On Saturday, June 8, 2024, from 9:10 AM to 1:00 PM, undergraduate anthropology students from various cohorts and students from other study programs who took cross-departmental courses in anthropology participated in a rendang cooking event at the Selasar Soegondo Building, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM). This event was part of the Sumatra Ethnography course, which discusses Minangkabau culture, and aimed to instill respect and appreciation for cultural differences and ancestral heritage. The event was directly guided by the course supervisor, Agus Indiyanto, S.Sos., M.Si., who has ethnographic research experience in Minangkabau.

Rendang is a traditional Indonesian dish originating from Minangkabau, West Sumatra, known for its long cooking process to achieve rich flavors and tender meat texture. In this event, the rendang cooking process was done using a quicker method with two stoves: one for cooking the meat and the other for cooking the coconut milk, which would later be combined. The basic spices for cooking rendang were provided by the committee, but the students had to bring their own cooking utensils and were divided into seven groups, each consisting of 10-11 people.

The cooking activity began with a briefing from Agus Indiyanto about the ingredients and the method of cooking rendang. After the briefing, the students took the necessary ingredients and started the cooking process in their respective groups. Each group was free to innovate by adding their own additional spices, resulting in different rendang variations from each group. During the cooking process, the lecturer moved around to monitor and provide guidance to each group. Once finished, the rendang was presented to the lecturer for evaluation based on appearance and taste.

This quicker cooking process demanded a highly systematic method. Many groups failed because they did not stir the rendang continuously, even though one of the secrets to delicious rendang is the proper cutting technique and long cooking time. According to Agus Indiyanto, through this event, students became more understanding and appreciative of traditional food. Despite the significant effort required, this activity aimed to teach appreciation for cultural differences by experiencing firsthand how challenging it is to make traditional dishes.

Author: Afif Naufal Widiadi

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen,

informing one of the new programs at FIB UGM: SIBUYA, what’s SIBUYA?

SIBUYA (Sarapan pagi Ilmu BUdaYA), is a free and healthy breakfast program for students of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM during the Final Semester Examination. Save the dates!

(June 19, 21, 24 and 27, 2024*)

Just show your KTM / (Exam card on that day) and enjoy the free breakfast!!!

Don’t run out … Let’s get it….

*Breakfast is available 200 servings every day

Starting at 06.30 until the place in front of Soegondo Building runs out

Hopefully the SIBUYA program is useful and adds to the enthusiasm of FIB students in taking UAS, and hopefully UAS runs smoothly, and we are always given health.

Thank you Mr. Dean and all of you for fasilitasinya

A collaborative research study between the Department of Anthropology at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) and the Department of Anthropology at Padjadjaran University (UNPAD) is currently underway (May – October 2024) focusing on eating habits and food-giving traditions for toddlers. The research, titled “Eating Habits and Food-Giving Traditions for Toddlers in Efforts to Prevent Stunting in Rural Sundanese Areas,” is being conducted by two researchers: Dr. Atik Triratnawati, M.A. from UGM and Erna Herawati, S.Ant., MA., PhD. from UNPAD. They are academics with extensive track records in anthropological research, particularly related to public health.

This study focuses on the eating habits and food-giving traditions for toddlers in Cileles Village, Jatinangor District, Sumedang, West Java. The village was chosen as the research site due to its paradoxical condition: despite having good access to natural resources and healthy food, it still has a relatively high stunting rate. This phenomenon indicates issues in consumption patterns and food-giving traditions. One interesting early finding is the high consumption of aci (tapioca flour)-based foods, which are suspected to contribute to the high stunting rate. Aci-based foods are often given as main meals, not just snacks, even to toddlers.

The main objective of this research is to enhance understanding of the eating patterns and food-giving traditions that can influence stunting in rural Sundanese areas. The study also aims to identify and promote local foods with good nutritional content while minimizing the provision of foods that can cause stunting. This research has broader implications in efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) points 1, 2, and 3, which are No Poverty, Zero Hunger, and Good Health and Well-being for all ages. By improving the nutrition of toddler food and educating the community about the importance of healthy eating patterns, it is hoped that significant improvements in the health and well-being of the people in Cileles Village and other areas with similar issues can be achieved.

The research involving Dr. Atik Triratnawati and Erna Herawati is expected to make a significant contribution to efforts to address stunting in rural Sundanese areas. By highlighting the importance of understanding eating habits and food-giving traditions and identifying healthier local foods, this study aims to encourage positive changes in community eating patterns. The output of this research will be published in a scientific journal in October 2024, making the results accessible to various interested parties, both academically and practically. Thus, it is hoped that this research will not only provide new insights but also serve as a foundation for more effective health policies and programs in the future.

Author: Afif Naufal Widiadi

On Monday, March 4, 2024 a Thesis Proposal Seminar or Sempro was held offline for S-1 Cultural Anthropology students of FIB UGM. The Proposal Seminar was held openly, so that the academic community and the general public could see the seminar. This seminar was attended by 29 students who were divided into four clusters, namely the economic tourism cluster, lifestyle and health cluster, ecology and maritime cluster, and arts, gender, and labor cluster.

Dr. Atik Triratnawati, M.A as the Head of the S-1 Cultural Anthropology Study Program who was also present as a discussant lecturer in the proposal seminar this time delivered several comments, he conveyed a message related to the need for students to refer to SDG’s values in writing a thesis. He revealed that actually Gadjah Mada University has made a regulation where the final project, thesis, and thesis of students are required to refer to the values in the SDGs and all courses in the S-1 Cultural Anthropology Study Program have also referred to the values in the SDGs. However, from the seminars that have been held, almost none of them refer to or clearly link the thesis proposals that students present with the values in the SDGs. Responding to this phenomenon, he planned that in the future there will be a socialization related to embedding SDGs values in the thesis and thesis of Anthropology students.

In addition to mentioning about SDGs, Dr. Atik Triratnawati, M.A also responded to the seminar from a technical point of view, she advised related to the question sentence in the problem formulation. She revealed that there are still many students who underestimate the question sentence “why” and feel enough with the question sentence how, even though according to her if the why sentence is used in the right context, it will lead to broader and deeper research findings. He advised students who will take part in proposal seminars in the future to consider the aspect of the question sentence “why”.

From the proposal seminar that has been held, it can be seen that although the University has emphasized the importance of referring to SDGs values in the thesis, there are still gaps in its application by students. Support and socialization planning that will be initiated in the future are important steps to ensure that students can better understand and apply these principles in their thesis. In addition, messages related to the importance of asking “why” questions are also important points in improving the quality of research. All of this is an effort to encourage the achievement of the ideals contained in the SDGs, especially point 4 (Quality Education) through the contribution of Cultural Anthropology students at Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM.

Praise to God Almighty, for His blessings and grace we gathered on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at the Soegondo Auditorium on the 7th floor of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM in good health and happiness, in the context of “Soft Skill Training for Undergraduate Graduation Candidates of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences” Universitas Gadjah Mada, Period III of the 2023/2024 Academic Year. Ferdeo, was the student in charge of guiding the softskill training that afternoon. To start the event, the audience listened to remarks delivered by the Head of the Community Service and Alumni Unit, Dr. Sajarwa, M.Hum. Next, there was also an announcement from the Coordinator of Academic and Student Affairs, Mr. Yusuf Sulistiyo, S.Pi., M.M. Next was the announcement made by the Career Development Center Team, which on this occasion was represented by Mr. Dama Qoriy Arjanto, S.S., M.Sc.

Moving on to the next agenda, the core agenda on that day, namely the debriefing session for undergraduate graduation candidates of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Period III of the 2023/2024 Academic Year. In this session, the event was guided by a moderator, namely Dr. phil. Ramada Akmal, S.S., M.A., who is a lecturer at the Indonesian Language and Literature Study Program. The speaker who filled the session was Mr. Ari Bagus Panuntun, S.S., M.A., who is the owner and founder of the contemporary bookstore “Warung Sastra”, who is also a lecturer in the French Language and Literature Study Program. The session went smoothly and it is hoped that the knowledge that has been shared can be a blessing and useful for all prospective graduates. Amen. Before closing, the event was continued with socialization delivered by the team from Teleperformance.