The Faculty of Cultural Sciences Gadjah Mada University (FIB UGM) hosted an educational visit from SMA 1 Banyudono on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, at the Poerbatjaraka Building Auditorium, FIB UGM. The event was attended by 83 students, accompanied by their teachers, as part of an effort to introduce students to the world of higher education.

The visit aimed to provide insight into higher education, particularly the various degree programs available at FIB UGM. During the presentation session, participants received information about the faculty’s profile, academic strengths, the new student admission process, and career prospects for graduates of the various degree programs offered by FIB.

In addition to learning about the degree programs, the students also gained an overview of the various learning support facilities available on the FIB UGM campus. These facilities include lecture halls, a library, language labs, and various resources that support the development of students’ competencies in both academic and non-academic fields.

This event also introduced student life at FIB UGM through presentations on student organizations, Badan Semi Otonom (BSO), and various programs that students can participate in. Through these sessions, participants were encouraged to understand the importance of developing their interests, talents, and leadership skills while pursuing higher education.

Through this visit, it is hoped that students from SMA 1 Banyudono will gain a more comprehensive understanding of the college environment and the opportunities for personal development available at FIB UGM. This event also serves as a means to strengthen the relationship between the FIB UGM, and high schools in support of improving access to information on higher education for the younger generation.

[Humas FIB UGM, Maylafaizza Nafisha Zifa] 

The Tourism Study Program of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FIB UGM), welcomed a visit from the Tourism Study Program of Universitas Pignatelli Triputra (UPITRA) as part of a benchmarking study. The visit was attended by representatives of the Tourism Study Program lecturers, educational staff, Dean of Social Sciences and Humanities at UPITRA, and several UPITRA lecturers.

During the visit, the first session focused on an introduction to the Tourism Study Program at FIB UGM, presented by Popi Irawan, S.S., M.Sc., Ph.D., a lecturer in the Tourism Study Program of FIB UGM. Following the presentation, the UPITRA delegation discussed its curriculum development, particularly in relation to tourism education based on the Outcome-Based Education (OBE) approach.

UPITRA chose the Faculty of Cultural Sciences at UGM as the destination for this benchmarking visit because of the Tourism Study Program’s excellent accreditation status. Through this study visit, UPITRA hopes to achieve a similar level of accreditation and enhance the quality of its graduates so that they can be better prepared for and absorbed into the tourism industry.

This activity is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in promoting partnerships to achieve common objectives, in accordance with the Faculty of Cultural Sciences’ commitment to supporting sustainable development.

[Public Relation of FIB UGM, Alma Syahwalani]

The American Studies Master’s Program proudly congratulates three students, Evelyn Sekar Rossary, Glory Emanuelle, and Mbulan Liyu Andadari for successfully presenting their research poster at the 17th Asian Conference on the Social Sciences (ACSS2026) held in Tokyo, Japan, from May 09-13, 2026.

Organized by IAFOR (the International Academic Forum), ACSS2026 is one of their international conferences that brings together students, researchers, and educators from various institutions in the world to exchange ideas about intercultural diversity. This year’s conference received more than 800 presentation submissions from 77 countries, including Indonesia, the Philippines, the United States, India, Taiwan, Japan, and Singapore.

Among the accepted presentations was the research poster by Evelyn, Glory, and Liyu entitled “Negotiating Gender and Embodiment: Mpreg as a Queer Narrative Seen Through a Feminist Lens.” This research shows the representations of male pregnancy (mpreg) in Indonesian X communities and examines how these narratives are interpreted through feminist perspectives. The research identifies diverse responses to mpreg narratives, from feminist resistance to traditional gender expectations to their consumption as forms of entertainment and creative expression within online communities. 

Their presentation attracted a lot of interest among conference participants. Many attendees were curious about the topic and appreciated the opportunity to learn about an issue that is still rarely discussed openly in Indonesia. They received thoughtful questions, constructive feedback, and positive responses from fellow researchers.

For Evelyn, Glory, and Liyu, attending ACSS2026 was more than just an opportunity to present their research. The conference provided valuable opportunities to engage with scholars from diverse academic and cultural backgrounds, exchange ideas, and establish international academic networks. They enjoyed learning and discussing topics related to gender, identity, and representation with different perspectives and different cultural views as the participants came from different countries.

Author: American Studies Program

The Korean Language and Culture Study Program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), held a public lecture entitled “The Strategic Profession of Sworn Translators.” The event featured Anisa Syifa Amalia, S.S., M.I.S., a sworn translator for Indonesian–Korean and Korean–Indonesian language pairs, as well as an alumna of the Korean Language and Culture Study Program, Class of 2011. The lecture was open to all students of the study program and was mandatory for students enrolled in the Korean Comprehensive Language 2 course.

During the session, the speaker shared her professional journey as a translator and explained the vital role of sworn translators in supporting legal affairs, business activities, and international cooperation. Students were introduced to various aspects of the profession, including the code of ethics, competency standards, certification process, as well as the challenges and career opportunities emerging in the era of technological advancement and artificial intelligence (AI). The speaker also emphasized the importance of maintaining accuracy, professionalism, and accountability in translation work, particularly when dealing with documents that carry legal implications.

Through this public lecture, students gained broader insights into the profession of sworn translators as a promising career path for graduates of Korean Language and Culture Studies. The event also provided a practical understanding of the competencies that students need to develop early on in order to remain competitive and contribute effectively in professional environments.

It is hoped that this activity will encourage students to continuously enhance their language proficiency, strengthen their professionalism, and prepare themselves for various career opportunities that require linguistic expertise and intercultural communication skills in the future.

Author: Eunike Serafia N.S

The Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB) at Gadjah Mada University (UGM), in collaboration with the Université de Montréal (Canada), is organizing the 2026 Off-Campus Summer School program. Under the theme “The New Orientalism: Understanding the Paradoxes of Mass Tourism in Southeast Asia,” this program invites students from various countries to critically examine the challenges and real-world impacts of the mass tourism industry. This event was the fourth installment of the “Political Issues in Southeast Asia” (POL6615) seminar series, attended by 32 selected students—16 from Canada and 16 from Southeast Asia.

Rooted in the framework of critical tourism studies, this Summer School invites students to understand the contradictory processes generated by the enthusiasm for mass tourism. The phenomenon of tourism in Southeast Asia is seen as presenting real ambiguities; on the one hand, it can foster cultural exchange and economic growth, but on the other hand, it contributes to the commodification of culture, the destruction of local ecosystems, and the construction of an imaginary “authenticity” for the sake of market interests. To explore these complexities, this program emphasizes a comprehensive pedagogical approach. Participants not only listen to theoretical presentations by experts at the R. Soegondo Building, Faculty of Humanities, UGM, but are also immersed in the field to conduct participant-observation research in small groups in Yogyakarta, a major destination rich in cultural and ecological heritage. As part of the academic requirements, every student is required to contribute to the course, prepare summaries of required readings, and produce research reports and reflective journals.

The theoretical complexity surrounding this tourism paradox was immediately brought to life on the first day through a keynote lecture delivered by Prof. Devi Roza K. Kausar, Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Tourism at Pancasila University. In her lecture titled “The Challenges and Paradoxes of Cultural Tourism in Yogyakarta,” Prof. Devi highlighted the ongoing tension between cultural preservation and the commercial expectations of tourism. He specifically analyzed the case study of the Borobudur Temple World Heritage Site to illustrate the real conflict of interest between the economic development of priority destinations and the conservation of cultural heritage.

The Borobudur case clearly demonstrates that tourism is not merely an ordinary economic activity, but rather a political decision shaped by power dynamics, institutional fragmentation, infrastructure priorities, and competing development visions. Through this analysis of a specific case, students are directly invited to critically reflect on how a cultural element is presented to the public, who actually benefits most from this industry, and how young researchers should position themselves ethically when conducting studies in socially and culturally complex environments.

Through this Off-Campus Summer School program, students are expected to move beyond a black-and-white view of tourism as something that is either “beneficial” or “harmful.” The goal is for them to graduate with a more nuanced understanding, while also developing research methodology, academic presentation, and cross-cultural collaboration skills that are crucial for future researchers.

[Author: Humas FIB, Zaidan Abdurrahman]