Friday, May 17, 2024, the Literary Library Community of Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM together with Kognisi, a learning platform from Kompas Gramedia, held a literacy gathering entitled, “Arriving in Yogyakarta” in the green open courtyard of Soegondo Building, Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM. This literacy gathering coincides with the commemoration of National Book Day which occurs every May 17. Participants who took part in the activity did not only come from UGM students, but students from other universities such as Yogyakarta State University and the general public also attended the literacy meeting of Perpustra UGM with Kognisi.

The literacy activity began with the “Celoteh Buku” session, which is sharing stories about books from each participant of the community to be told in front of other participants to hone storytelling skills. Each participant not only explained the summary of the book’s story, but also raised personal opinions from the book he read. After a number of participants told their books, the “Silih Gilir” session began, where each participant packed their respective books into a brown envelope and gave the book to the right side participant continuously until the signal stopped from the moderator, then they would open the envelope containing the book that had been given by the participant next to them randomly and read the book which was then interspersed with a “Read Together” focus time session from the book he got.

On the same occasion, Perpustra also opened a book donation drive open to the community and students with the aim of donating to those in need to help improve regional literacy.

Muhammad Khafifudin, who is familiarly called Khafif, is a student from the UGM Master of Middle Eastern Cultural Studies Program who was chosen to be a translator and personal assistant to one of the Professors of Canal Suez University Egypt, Prof. Dr. Hassan Youssef during his visit to Indonesia. The alumni of Al-Azhar University Egypt accompanied the professor to several events at various institutions, namely UIN Abdurrahman Wachid Pekalongan, Gadjah Mada University, Sebelas Maret University and UIN Raden Mas Said Surakarta. In his duties, he translates from Arabic to Indonesian, both oral and written.

Previously, Khafif had been selected as a translator for several other prominent figures from Egypt, namely Prof. Dr. Mohammed Imam Dawood from the Giza Qur’an Institute, Prof. Dr. Nahla Shabry As-Shoidy as Advisor to the Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar University, and Dr. Nadzir Ayyad, as Secretary General of Majma’ Buhust Lugah al-Arabiyyah. From this experience, this outstanding student successfully translated speeches, material presentations and important documents. During his assignment, he also received positive responses and good appreciation from the figures he accompanied. Therefore, knowledge of spoken and written Arabic plays an important role in establishing communication and cooperation between countries.

On Wednesday, March 6, 2024, the UGM Japanese Language and Culture Study Program (BKJ) held a webinar entitled ‘Japanese Language and Literature Webinar’. The webinar was attended by more than seventy participants combined between BKJ Study Program students and students outside the study program who have an interest in Japanese Language and Literature.

The webinar took place in two sessions, with the first session by Dr. Mulyadi, M.A. as a lecturer in Linguistics of the UGM Japanese Language and Culture Study Program and the second session by Prof. Mika Baba who is a lecturer in the Literature sub-program of the Bachelor of Cultural Sciences and Literary Sciences Program from the University of Tsukuba.

The first session was an explanation of ‘The Use of Japanese in Naming Business Entities in Lamongan Regency’. This session began with the presentation of data on the naming of business entities using Japanese taken from Google Maps. There were twenty business names from various fields that used Japanese. The data shows that the Japanese language and culture are considered to have a high appeal in attracting customers, especially among young people.

The session continued with a discussion on ‘Personal Pronouns as a Method in Modern Japanese Literature’ by Professor Mika Baba. His research focused on literary works in the second half of the 19th century (1850-1900). In Japanese literature, first person pronouns are used such as 「私」watashi,「余」yo,「己」onore,「我」ware,「僕」boku,「俺」ore, and「自分」jibun. All seven first person pronouns have the same meaning of I or me. The difference lies in the time of use such as 「余」yo which is no longer used, and「己」onore and「我」ware which can still be seen today in literary works set in the past. Another difference lies in the gender of the user. The pronouns 「僕」boku and「俺」ore are mostly used by men, while 「私」watashi is mostly used by women. Lastly, the pronoun 「自分」jibun is generally used when expressing personal opinions in a public forum.

By holding Japanese literature and language webinar activities from the two speakers, it is hoped that students can gain new knowledge related to the use of Japanese both in practice and theory. The knowledge gained later can also be utilized by academics to explore this field.

SDGs 4: Quality Education | SDGs 4: Basic literacy | SDGs 4: Basic literacy skills | SDGs 4: Education for sustainability | SDGs 4: Education | SDGs 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth | SDGs 10: Education | SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities | SDGs 12: Efficient use of resources | SDG 16: Peace justice and strong institutions | SDGs 16: Education

The Department of Anthropology at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) organized a public lecture addressing an important societal issue: the gap between knowledge and action. This work skills-related lecture was held on May 8, 2024, from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM at Soegondo Building 707, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, UGM. The lecture was intended for undergraduate Cultural Anthropology students taking the work skills course but was also open to the public.

The keynote speaker at this event was Dr. Nicholas Goodwin, an expert in behavior change and CEO of Tulodo, a consultancy focused on promoting positive behavior change in society. Dr. Goodwin was accompanied by two work skills course lecturers, Dr. Pande Made Kutanegara, M.Si., and Prof. Dr. Bambang Hudayana, M.A., who provided additional contributions to the discussion.

In his lecture, Dr. Nicholas Goodwin highlighted a major societal issue: many people know what they should do but are either unable or unwilling to do it. An example provided was knowing the importance of doing good deeds but failing to implement them in daily life. “The gap between knowledge and behavior is often overlooked or considered the same, whereas they have significant differences,” stated Dr. Nicholas Goodwin.

According to Dr. Nicholas Goodwin, the lack of understanding of the difference between knowledge and behavior is the root of the problem. To address this, a better understanding is needed on how knowledge can be transformed into consistent and sustainable actions. Dr. Nicholas Goodwin also introduced the concept of “work skills pockets” developed by Tulodo, aimed at providing practical tools and strategies for individuals to change their behavior.

This public lecture aligns with the spirit of SDG number 4, which aims to provide quality education for all, and SDG number 8, which emphasizes the importance of creating decent work and sustainable economic growth. By enhancing the understanding of the difference between knowledge and behavior, and by developing comprehensive work skills pockets, it is hoped to contribute positively to achieving these SDG goals.

This work skills public lecture is expected to provide new insights for UGM Anthropology Department students on the importance of transforming knowledge into concrete actions in daily life. It is hoped that the knowledge gained from this lecture can be implemented by students in their roles in society to create positive and sustainable change.

Author: Afif Naufal Widiadi

SGDs 4: Quality Education| SDGs 4: Cultural diversity | SDGs 4: Basic literacy skills | SDGs 8: Creativity and innovation | SDG 9: Industry innovation and infrastructure | SDGs 9: Cooperation | SGDs 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions | SDGs 17: Fostering innovation | SDGs 17: Global partnership

Last Sunday (17/3/2024), the English Literature student activity, namely the English Literature Pradangga or often known as Prasasti Club received a visit from Dr. Antonio Guerra Arias, a research professor and creator with a specialist field of ethnodrama studies from the Universidad Autonoma de Chihuahua. The visit took place at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences of Universitas Gadjah Mada, accompanied by the Head of the English Literature Program, Dr. Adi Sutrisno, M.A. and a retired English Literature lecturer who is also an arts activist, Dr. Eddy Pursubaryanto, Dip.TESL, M.Hum.

The purpose of Dr. Antonio Guerra Arias’ visit was to explore and understand the art of drama performance, especially Javanese Puppetry. Dr. Antonio Guerra Arias believes that the art of drama performance in Indonesia and in Mexico has similarities, namely the stories presented in drama performances are still strongly related to rituals and mystical things. In his research entitled “Shadows of Little Mexico”, Dr. Antonio intends to collaborate the story in his homeland with the Mahabharata story in Indonesia in a puppetry show.

During the visit, Dr. Adi Sutrisno, M.A. and Dr. Eddy Pursubaryanto, Dip.TESL, M.Hum. invited Dr. Antonio to watch the weekly practice of Prasasti which was held at the Margono building of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM. While listening to the music, Dr. Antonio had a conversation with the teacher and composer of the songs performed by the club, Nanang Karbito, M. Sn. The conversation was about the art of Javanese puppetry and the stories behind it. 

Currently, Dr. Antonio still needs the help of experts in the field of Javanese art, especially Javanese puppetry. For colleagues who are experts in this field, you can contact him via email address tony_war@hotmail.com and WhatsApp number +62 823-3383-6437.