On Friday, December 1st 2023, the Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB) Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) encouraged students who were in their final exam period (UAS). To ease the burden on the minds of their students, FIB UGM handed out free snack parcels along with the provision of small greeting cards. This initiative results from a collaboration between FIB and Suar Asa, with the hope of providing moral support to students who may be too fixated on preparing for exams and forget the importance of taking a short break.

The distribution of free snacks before UAS is considered a positive step by the faculty to support students’ mental and emotional well-being. FIB UGM is committed to providing quality education and paying attention to students’ overall welfare. This simple action from the faculty was warmly welcomed by the students.

“We feel supported and loved by FIB UGM, please do it more often” explained one of the students who received snacks during the distribution event.

The snack distribution agenda before the final exam period aligns with UGM’s commitment to accelerate the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) point 3, namely Good Health and Well-Being.

On Monday, 27 November 2023, the Tourism Study Programme of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences Universitas Gadjah Mada (Tourism Study Programme FIB UGM) received a guest visit from Management and Science University Malaysia (MSU). This visit is part of the University Visit activity which is held with the main purpose of conducting a comparative study between the Tourism Study Programmes of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM and MSU Malaysia.

The forum began with a warm welcome from Wiwik Sushartami, a representative of the UGM Tourism study programme, which was then followed by remarks from Nur Amirah, who represented MSU as a substitute for the dean. The first session of the schedule started with a brief presentation on the profile of Management and Science University (MSU). In this session, Mrs Nur Amirah gave a comprehensive overview of MSU (what is MSU, how is their remark in Malaysian education etc). Furthermore, the forum continued with art performances (dancing and singing) from MSU students. This art performance’s purpose entirely covers the richness of Malaysian culture.The next session from MSU was followed by an in-depth presentation on Malaysian culture delivered by their students.

After that, the Tourism Study Programme of FIB UGM introduced its study programme, including the profiles of several teaching staff who play a role in the formation of the next generation in the field of tourism. Interesting information was also delivered through presentations about Pancoh Tourism Village and Jogja Philosophical Axis by Tourism Study Programme students.

The QnA session was the highlight of the interaction between the students of Tourism Study Programme of FIB UGM and MSU. In this session, there were a lot of interesting questions asked by both Tourism study programme students and MSU students. Both sides showed great interest in each other’s culture. In closing, the University Visit ended with a group photo session and a short campus tour, giving a positive final impression and strengthening the relationship between educational institutions. This event not only opened up space for academic discussions but also enriched cross-cultural experiences for all participants.

The new British Ambassador to Indonesia, Dominic Jermey made his first official visit to Yogyakarta on 17 November 2023. On this occasion, he delivered a public lecture at the Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Gadjah Mada on UK-Indonesia bilateral relations in the fields of education, politics, climate change, digitalisation, arts and culture.

The event began with a warm welcome delivered by the Vice Dean for Research, Community Service, Cooperation, and Alumni, Dr. Mimi Savitri, M.A. In her opening speech, Dr. Mimi Savitri sincerely expressed her appreciation for the high level of bilateral cooperation that has existed between the UK and Indonesia over the years. She emphasised the importance of this relationship as a foundation for further cooperation in academic and social fields.

The next segment was Dominic Jermey’s ambassadorial speech. In his speech, he stated that he had high hopes for the students present in the room to become the successors of the country’s development relay. He highlighted some crucial issues that are being faced by all countries in the world, namely climate change. According to him, the issue of climate change must be brought up and discussed further because the earth that is inhabited today will one day be inherited by younger generations. Students – he continued – can guard this problem according to their portion.

In the last half of his speech, Dominic Jermey warmly welcomed students who had the intention to continue their studies in the UK. He expressed his appreciation for the dedication of the prospective students. Dominic also encouraged the students and gave them the full support of the UK government to ensure the success of their academic journey in the country. In addition, he emphasised the importance of cooperation between countries in supporting knowledge exchange and global human resource development.

The public lecture session was closed with a Q&A session, where participants were given the opportunity to ask questions directly to Dominic Jermey. This session created an interactive atmosphere that allowed for an exchange of ideas and views between the speaker and the audience. Afterwards, the event was closed with a group selfie session.

The Department of History, Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM is holding another Public Lecture entitled “Soewarsih Djojopuspito: The Life of a Colonial Female Nationalist in Independent Indonesia” on Friday, 10 November 2023. The event took place in the Multimedia Room on the 2nd floor of Margono Building. This Public Lecture focuses on discussing the life journey of a female nationalist during Indonesian independence. Hans Visser, an independent researcher from Alkmaar, was the main speaker in this event, while Dr. Agus Suwignyo, a lecturer from the Department of History, acted as the moderator.

On this occasion, the discussion thoroughly covered the contribution of Soewarsih Djojopuspito, a female writer and literary figure best known for her work entitled “Free Man” or “Buiten Het Gareel”. This work is recognised as an important part of Indonesian literary history. Not only that, in 2013, Soewarsih Djojopuspito was awarded the honour of Bintang Budaya Parama Dharma in recognition of her dedication to literature.

This Public Lecture provides a space to explore Soewarsih Djojopuspito in greater detail, exploring significant aspects of her life and contributions in the context of Indonesian history. The event is not only a platform to recognise an inspirational nationalist figure, but also an opportunity to reflect on the struggles undertaken by a determined woman like Djojopuspito..

UGM Department of History successfully organised a seminar entitled “From Sartono Kartodirdjo, Soedjatmoko, and Moh. Ali Towards Future Indonesian History Writing (I)” on 31 October 2023 at the Auditorium of Soegondo Building 7th Floor. The event was attended by around 100 participants from researchers, students, and the general public.

The seminar aimed to explore the future of Indonesian history writing by exploring the thoughts of figures such as Sartono Kartodirdjo, Soedjatmoko, and Moh. Ali. Three keynote speakers, Gani Achmad Jailani from Universitas Padjadjaran, Priska Marsila from Alumni UIN Sunan Gunung Jati, and Wahyu Purwiyastuti from Satya Wacana Christian University, presented materials covering various aspects of Indonesian historiography.

In addition to the keynote speakers, the seminar also involved 17 co-speakers who were selected through a call for papers selection. The participants were divided into six panels according to the predetermined theme groups. The hope is that this seminar can provide inspiration for the development of Indonesian history writing in the future.

A joint discussion session moderated by Prof Bambang Purwanto concluded the seminar. In closing, Prof Bambang asked interesting questions about the need to discuss the philosophy of history and whether the Indonesian-centric approach is relevant. He also emphasised that this seminar was the beginning of a deeper discussion on the philosophical aspects of history writing.