Gadjah Mada Theater is one of the Student Activity Units under Gadjah Mada University. Its various sub-fields include acting, backstage (including lighting, costumes, makeup, and props), writing, and production. As part of the student activities at UGM, Teater Gadjah Mada acts as a place to channel talents and interests in performing arts. TGM actively contributes to the development of theater arts through performing arts activities and self-development. This process involves various competencies such as production, stage management, and stage art creation.

In line with its goals, Teater Gadjah Mada organizes their annual event, Studi Pentas, in order to be a means of education, improving social skills, and creativity for new members of Teater Gadjah Mada. The Gadjah Mada University students involved in the project come from various levels and study programs from various faculties at Gadjah Mada University, one of which is the Faculty of Cultural Sciences. Not a few students from the faculty joined and played important roles such as the main actor, director, treasurer, and so on. In this activity they performed their best. The activity also makes them closer to each other even though they are from different majors.

A varied dialect within a multilingual country might emerge as a phenomenon where the people speak the same language but still can’t understand what other people say from another area. For instance, the Javanese people who live in the Special Region of Yogyakarta and East Java speak and hold Javanese culture. However, they might be confused or clueless about what the listener says in a conversation. Thanks to the language variation that brought so-called dialect.

Dialectology, a linguistics study focusing on how language differs based on geography and social factors, comes to assist in answering the question. In this case, 14 students from dialectology class attempted to study vocabulary (words or phrases) variation specific to certain regions. They went to Jombang, East Java on May 10-11, 2024, to find the vocabulary variation of the Javanese language.

“There are 14 students in our class and they spread into 5 groups. Each group went to different sub-districts, which were Perak, Wonosalam, Diwek, and Peterongan. We brought 200 Swadesh word lists to find out the changes from the Javanese standard by interviewing an informant in each sub-district,” Eduar explained. Those sub-districts were chosen based on their hypothesis. “Diwek and Perak are in the west of Jombang, so we predict that the people still use the Mataraman dialect while Wonosalam and Petarongan are in the east. Thus, the people are most likely to use the Surabayanan dialect,” Dina added. From the data gathered, they compared and mapped the changes.

The students said that this field trip was a priceless experience. It gave a clear picture of how a linguist collects the data such as planning the program, coordinating with the locals, and interacting as well as interviewing them. “It was fun and always be a valuable experience for me. As a Javanese native speaker, I learned a lot from this experience. For instance, I didn’t know that the word kenceng means lurus (go straight on) in their dialect. All I know kenceng is banter or kencang (fast). It, of course, enhances my knowledge,” Dinda illustrated what she felt.

“I think it would be fantastic if we could continue to hold field trips like this in the future. We learned a lot. I hope the department, the faculty, or the parties involved will always support this sort of activity,” said Ningrum.

On Saturday, May 4th, 2024, the anthropology linguistics class held a field trip to Cilacap in order to get to know the locals, in particular the people who live in the coastal area. Approximately 65 students joined the field trip. They were divided into two classes, which were Class A and Class B. Class A focused on the people and the place around Teluk Penyu Beach such as how people communicate in a particular situation and the toponym around the town. Meanwhile, class B tried to picture the people and its culture. For instance, some groups observed how the locals present their gratitude through sedekah laut and how the people who are fishermen use the equipment, particularly the people in Tegalkamulyan village.

“We were intrigued by the event that they called sedekah laut, a special event only held by people in Cilacap,” said Fandi, a student from class B. He further explained that people in Cilacap deliver their gratitude towards the Almighty by serving some offerings. “ We were dumbfounded that they use more than 100 kinds of things as the offering where each symbolizes a certain idea,” Fandi stated.

Another group from class B tried to describe the equipment used by the local fishermen where they discovered that naming the equipment based on its appearance such as its size and its shape. A similar topic also was discussed by a group from class A. Auna explained that his group tried to illustrate the toponym around the town. On the other hand, Dila and her group took ethnographic communication to observe the interaction between fish traders and the buyers in TPI (Fish Auction Place). “We should’ve visited the TPI but unfortunately we came a little bit too late and the weather wasn’t that good which made them close the TPI. However, we still got the data in particular about the type of communication by interviewing several fishermen,” Lova added.

This field trip was initiated to implement what the students have learned in class and also to get more information from the experts as Dr. Suhandano delivered his remarks to officially open the activity. “The field trip was fun and insightful. We didn’t not only learn about the linguistics aspect but also tried to dig deeper to understand the culture that will enhance the analysis,” Ulfa said.

This field trip was held in cooperation between the Master’s Program in Linguistics and the fishermen organization, Himpunan Nelayan Seluruh Indonesia Kabupaten Cilacap. “We do hope that such an activity like this will always be conducted. It gave us the real picture of being a researcher and also created a strong collaboration with organizations and the people,” said Imam.

The Association of Middle Eastern Cultural Studies Graduate Students at Universitas Gadjah Mada (IMABTA UGM) together with the Indonesian Students Association for the Middle East and Africa (PPIDK Timtengka) successfully organized the KBTT Expo: Sharing Session on Thursday, June 13, 2024, at 16:00 online. The event featured two speakers: Prof. Dr. Sangidu, M.Hum., Head of the Intercultural Department at UGM, and Dr. Mahmudah, M.Hum., Secretary of the Intercultural Department at UGM. Participants included students from Indonesian universities and several universities in the Middle East, namely Egypt and South Africa. They were very enthusiastic about the event, as evidenced by the many questions asked during the Q&A session.

The goal of the KBTT UGM Expo: Sharing Session was to provide detailed information and understanding to students, both in Indonesia and the Middle East, regarding the application process, courses in the KBTT UGM Master’s program, and scholarship opportunities. Prof. Sangidu mentioned that the requirements and application procedures can be accessed through the website um.ugm.ac.id. The KBTT UGM Master’s program has collaborated with several universities in Egypt, giving students the opportunity to participate in student exchanges with institutions such as Suez Canal University, Ain Shams University, and Benha University. Regarding the courses, Dr. Mahmudah presented the graduate profiles and research prospects in KBTT UGM. In the future, students in the program will not be limited to literary or linguistic studies but can also engage in intercultural studies, examining culture through the disciplines of anthropology, philosophy, or Islamic studies.

UGM Anthropology Department collaborated with Faculty of Social Science Chiang Mai University (CMU) Thailand to Organize Summer Course “Knowledge Enhancement Program” from June 8-14, 2024. The program, attended by 9 CMU students from Myanmar, China, Japan, Thailand, and 8 UGM Anthropology Department students, included activities such as lectures, fieldwork at three locations in Yogyakarta (Panggungharjo Village, Kaliurang, and Kali Code Village), and presentations of field findings.

The Summer Course aims to provide CMU and UGM students the opportunity to explain the conditions of their respective countries, particularly regarding economic, environmental, social, or cultural aspects of regional economic development. This is expected to foster sensitivity and critical thinking towards everyday issues through participation in field activities. Additionally, the program seeks to offer opportunities for undergraduate and postgraduate students and scholars from ASEAN countries to exchange and share their knowledge and culture with fellow students and academics, fostering inter-university regional relationships.

On Saturday, June 8, 2024, 9 CMU students arrived in Yogyakarta accompanied by Dr. Putthida. On Monday, June 10, 2024, the Summer Course was officially opened by the Dean of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences at UGM, Prof. Setiadi, followed by lectures from UGM Anthropology lecturers: Zamzam Fauzanafi, Ph.D., Prof. Pujo Semedi, and Dr. Pande Made Kutanegara, who provided an overview of the three fieldwork areas.

On Tuesday, June 11, 2024, CMU and UGM students, accompanied by Agung Wicaksono, Ph.D., and Dr. Putthida, began fieldwork in Panggungharjo with the topic “The Development of Yogyakarta’s Peri-Urban Regions.” At the site, students conducted observations and interviews with local residents about the changes in Panggungharjo over time, from land use changes to waste management innovations by the Panggungharjo Village Government, which has become a model for public service management.

The fieldwork continued to the second location in Kaliurang, specifically in Padukuhan Kaliurang Timur, with the theme “The Wealth and Poverty in Rural Yogyakarta.” Similar to previous activities, each CMU student was paired with a UGM student as a translator. In Kaliurang, participants received materials on the causes and impacts of poverty experienced by the local community and visitors.

On Wednesday, June 12, 2024, Summer Course participants continued fieldwork in Kampung Kalicode. There, they met with Pak Totok, a tour guide, who explained the history of Kampung Kalicode. This fieldwork focused on the theme “Inter-Ethnicity Relations in Yogyakarta City,” observing the dynamics and relationships between ethnic and religious groups in Kampung Kalicode.

To conclude the Summer Course, on Thursday, June 13, 2024, students were asked to present their findings from the fieldwork. Each student offered their perspectives and reflections based on what they discovered in their country and fieldwork areas. Dr. Putthida, who accompanied the CMU students, hoped that the UGM-CMU Summer Course would contribute significantly to national and regional efforts toward development and tolerance of socio-economic, political, and cultural diversity, which are key to successful regional integration.

Authors: Bety Oktaviani & Vincamira Tasha Florika