SGDs 4: Quality Education | SGDs 17: Partnerships For The Goals

On Friday, January 26, 2024, the Head of the Intercultural Department of FIB Gadjah Mada University, Prof. Dr. Sangidu, M.Hum. visited UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya as a resource person at the Debriefing of the Student Credit Transfer Program to Egypt. This activity was attended by the Vice-Rector for General Administration, Planning, and Finance of UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya, Prof. Dr. Wiwik Setiyani, M.Ag., lecturer representatives, and students of the Arabic Literature Study Program from various institutions in Indonesia.

In her speech, Prof. Dr. Wiwik Setiyani said “The Credit Transfer Program has been initiated by Prof. Sangidu since the 2000s and is still ongoing today. This year, UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya dispatched 13 students to continue their master’s and doctoral studies in Egypt. Hopefully, this activity will continue and the kinship between UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya and Gadjah Mada University will be maintained”.

The event continued with the presentation of material by Prof. Dr. Sangidu, M.Hum. who had served as Attache of Education and Culture in Cairo, Egypt for the period 2009-2013. He explained that Indonesia has a long-standing relationship with the Middle East, especially Egypt. Therefore, universities in Egypt are open to Indonesian students who want to continue their studies there. This opportunity needs to be well utilized because it is very important to improve Arabic language skills, both oral and written.

SGDs 4: Quality Education

On Thursday, February 22, 2024, the Faculty of Cultural Sciences Department of History successfully held a colloquium for Masters in History with two presenters, namely Indriyani and Nur Fadilah Yusuf. Meanwhile, Dr. Mutiah Amini, M.Hum. and Dr. Wildan Sena Utama, S.S., M.A. served as discussants. The event was also attended by the Head of the Department of History and students of S2-S3 History which took place from 13.30 to 15.30 WIB in room 709 Soegondo Building, Faculty of Arts UGM.

Indriyani with a thesis plan entitled “The King’s Symbol Becomes the City’s Symbol: Sriwedari Park in Surakarta 1901-1987” became the first presenter in the colloquium. In general, her thesis explains that Sriwedari Park has experienced a change from an exclusive space to an inclusive space. Initially, Sriwedari Park was established by Pakubuwana X in 1901 as a private space of the palace, so ordinary people often referred to the park as “Bon Raja” or “Kebon Raja” which means “King’s Park”. Later, this condition changed when the commercialization of Sriwedari Park occurred through the implementation of entrance tickets or tickets. Eventually, the park became a public space. After Indonesia’s independence, Sriwedari Park became a revolutionary space where the majority of the ticket sales were used for the cause of independence. After the revolution, there was an assumption in the community that “you haven’t been to Solo if you haven’t been to Sriwedari”, so according to Indriyani, Sriwedari Park eventually became a kind of symbol of Solo.

The second speaker, Nur Fadilah Yusuf with a thesis plan entitled “Taman Ismail Marzuki: The Life of Art and Politics 1968-1998” generally discussed the relationship between art and politics in which the state influenced the running of activities at TIM (Taman Ismail Marzuki). Initially, the establishment of TIM in 1968 was the result of discussions between people known as the Cultural Manifesto group and Governor Ali Sadikin. It can be said to be a grant because of the support of the artists at that time towards the New Order rulers. Nur Fadilah Yusuf also talked about how TIM changed not only spatially, but also in terms of thought (from the representation of art for art’s sake to socialist realism brought by Lekra). In 1998, TIM functioned as a discussion space for activists and students who were going to carry out the reform movement at the Jakarta parliament building.

This colloquium is certainly a golden opportunity for the presenters to get progressive criticism and suggestions for the improvement of their work. Moreover, as Wildan Sena Utama said, the tradition of peer review in Indonesia is still relatively rare.

“People in Indonesia, one of the reasons why many of them turn their attention to predatory publishers like that is because they avoid the peer-review tradition. They are antipathetic to the peer-review tradition because they are afraid, so they think of it as a kind of killing field, you know, not as an opportunity to improve your work, (to) improve your quality,” said Wildan Sena Utama.

In addition, Wildan Sena Utama also provided tips for dealing with peer review.

“There are tips, when you get a complex peer review, don’t do it right away, just let it sit for a day or two because sometimes you also have to prepare your brain first to work on it. That’s one of the tips for dealing with peer review,” he said.

SGDs 4: Quality Education | SGDs 17: Partnerships For The Goals

On Thursday, February 22, 2024, at 10:00-15:00 WIB, the Japanese Language and Culture Study Program (BKJ) UGM held an Educational Collaboration activity with Ferris Women University (FWU) from Yokohama, Japan. The activity which became a means of cultural exchange was attended by Sato Akira, Ph.D. as an accompanying lecturer along with 3 Ferris Women University students, as well as lecturers and students of the Japanese Language and Culture Study Program. After the reception by the Head of the Department of Japanese Language and Culture UGM, Tatang Hariri, M.A., Ph.D., lecturers and students of FWU entered the lecture class to conduct discussions and exchange information with UGM students.

The collaboration was divided into two sessions. The first session was with first-year students and the second session was with third-year students. In both sessions, FWU students and BKJ UGM students were divided into three groups to discuss several themes using Japanese. For the first session, the topic of discussion was the differences in student life in Indonesia and Japan, while the second session with third-year students, they discussed the culture and work system in Indonesia and Japan. After the discussion, each group presented the results or important points of their respective discussions using Japanese.

For the academic community, knowledge of cultural differences in various aspects of life is considered important. This is because in addition to being a means to enrich knowledge, knowing cultural differences also increases students’ ability to adapt to other cultures. This educational collaboration activity is expected to train critical thinking skills and encourage students to innovate from the perspectives gained in group discussions. As stated in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this collaboration can be a means to build quality education and as a foundation for creating global partnerships.

Japanese Language and Culture Study in discussion with Ferris Women University students

SGDs 4: Quality Education|SGDs 17: Partnerships For The Goals

Yogyakarta, 30th January 2024 – The thesis writing progress seminar is one of the activities that must be carried out by students of the Program by Research in the Archaeology Master Program at FIB UGM. This activity is carried out to monitor the progress of research that has been carried out in the context of completing the thesis. In a seminar attended by students and thesis supervisors, students who are preparing a thesis get useful input to enrich the thesis that will be produced and at the same time provide solutions to the obstacles faced.

The Program by Research at the Master of Archaeology Study Program at FIB UGM provides opportunities for researchers or prospective non-research students who already have quite a lot of experience in research and publication. Two other programs offered by the Archaeology Master’s Program at FIB UGM are the regular Master’s program and the Double Degree program.

More information about the programs offered by the Master of Archaeology Study Program and related scholarships can be seen on the website: https://arkeologi.ugm.ac.id/

SDGs 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth | SDGs 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

To realize the 8th and 9th commitment points in the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), namely Decent Work and Economic Growth as well as Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, the Department of History again successfully held an Alumni Menyapa workshop on Thursday, February 15, 2024. On this occasion, the Department of History presented four speakers from Kasagama (Keluarga Alumni Sejarah Universitas Gadjah Mada) at once, namely Lieutenant CAJ M. Ivan Harish, S.Sej., Kenanga Sekar Putri, S.Sej., Hendra Permana, S.Sej., and Dian Eka Fitriani, S.Sej. to share their post-graduation experiences with the prospective graduates of Period II FY 2023/2024.

The first speaker shared his experience of having a career in the military, precisely at Disjarahad (Army Historical Service). The second speaker shared his experience working at MyEduSolve, a company engaged in digital literacy. Meanwhile, the third and fourth interviewees, a husband and wife team, shared their experiences working at Museum Multatuli and ANRI (Arsip Nasional Republik Indonesia) respectively.

In general, all four interviewees agreed that the career path for history graduates is wide open. It was also agreed that apart from writing, one of the main strengths possessed by history graduates is data analysis skills. This skill is one of the important indicators required by various fields of work today. However, life after graduation requires careful preparation. The step starts with recognizing one’s potential and preparing various supporting instruments in applying for a job, such as continuing to practice to improve one’s potential and preparing a good LinkedIn and CV (curriculum vitae).

“I summarize a little that what needs to be realized first is what your abilities are. One of the skills that we already have from our history major, and have also been equipped from the Department through internships or apprenticeships is our ability to write. That is the initial grip. So whether we want to be in the Army Historical Service, or start-ups, or ANRI and museums, our strength in writing, analyzing data, assembling periodization, and so on is a provision that turns out to be quite important in the world of work. And overall, thank you to Kasagama and the Department for providing today’s activities which are very helpful for us as fresh graduates,” said Aulia, a History major from 2019.

“The Kasagama alumni gathering conducted by the Department is very helpful for me in the future for the career path that I will choose or live after college. I am very grateful to the Department and the performers who have provided insight or initial knowledge to me about the world of work. And hopefully, in the future the graduates and I get a job or choice of level (red: career) that is following what is desired and the best for each, “said Sada, a student majoring in History class 2019.

Indeed, in recent years the History Department has continued to strive to improve additional skills for its students. Good communication has also been established with Kasagama to motivate, bridge, and increase self-confidence for prospective graduates. This is an effort to realize that the learning process does not stop at graduation. What has been acquired while studying at the Department of History is a provision that if developed can be more dense, contained, and useful because history is a source of inspiration for many things.