Yogyakarta – An online academic discussion jointly organized by Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) and Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Malaysia once again provided a platform for students to deepen their understanding of Arabic language and literary studies. Led by Dr. Nur Kholid, M.P., a lecturer in the Arabic Literature Program at Universitas Gadjah Mada, the session offered an interactive discussion on metaphor and linguistic analysis. During the online meeting, participants explored the concepts of musyabbah and musyabbah bih, focusing on how meaning is constructed through comparisons expressed either explicitly or implicitly. Dr. Kholid presented the material in a systematic manner by analyzing a variety of examples, enabling students not only to understand linguistic structures but also to appreciate the deeper meanings and interpretations embedded in Arabic texts.

Throughout the discussion, students examined several examples of metaphor, including the comparison of soldiers to lions in battle, tears to pearls, and spring as a symbol of human happiness. These illustrations helped participants understand how Arabic employs figurative language to convey meaning in a more vivid, meaningful, and contextual way.In addition to metaphor, the discussion expanded to the interpretation of word meanings in Arabic. The diverse perspectives shared during the session demonstrated that linguistic analysis is not limited to a single interpretation but is open to various analytical approaches and viewpoints. This approach encouraged students to broaden their perspectives while strengthening their understanding of Arabic linguistics and literary studies.

Overall, the discussion was conducted smoothly in an engaging and interactive atmosphere. Students actively participated throughout the discussion and question-and-answer session, reflecting their enthusiasm for the topic. Through this academic activity, participants are expected to enhance their understanding of Arabic studies while further developing their linguistic and analytical skills.

Author: Indana Zulfa

The Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, has sent seven students to participate in the 2026 Integrated Archaeological Research of Indonesia (Penelitian Arkeologi Terpadu Indonesia/PATI), organized by the Arsari Djojohadikusumo Foundation (YAD) in collaboration with six archaeology study programs across Indonesia. The program, which will be held from 27 July to 8 August 2026 in Manyarejo Village, the Sangiran Early Man Cultural Heritage Site, Sragen, Central Java, serves as a field-learning and collaborative research program for archaeology students from universities across Indonesia.

Representing the UGM Department of Archaeology are Agatha Kiara Christy and Muhammad Miftah Syafiq in the Archaeology stream, Zeldera Tahani Sifa, Helena Ken Grace Natalie, and Galih Nugroho in the Museum stream, as well as Nur Sulistyaningsih and Sarah Jasmine Kahiking in the Conservation stream. Throughout the program, the students will be accompanied by Dr. Mahirta, M.A., Dr. Fahmi Prihantoro, S.S., M.A., and Dr. Sektiadi, S.S., M.Hum. as academic supervisors from Universitas Gadjah Mada.

Carrying the theme “Unearthing the Cultural Horizon of Sangiran’s Past,” PATI 2026 will focus on rescue excavations, conservation, and the development of an open-air museum model and community-based site management. Through this program, the students are expected to gain hands-on field experience, expand their academic network with archaeology students from other universities, and further strengthen their knowledge and skills in archaeological research and cultural heritage preservation.

Author : Muhammad Irsyad
Photo Credits : Evelyn Warasti

On Thursday, 18 June 2026, the Cultural Anthropology Student Family (KEMANT) of Universitas Gadjah Mada held its annual Hearing Department event in Room 201 of the Poerbatjaraka Building, Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB) UGM, Yogyakarta. Running from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM WIB, the interactive dialogue was hosted by MC [Name] and moderated by Dionysius Nugroho Danumurti. The session was attended by student representatives across various cohorts alongside faculty members, including Agung Wicaksono, Sita Hidayah, Agus Indiyanto, Mubarika Dyah Fitri Nugraheni, Suzie Handajani, Atik Triratnawati, and Elan Lazuardi. The forum served as a communicative platform to gather, review, and address critical student feedback ranging from academic affairs and curriculum management to student organization governance and campus facility availability.

Through a presentation of pre-collected feedback slides, students highlighted several key issues affecting their daily learning environment. Core discussions focused on the disproportionate workload for introductory courses, course quota limitations during course registration (“War KRS”) that disadvantage internal anthropology students, clarity regarding the role and responsiveness of teaching assistants, and the need for greater transparency in grading. In response, the department welcomed the input constructively and committed to using these written recommendations as an official framework to push for policy improvements at both the faculty and university levels. Beyond classroom learning, the department outlined the strategic reasoning behind rescheduling the Integrated Fieldwork (TPL) to mid-year, primarily to mitigate the risks of natural disasters and extreme weather conditions typically affecting research sites toward the end of the year.

In addition to academic topics, the forum addressed physical infrastructure and internal organizational management. Students emphasized the importance of enhancing building accessibility for individuals with disabilities, reconfiguring classrooms to better facilitate group discussions, creating safe and comfortable public spaces, and optimizing place-of-worship facilities within the faculty grounds. Meanwhile, KEMANT officers took the opportunity to present a transparent financial report of the organization’s funds and introduced an updated leadership election mechanism designed to be more democratic, open, and accountable to all members.

The implementation of this participatory forum aligns closely with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within higher education. First, it directly advances SDG 4 (Quality Education) through a sustained commitment to improving teaching quality, ensuring fair curriculum adjustments, and fostering a conducive learning environment. Second, the emphasis on providing disability-friendly and fully accessible campus facilities reflects a concrete effort to support SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities). Lastly, the hearing embodies SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions) by establishing a transparent, accountable, and responsive institutional governance framework for the entire academic community.

Author: Zayyan Faadia Ayutty

The Master’s Program in Linguistics at Universitas Gadjah Mada, through the Forensic Linguistics course taught by Dr. Sailal Arimi, M.Hum., in collaboration with the Criminal Investigation Unit (Sat Reskrim) of the Malinau Regional Police under the North Kalimantan Regional Police, organized a special technical lecture entitled Writing Expert Witness Examination Reports. The event was held on Thursday, 30 April 2026, in Courtroom 1 of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences at Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta.

In addition to being attended by the course instructor, who also serves as a language expert, the event was joined by students with an interest in Forensic Linguistics. Student participation aimed to introduce linguistic perspectives into the processes and practices of preparing expert witness statements, including understanding the chronology of legal cases, identifying legal subjects, analyzing language-related criminal complaints, and examining the precision of diction, narrative structure, and ambiguity avoidance in official examination reports (Berita Acara Pemeriksaan or BAP).

The event featured police investigators AIPDA Budi Hermansyah, S.H., and Bripda Abimanyu Akbar, S.H., from the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Malinau Regional Police, along with several graduate students in Linguistics. In their presentation, the investigators explained the distinction between preliminary inquiry (penyelidikan) and formal investigation (penyidikan). They emphasized that expert witness testimony constitutes one form of legal evidence (novum) necessary for bringing a case before the court. They also discussed recent developments in the implementation of Indonesia’s new Criminal Code (KUHP), particularly regarding the expansion of admissible legal evidence. Furthermore, they elaborated on cases commonly handled by investigators, ranging from violations of the Electronic Information and Transactions Law (UU ITE) to various forms of fraud, including phishing, scamming, and related cybercrimes.

Dr. Sailal Arimi, M.Hum., explained that “the involvement of students specializing in Forensic Linguistics in this activity represents part of the implementation of teaching alongside research, as well as an effort to strengthen the role of linguistics within the legal domain.” He further noted that this practitioner-based class has been conducted since 2019 for master’s and doctoral students enrolled in forensic linguistics courses.

During the question-and-answer session, students raised various inquiries concerning legal case management procedures, the eligibility of expert witnesses, and the types of cases most frequently encountered. One student participant, Moh. Nawalul Fawaid El Haqi, remarked that “this experience was extremely valuable. We learned that the meaning of a single word in an expert witness examination report can influence the direction of a judge’s decision. At the same time, investigators also learned to view expert testimony as a text that must be constructed on the basis of theoretical linguistic knowledge that we have studied thus far.”

The collaboration between the Master’s Program in Linguistics, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, and the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Malinau Regional Police represents a pioneering initiative in bridging police science and forensic linguistic analysis. This activity is expected to serve as a collaborative model for handling legal cases across regions—particularly between Kalimantan and Java—while enhancing the quality of investigations through an interdisciplinary approach at the national level.

Postgraduate students from the Master’s and Doctoral programmes in Arabic Language Education at Darussalam University (UNIDA) Gontor visited the Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB) at UGM for a joint public lecture with the Master’s Programme in Middle Eastern Cultural Studies (KBTT). The meeting took place in Room 709 of the Soegondo Building on Thursday, 23 July 2026. The event was opened by Dr Mahmudah, S.S., M.Hum., programme coordinator of the Master’s Programme in Middle Eastern Culture at Gadjah Mada University.

This event was organised as part of a goodwill visit and benchmarking exercise by UNIDA Gontor. Mahmudah explained that this collaboration will continue until 2030, as evidenced by the presence of several UNIDA students currently studying on the KBTT programme at UGM.

This interview session was also attended by two other speakers, namely Prof. Dr Syamsul Hadi, S.U., M.A. (Emeritus Professor in the Department of Intercultural Studies/Arabic Literature, Faculty of Humanities, UGM) and Prof. Dr Sangidu, M.Hum. (Professor of Modern Arabic Literature, Faculty of Humanities, UGM). During the session, Prof. Syamsul Hadi spoke briefly about the origins of this study programme.

“Initially, the Master’s Programme in Middle Eastern Cultural Studies was part of the UGM Graduate School, before moving and becoming the KBTT, which is now under the auspices of the Faculty of Humanities, UGM,” he explained.

This event clearly supports SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) by fostering higher education collaboration between UNIDA Gontor and FIB UGM, which is set to continue through 2030.

[Author: Humas FIB, Zaidan Abdurrahman]