SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth | SDGs 8: Culture | SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities | SDGs 11: Adaptation | SDG 17: Partnerships for goals | SDGs 17: Fostering for innovation

In one of series of retirement period events for Prof. Dr. Ida Rochani Adi, S.U. which was held on Monday, February 19th 2024 in the Soegondo Building Auditorium, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Gadjah Mada University, Seminar on Popular Culture and Literature was the main event led by the moderator, namely Dr. Herman Felani, M.A. with Prof. Ida acted directly as Keynote Speaker. Meanwhile, the presenters were two professors who were experts in this field. The two presenters were Prof. Mister Gideon Maru as the first presenter and Prof. Nuriadi as the second presenter. The two experts discussed the social community’s views on popular cultural and literary phenomena.

According to the speaker at the seminar, literature is always synonymous with “fiction”, “the product of imagination”, “imagination” and “the result of inventions” created by the author. This view is not completely wrong but tends to inferiorize literature as a creative work and science in the social sciences and humanities. Literature is an expression of feelings, thoughts, views on life, life character principles, and a writer’s ideal vision of life. Therefore, literature takes the form of FICTION (novels, short stories, folk tales, legends, etc.), but also NONFICTION (letters, essays, speeches, biographies, autobiographies, etc.). The extraordinary discussion closed with comments from Prof. Ida, then continued with giving souvenirs to the moderator and presenter as well as taking a group photo.

SDG 4: Quality education | SDGs 4: Education | SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth | SDGs 8: Culture | SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities | SDGs 11: Adaptable | SDG 16: Peace, justice, and strong institutions | SDGs 16: Education | SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals | SDGs 17: Fostering Innovation

The title of this Public Lecture succeeded in attracting the attention of students from the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Gadjah Mada University who were interested in concentrating on translation to attend the Multimedia Room on the 2nd floor of the Margono Building on Tuesday 20th of February 2024. Students from various levels and classes as well as lecturers filled the room from 9 am to gain new knowledge about translation from extraordinary sources in their field. The resource person is the Head of Pacific and Asian Students from the University of Victoria (British Columbia, Canada). Before presenting his material, he expressed his deepest gratitude to the Faculty of Cultural Sciences for supporting his research and to the students who were willing to take the time to attend the general lecture.

The material opened by explaining the meaning of translation so that public lecture participants knew the basic knowledge first before discussing translation and its problems in more depth. The use of differentiation in each concept of religion and atma was one of the problems in translation where there might be a language transformation adapted from the old concept to the new constitution. On the issue of religion and atma, there were a number of terms and other languages that were trapped in language transformation efforts. The presenter delivered the material in a way that was easy to understand, namely by relating it to examples found in everyday life based on the presenter’s personal experience. From the presentation given, he concluded that the use of linguistics, especially in the field of translation, could not be separated from concepts in everyday life.

Prof. Dr. Faruk HT., moderator at this public lecture, closed by providing a simpler conclusion that there were three important points that could be noted. First, translation as a crossing of meaning. This does not only apply to interlanguage translations but also between languages, for example between one group and another. Second, the concept of metaphor is conveying something with another meaning. This meaning can also be reversed, that is, conveying the meaning with a different name or sign. Third, meaning is a fluid process that can change from one place to another, from one case to another, such as in the case of religion and atma. Finally, the question and answer session was led by a different moderator, namely Dr. Arsanti Wulandari, M. Hum.

SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals | SDGs 17: Global partnership | SDG 16: Peace, justice and strong institution | SDGs 16: Conflict resolution | SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities | SDGs 11: Community

On Tuesday, February 13th 2024 at 1 until 3 pm, the UGM Japanese Language and Culture Study Program held a public lecture on the topic “Will Japan become a ‘normal country’?: Changes in the Defense Debate Before and After the Outbreak of The Ukraine War ” which was delivered by researchers and teaching staff at the Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies from Kobe University, (Ass. Prof.) Masato Nakahara. This Public Lecture was the opening for the 2023/2024 even semester lecture activities which were attended by lecturers and students of the Japanese Language and Culture Study Program, as well as students from outside the study program who were interested in Japanese issues.

In the first part, Nakahara-sensei explained the history of the formation of the Jieitai (Japanese Self-Defense Forces) after Japan’s defeat in World War II and changed in the position of the Jieitai during the Allied occupation as regulated in the Showa Constitution which was in effect to this day. The restrictions on Jieitai activities regulated in the Showa Constitution meant that Japan’s military activities were very limited, including when there was a war outside Japan, such as Russia’s war with Ukraine, which is still ongoing today. Japan’s position in relation to security and world peace is a dilemma because sending war troops abroad violates the mandate of the Shouwa Constitution, while on the other hand the international world wants Japan to play an active role in sending war troops. Especially in the current era where changes in the global political constellation after the Cold War are increasingly dynamic and real, Japan, which is required to always prioritize peace as mandated by the Shouwa Constitution (Heiwa Kenpou), needs to look for new interpretations so that it can become a ‘normal’ country, namely a country that on the one hand can maintain sovereignty, and on the other hand can play a role in world peace. After the presentation session by Nakahara-sensei, the public lecture continued with a discussion and question and answer session which was very dynamic and filled with various questions from the public lecture participants regarding Japan’s attitude and position in relation to international conflicts, geopolitical changes in East Asia and Indonesia.

Understanding the position of Japan in the context of global change is considered important for the study program’s academic community because apart from being a means of updating information related to current issues regarding the country of Japan, it is also a means of learning and inspiration for research themes concerning Japanese issues. More than that, through forums like this, cooperation between study programs and foreign institutions can be further enhanced and can become a means for study programs to facilitate their academic community to be able to move more globally, in accordance with one of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), namely developing global partnerships for development.

In preparation for the implementation of Posbindu PTM activities, HPU FIB UGM held training activities for Posbindu cadres. This activity was carried out over two days. On the first day, Monday 6th of February 2024, material provision about Posbindu was held in the Multimedia Room of Margono Building, 2nd Floor, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Gadjah Mada University. The event opened promptly at 8 am and continued with the Pre test. Furthermore, the delivery of material related to the introduction of HPU, introduction to Posbindu PTM, assessment of risk factors for PTM, assessment of nutritional status and nutritional education, measurements at Posbindu, recording and reporting at Posbindu, consultation on examination results and education at table 5, safety at Posbindu, and first aid in an accident. After being provided with some of these materials, participants took the post test.

The second day’s event was held the following day, it was Wednesday, 7th of February 2024 in Courtroom 1 of Poerbatjaraka Building, 1st Floor,  Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Gadjah Mada University at 8 am until 12.15 pm. Because on the first day the participants were presented with basic material regarding Posbindu and so on, on the second day the participants were encouraged to practice. The Posbindu training participants carried out the Posbindu table 5 simulations and exercises with enthusiasm and passion, then immediately carried out the second post test to see the progress they had made as Posbindu cadres after receiving the material and training during the two-day event.

This event received cooperation and assistance from Mr./Mrs. UGM HPU Team. Head of HPU UGM, Prof. Dra. Yayi Suryo Prabandari, M.Sc., PhD, had the opportunity to directly accompany the training participants as a speaker regarding examination activities in posbindu and health check practices (measuring blood pressure and taking blood samples to check cholesterol, sugar and uric acid levels). He received a direct invitation from the Deputy Dean for Finance, Assets and Human Resources, namely Mr. Suray Agung Nugroho, M.A., Ph.D. The Posbindu cadre training was attended by staff from the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Gadjah Mada University. The targets of Posbindu services are all staff, both lecturers and teaching staff in the faculty environment.

Double degree program in Heritage studies (UGM) and in critical heritage studies of Asia and Europe (Universiteit Leiden, Netherlands) is a program where postgraduate students, especially those majoring in archeology, can study in two places, namely Indonesia and the Netherlands for two semesters each and will get two degrees at once. In order to socialize this program to archeology students of Gadjah Mada University, the director of the Universiteit Leiden office and KITLV from Jakarta, Marrik Bellen, visited the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Gadjah Mada University. Held in the multimedia room of the Margono building on February 5th 2024 at 2 pm, the Dean of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences himself gave a welcoming speech.

This event was attended by archeology postgraduate students both offline and online. Meanwhile, the two main speakers tasked with conveying the program mechanism were Dr. Anggraeni M.A. as the first speaker from Gadjah Mada University and Dr. Elena Paskaleva from Universiteit Leiden as the second speaker. The first speaker discussed the registration mechanism starting from the time period, requirements that must be met, registration requirements, number of students who will be accepted, and many more which can be checked on the um.ugm.ac.id page. For Indonesia. students, they will get two diplomas at once after they complete 1 year of study at their campus in Indonesia and 1 year at Universiteit Leiden. Meanwhile, Leiden students will immediately receive a diploma after completing each 1 year of study.

Through the zoom meeting, the second speaker focused more on explaining the mechanisms during the study. The presentation begins by giving reasons why you should study at Universiteit Leiden and what career prospects that students will get in the future. After that, she began to explain the things that needed to be prepared when studying there, such as preparing the language because all lectures will be held in English, there were 60 EC/European Credit (SKS) a year with 28 hours per EC, and there were many courses that could be chosen. such as Politics, Economics, Literature, Language, and many more. She also provides information about where students have to look for themselves, but can ask others because there are many Indonesian students studying at the university.