped that they can continue the relay of this struggle to defend Palestine.

Sleman, 14 June 2024-A total of eight students from the Arabic Literature Study Program of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FIB UGM) underwent an internship program at the Sleman Regency Ministry of Religious Affairs. This program lasted for approximately three months from the beginning of March 2024 to mid-June 2024. This program provides an opportunity for students to develop hard and soft skills that will be needed in the world of work. The tasks given to them are quite diverse, ranging from administrative and archive management, providing counseling, public services, and covering activities.

To maximize the learning experience, the students were divided into several sections based on their field of work. Four were assigned to the Hajj and Umrah Services Section, two to the Madrasah Education Section, one to the Islamic Public Guidance Section, and one to the Public Relations Section.

The internship experience provided students with valuable insights into the mechanisms and procedures that apply in government institutions, as well as allowing them to apply academic knowledge in practical situations. One of the interns expressed his experience:

“This internship program is a very valuable experience for me. Not only can I try to apply the knowledge I learn on campus to the world of work, I also gain knowledge and experience about the dynamics of the real world of work. I learned many things here that were not taught in college. This program provides a new perspective that is very valuable for my future career development.”

These statements reflect the success of the internship program in achieving its goal of equipping students with the practical skills and knowledge needed to succeed in an increasingly complex and competitive professional environment.

Pangalengan, 03/06/2024-The Independent Study Program at the Export School is an off-campus learning program prepared for students throughout Indonesia who have passed verification and validation of student files. This program is carried out in a hybrid manner (online through Zoom meetings and offline for students who want to take part in bootcamp and JJE) every Monday to Friday with the division of morning classes at 08:00-09:30 and evening classes at 19:00-20:30. Learning at the School of Export contains practical material summarized in 8 modules so that students are ready to become export business actors who optimize advances in digital technology.

The Independent Study Program at the School of Export begins by providing comprehensive knowledge about the opportunities to become an exporter in the era of increasingly open global trade, with briefings on the global economy, international trade regulations, and customs. Participants will undergo a team building process accompanied by mentors to understand export potential in various regions and develop export products that utilize retail and online market access, both nationally and globally. Students will also get the opportunity for onboarding in global marketplaces as well as participating in trade shows and business matching. This program is expected to create new exporters who support the government’s target of 500,000 exporters by 2030.

Sekolah Ekspor offers learning modules that cover various important aspects such as export research and strategy, export product development, digital business branding and marketing, to international logistics and customs. Each module in this learning includes independent assignments, practicums, and team projects. Through teamwork, students practice modules such as export product development, digital marketing strategies, and global market analysis with the aim that students will be able to identify and develop local products that have the potential for the export market, both in the form of their own design work and products from MSMEs that are rebranded by utilizing advances in digital technology. This program not only provides access to quality education in line with SDGs 4, but also supports creating jobs in the export-import sector through digital technology, encourages innovation by helping students develop local products to become global, reduces economic disparities between regions, and strengthens international partnerships through collaboration with various parties, including the government and MSMEs.