After previously receiving an A accreditation, the Korean Language and Culture Program at UGM has successfully obtained an ‘Excellent’ accreditation from the National Accreditation Board for Higher Education. This ‘Excellent’ accreditation is valid from May 21, 2024, to August 16, 2028, and has been ratified through the Decree of the Director of the Executive Board of BAN-PT No. 4269/SK/BAN-PT/Ak.KP/S/V/2024.

To achieve the ‘Excellent’ status, the program underwent various evaluations by the National Accreditation Board for Higher Education. These evaluations were conducted by the Korean Language and Culture Program Team in collaboration with the Quality Assurance Unit Team of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB) UGM. Additionally, the efforts of the program were supported by contributions from all parties, including alumni and stakeholders.

This achievement demonstrates the program’s commitment to continuously improving the quality of its curriculum and human resources. The ‘Excellent’ accreditation is also expected to provide the program with opportunities for various collaborations, both nationally and internationally. This aligns with the program’s commitment to always providing the best quality education for all its students.

Unlike usual, the Introduction to Korean History lecture on Friday, May 17, 2024, was held in-person. The course instructor, Dr. Rostineu, S.S., M.A., is a lecturer in the Korean Language and Culture Program at the University of Indonesia. This time, Dr. Rostineu came directly to the Korean Language and Culture Program at Universitas Gadjah Madaa to conduct the lecture in-person.

The in-person lecture was held in Room 707 of the Soegondo Building at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB) UGM, from 9:00 to 11:00 AM WIB. The lecture was attended by approximately one hundred students enrolled in the course. The lecture proceeded in a conducive and interactive manner.

This course focuses on the history of Korea from prehistoric times to the modern era. The material presented was very appropriate, given that the instructor is an expert in the field and has even published a book on Korean history. Therefore, this class was organized to enhance the knowledge of students in the Korean Language and Culture Program regarding Korean history.

At the end of the lecture, students presented flowers to Dr. Rostineu, S.S., M.A. as a memento. The lecture concluded with a group photo featuring Dr. Rostineu, Mr. Suray Agung Nugroho, S.S., M.A., Ph.D., and all the course participants.

Hari Setyawan, who took the Humanities Sciences Study Program (Archaeology doctoral program), conducted an Open Doctoral Promotion Examination on Wednesday, May 22, 2024 at 10.00 WIB in the Multimedia Room on the Second Floor of the R.M. Margono Djojohadikusumo Building, Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM. The Team of Examiners entered the room followed by Promovenda / Promovendus, Chair of the Examination Team Prof. Dr. Heddy Shry Ahimsa-Putra, M.A., M.Phil. opened the meeting to hold the Open Examination. The Examination Team consists of: Dr. Niken Wirasanti, M.Si. (Promoter), Dr. Mimi Savitri, M.A. (Co-Promoter), Prof. Dr. Purnomo, M.S. (Faculty of Biology UGM), Dr. Tjahjono Prasodjo, M.A., and Prof. Dr. Timbul Haryono, M.Sc.

Mr. Hari Setyawan, S.S., M.T. on the occasion presented his dissertation entitled “Pemaknaan Tumbuhan pada Relief Karmawibhangga Candi Borobudur: Perspektif Semiotika Peirce”. Narrative reliefs at Borobudur Temple are archaeological data that can be used, among others, as data for reconstructing the environment of Ancient Java. Hisresearch discusses the law of karma and the depiction of plants in narrative reliefs to be identified by species, interpreted based on inscription sources and relevant literary texts to find out their meaning using Charles Sanders Peirce Semiotics. The novelty in the research is to get an explanation of how the karma scene is depicted on the Karmawibhangga relief and why the plants depicted are very varied in species.

After the Team of Examiners considered the results of the examination, the Team of Examiners stated that the dissertation of Mr. Hari Setyawan PASSED the doctoral program at the Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Gadjah Mada with the title Cum Laude / Praise. This is also based on the consideration of lecture results, dissertation grades, and study period. Dr. Hari Setyawan, S.S., M.T. is the 6216th doctor to pass the exam at Universitas Gadjah Mada, the 443rd doctor to pass the exam at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, the 403rd doctor to pass the exam in the Humanities Sciences Study Program, and the 21st doctor in Archaeology. Congratulations and success to all new doctors. Hopefully the knowledge will be more useful!

The Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, on Thursday, May 30, 2024, provided training to students, especially the 2023 linguistics master study program on academic writing. The activity was held at the Auditorium of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, and was opened by remarks from the Head of the Linguistics Master Program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, UGM, Dr. Suhandano. He also introduced the speakers and activities that would be delivered by the speakers to students. He expressed his gratitude to the speakers who had been willing to share their knowledge. In addition, he also gave advice to students about the importance of this activity to support academic careers, especially the requirements for thesis exams so that students must take a lot of knowledge from these activities.

The first speaker at the Academic writing workshop was Dr. Badli Esham Ahmad. He conveyed the importance of publishing journals for master students and shared tips on choosing journals to be published, namely as follows: Journals that match the theme of the article, be careful with predatory journals, and the need to pay attention to the open access offered by the journal, whether it is paid or not, what the index of the journal is, and how the review process is. In publishing a journal, what needs to be done first is to complete the journal article first, then search and find a suitable journal as a place for publication of the journal article. After finding a suitable journal, make sure the topic, theme, and scope are appropriate, follow the journal’s provisions, and can also send an email to the editor to ensure the topic or theme of the journal article matches the scope requested by the journal.

The second speaker was Prof. Madya Dr. Kamisah Binti Ariffin (S.A.P.). She motivated the students to stay in the process of writing and publishing journals. Her tips were that first, in choosing the title (topic) of the article, we need to see something that is still less researched on the topic, so that the topic will be interesting and unique, different from the research that has been done. Second, we can search for previous research related to the topic through Google to find out the gaps that are still under-researched from the topic. Third, we must look at the scope of a journal, find the appropriate one, and follow the writing guidelines. The event was closed by handing over souvenirs from the Head of the UGM Master of Linguistics Study Program and a group photo.

The Literary Expert Lecture was held on Monday, May 13, 2024 in the Auditorium Room of Soegondo Building 7th Floor and Zoom Meeting at 13.00-16.00 WIB. The three speakers that afternoon were Leila S. Chudori, T.A. Prapancha Hary, Dr. Sudibyo, M.Hum. Leila S. Chudori is a retired Tempo journalist and Indonesian writer who has written numerous short stories, novels, and television drama screenplays. Her books that have been published by KPG Publishers are Malam Terakhir, Pulang, Nadira, Laut Bercerita in softcover and hardcover versions, and most recently, Namaku Alam. Dr. Sudibyo, M.Hum. is an extraordinary lecturer at the History Study Program, Javanese Literature and Culture Study Program, as well as S2 and S3 Literature Study Programs at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada. T.A. Prapancha Hary or familiarly called Mas Tatung, is a clinical psychologist and lecturer at a private university in Yogyakarta, as well as Abdi Dalem Kraton Yogyakarta. He was born and raised in Yogyakarta, pursuing his undergraduate and postgraduate education at the Faculty of Psychology, Gadjah Mada University.

Leila S. Chudori, as the first speaker, explained about her journey in writing the novel “Namaku Alam”. Since the beginning of writing Namaku Alam, Leila planned a storyline that contained a search, identity, and the process of finding answers. This begins with the characterization of the protagonist, the research process for novel writing, the initial design of the basic framework of the story to be written, the formation of the main character and important characters, the finalization of the basic framework of the story, and the concoction of several themes raised in the novel. Leila tries to show that in dark situations there is always hope. For example, Leila tries to show how people who are repressed in the past can still tell their stories through various ways and mediums.

Through the presentation of Dr. Sudibyo, M.Hum., he explained that in the novel “Namaku Alam” there are issues such as the entanglement of photographic memory, dystopia, and traumatic memory. The images of utopian successes in the novel, such as freedom from bullying, lead to failure, which in this case becomes dystopia. In “Namaku Alam”, traumatic memories are attempted to be negotiated, however, in this first volume, the negotiation is still unsuccessful, the nightmares experienced in the novel can be read as evidence of this failure. Alam’s strong photographic memory, in this case, makes her unable to escape her past traumatic experiences.

T.A. Prapancha Hary, seeks to answer whether Alam’s trauma can disappear or linger? In “Namaku Alam”, the first volume of the novel, according to Prapancha, the character Alam still retains his trauma. There is always a conflict between Alam and himself. Alam, in this situation, has an oedipus complex. Alam’s behavior, which always tries to protect the people around him, shows how Alam tries to be a “father” figure as a protector described in the oedipus complex phenomenon. Expressive expressions in the form of cursing by Alam in this novel actually show how his disappointment cannot be defeated which is then collected in the form of cursing. The hopes that are still kept by Alam in a difficult situation prove that this character has the talent of good emotional processing.