SDGs 4: Quality Education | SGDs 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions | SDGs 17: Partnerships for the Goals

Yogyakarta (06/03/2024) – After spending the month of Ramadan full of wisdom, it is time to celebrate the blessings and warmth of Syawalan. The Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Study Program held a Syawalan event with great joy and a spirit of togetherness. This event took place in the hallway of the 4th floor of the Margono building on May 2, 2024, starting at 04.00 PM WIB until completion, attended by students from the 2020-2023 batch along with all the lecturers.

The festivity of the syawalan event was warmly opened by Bagus Ulin Nuha, a student from the class of 2023 who acted as the announcer of the event. Followed by remarks from Gilang Cahyo Nusantara, as the head of the Kamastawa Department Student Association (HMJ), and Dr. Daru Winarti, M. Hum. as the head of the Javanese Language, Literature and Culture Study Program. In her speech, Dr. Daru Winarti, M. Hum. expressed her gratitude for the presence and togetherness that was established in this special moment.

After the speeches, it was followed by the reading of the Syawalan pledge led by M. Rafi Nur Fauzy, a 2023 student, and followed by all attendees. The syawalan event was also enlivened with a tausiah delivered by Dr. Rudy Wiratama, S.I.P., M.A., a lecturer in literary studies. The tausiah brought an important theme about the true meaning of Eid al-Fitr, inviting the audience to reflect and interpret the moment of fitri more deeply. After the sermon, the event continued with a joint prayer led by Dr. Rudy Wiratama, S.I.P., M.A. The peak of the warmth of the event occurred during the halal bi halal session, where all attendees jointly expressed their apologies and forgiveness, strengthening the ties of brotherhood among them. The moment of joy was immortalized in a group photo session which was also the closing session of the syawalan activity.

Syawalan is not only a religious ritual, but also a place to strengthen the relationship between students and lecturers as part of the family in the Javanese Language, Literature and Culture Study Program. This syawalan activity is also interpreted to be self-reflective, learn to forgive, and build harmonious relationships. Through this moment, it is hoped that awareness of the importance of good relationships and respect for others will continue to be instilled, become part of the formation of a quality person, and be ready to face a bright and challenging future.

Author: Haryo Untoro

SDGs 4: Quality Education | SDGs 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth | SDGs 17: Partnerships for the Goals

Yogyakarta, May 9, 2024 – The management of the Association of Arabic Literature Students at Universitas Gadjah Mada organized the IKMASA Leader Camp on Thursday and Friday, May 9-10, 2024, at Joglo Green House Sleman Yogyakarta. This annual event was attended by all the management members of the Association of Arabic Literature Students at UGM.

The event was attended by Garin Arivian Muhammad, S.S., an alumnus of Arabic Literature class of 2020 and the keynote speaker, Muhammad Nabil Sahabuddin, the Chair of IKMASA, and the management members of the Association of Arabic Literature Students 2024/2025.

The IKMASA Leader Camp began with a presentation by Garin Arivian Muhammad, S.S., who delivered a lecture on “Building Leadership Spirit: Cultivating a Culture of Empathy and Loyalty Towards the Organization.” In his presentation, Garin emphasized the importance of empathy and loyalty as the foundation for achieving organizational goals, summarized in his quote, “It’s impossible to achieve the maximum organizational goals if you don’t feel empathy and loyalty towards the organization.”

Garin also explained essential principles for an organization, including the importance of fostering empathy by engaging in existing issues and contributing the best. He stressed the need to work specifically, understand job responsibilities, and perform them with full dedication. Additionally, Garin highlighted the importance of thorough planning as a guide in carrying out organizational activities.

It is hoped that the IKMASA Leader Camp will enable the management of the Association of Arabic Literature Students 2024/2025 to continuously improve their work quality and execute the IKMASA work programs to the fullest.

SDGs 4: Quality Education | SDGs 4: Cultural diversity | SDGs 8: Creativity and innovation | SDGs 10: Culture | SDGs 11: Cultural heritage

It has been a year since the 12th Gugur Gunung successfully hit the stage with the lively and spectacular ketoprak wayang gedhog titled Panji Kudanarawangsa. This year, proudly, the Javanese Language, Literature and Culture Study Program presented the 13th Gugur Gunung to all, especially the Mahadaya!

Gugur Gunung is an annual event held to commemorate the anniversary of the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Study Program. In the event, the students of the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Study Program collaborate to present various cultures of the archipelago, especially Javanese culture.

This time, the theme is “Holopis Kuntul Baris”, a Javanese philosophy that is close to Gugur Gunung activities. “Holopis Kuntul Baris” depicts a line of egrets flying in a pointed pattern. This philosophy is a symbol of joint efforts to solve problems, or what we know as gotong royong. Gotong royong is a manifestation of the Javanese sociocultural society that upholds patembayatan, which means living side by side in harmony,

There are two major events that will enliven the 13th Gugur Gunung:

1. Jawaisme Fest

Jawaisme Fest is a Javanese cultural exhibition featuring all things traditional such as traditional games, traditional clothing, performing arts, customs, tata cara, weton, and so on. There are also traditional food tenants that are appetizing. Jawaisme Fest was held on May 13-14, 2024, 09.00 AM-06.00 PM WIB, at Margono Hall, 1st floor, Faculty of Cultural Science, UGM.

1. Popular Arts Performance

The Popular Arts Performance will feature a Jathilan Dance Drama entitled “Turangga Sastra Nuswantara” presented by a collaboration of students of the Javanese Language, Literature and Culture Study Program. This art performance will take place in Greenland, Faculty of Cultural Science, UGM, on May 14, 2024, starting at 03.00 PM until completion. The Popular Arts Performance will be enlivened by a performance from Lala Atila. 

Author: Haryo Untoro

SDGs 4 Quality Education | SDGs 4: Education | SDGs 4: Cultural diversity | SDGs 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions | SDGs 1: Non-discrimination

American Literature is one of the courses in the Master’s Program in American Studies that uses American literary works from the classical era to Post-Modernism as the objects and materials for discussion. This American Literature class provides students with a new experience in exploring the relationship between American literary works and the country itself. Based on the understanding that the narrative of a literary work represents the author’s thoughts on the events they have experienced and the occurrences around them, this class presents various understandings of American literature and how it projects the state of society in each era, such as the Romanticism, Realism, and Harlem Renaissance eras.

In this lecture, the discussion began with an explanation of the Post-Modernism era, which emerged around the 1960s. With the development of new art forms like performance art as a result of World War II, other forms of art, including literary works, were also influenced, especially in terms of characteristics. Some of the characteristics explained in this session include how writers began to focus on the experiences of others with different backgrounds, or write about how power and ideology from those in power can influence society’s perception of their surroundings, while also raising awareness among the public about everything they believe in and hold dear.

Using Amanda Gorman’s work, ‘The Hill We Climb,’ which was recited during President Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021, the class discussion connected the author, a young Black woman, with America, particularly in its real-world context. Through presentations and discussions between students and the professor, this class produced various interpretations of how this poem depicts American democracy from a minority perspective. After lengthy discussions, the result of these student-professor dialogues and interpretations was that, despite America’s many ‘sins’ in the past, especially towards Black people, this poem serves as a call for all Americans, regardless of race, to pass on a better democracy and country to future generations.

Besides conducting an in-depth discussion on the meaning of a literary work, the conversation also delved into the writing style of Black authors, who use certain linguistic structures, and the presence of intertextuality, or the use of writings from other Black authors to reinforce the message being conveyed. Moreover, the discussion covered the characteristics of post-modernist literature and how ‘The Hill We Climb’ embodies one of these post-modernist traits.

SDGs 4: Quality Education | SDGs 4: Cultural diversity | SDGs 4: Education for sustainability | SDGs 4: Education in developing | SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth | SDG 9: Industry innovation and infrastructure | SDGs 9: Affordable access | SDGs 9: Cooperation | SDG 10: Reduced inequality | SDGs 10: Culture | SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities | SDGs 11: Community | SDG 16: Peace justice and strong institutions | SDGs 16: Accountable institutions | SDGs 17: Partnerships for the Goals | SDGs 17: Capacity building | SDGs 17: Foreign direct investments | SDGs 17: Global partnership

On Thursday, April 25th 2024, Ms. Alfiana, a lecturer from the Korean language and culture major, presented her paper titled “The social economic background of Indonesian students and their determining factor to study in Korea” in the Daegu University Center for Multiculturalism and Social Policy’s (DU CMSP) colloquium. The colloquium was attended by multidisciplinary educational professors and researchers who showed their interest in Korean studies in Indonesia by asking numerous questions despite the lack of research in both countries.

Currently, research on Korean studies is dominated by Korean language-related topics. But unfortunately, compared to the Southeast Asia region’s countries, such as Vietnam and Thailand, the number of research studies was left behind. Thus, DU CMSP welcomes the new path of research collaboration with the Faculty of Cultural Science (FIB) at UGM and offers a research collaboration agreement. The agreement was signed by DU CMSP’s chief, Prof. Yun Jae Woon, after a colloquium, and later signed by the Dean of the Faculty of Cultural Science, Prof. Dr. Setiadi, S. Sos, and M. Si in Indonesia. This collaborative research agreement expects to build strong cooperation between two institutions and boost the number of research publications in Indonesia and Korea, especially those related to Korean studies. Research and publications in the long term have a role to play in offering problem resolutions for some current issues in Korea, such as inequality among immigrants, which becomes the world’s sustainable development goal number 10, to reduce inequality. 

The lecture continued to the next day, April 26th 2024, at the 2024 DCU CMS ASKA DU CMSP Joint International Conference, which was held at Daegu Catholic University in Gyeongsan City, Korea. A representative of UGM, Ms. Alfiana, was given a chance to open the first term by presenting her research, “The culture shock and reverse culture shock among Indonesian exchange students: focusing on UGM students.” The joint international conference between the Center of Multicultural Society of Daegu Catholic University, the Association for the Studies of Korean Living Abroad, and the Center for Multiculturalism and Social Policy has opened up chances for Korean students and professors to understand the condition of Indonesian exchange students in Korea. Some students from UGM also listened to the lecturers by zoom. In the future, it is expected to hold a joint international conference in Indonesia.