On Tuesday, November 8th, 2022, students of the English Studies Programme UGM who enrolled in “Kampus Merdeka” program held its first seminar titled “International Students’ Seminar on Gender Equality” as one of the three-part events. This first seminar aims to deliver different topics about women’s condition in various countries and their history, discussing whether women have or have not been treated equally. The seminar was held offline in Room 709, Soegondo Building, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, UGM, from 01.00 p.m. to 2.30 p.m. However, this seminar was also streamed through Zoom Meeting so that people who were not able to attend on the spot could follow the event from anywhere.

Before the seminar started, an opening speech was given by Ms Adiba Qonita Zahroh, S.S., M.Litt. as the representative from the English Studies Programme. The seminar then continued with four presented speakers’ presentations, discussing various issues related to gender equality. The first speaker is Nazra Hanif Lutfiana, a student of the English Studies Programme 2019, UGM. Her topic is “Women’s Political Representation in Indonesia”. Here, she shared how women are presented in the political field, which often still discriminates by the dominance of their male counterparts. The second speaker is Colby Fortin, our Oberlin Shansi fellow, with her topic “Using Zines and Other Accessible Artforms in Survivor-Centered Research”. She elaborated on the history of zines as a tool to promote gender equality in the United States and how it can be developed to raise people’s awareness about this issue today. The speech was then continued by Fatihah Firdausi Nuzula, a student of the English Department UGM who brought the topic of “Policing Bodies: on the Protest Against Compulsory Hijab for Iranian Women”. She explained the condition of Iranian women today who receive discrimination from the Iranian government and how they fight for equality against the law. Last but not least, the discussion continued by our international student, Dana Castell Martinez from Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona whose topic is “Women Emancipation in Europe through the Clothes”. Here, she shared the history of how women dress throughout the years and their suffering in society related to their way of dressing.

After the presentation ended, the seminar continued with a question and answer sections. There are three questions asked by the attendees, which include questions about women’s dressing culture in Indonesia and how to raise women’s participation in politics for the younger generation. The seminar ended with the speakers and attendees taking photos together.

Written by:

Dasadriya Pitaloka, English Studies Programme, 2019

Asyifa Rizky Amelia, English Studies Programme, 2019

Proofread by: Adiba Qonita Zahroh, S.S., M.Litt.

On Saturday, September 30, 2022, the Community Service by English Studies Programme at Muhammadiyah Highschool in Bumiayu was carried out. On September 26, 2022, an online conference was held through Zoom prior to the main event. Dr Ni Gusti Ayu Roselani, the chief of community service, explained community service and the planned activities to the students of Muhammadiyah High School during the online conference. This service’s primary objective is to promote an application called Grammarly, bolster students’ confidence in English writing, and educate them on the dangers of plagiarism. After delivering an opening address, Muhammad Faqih Maftuh, S.Ag, the principal of Muhammadiyah Highschool, officially began the event at 9:00 a.m. in the school’s study hall.

The main event commenced immediately after the English Department professors of Universitas Gadjah Mada, including Dr Adi Sutrisno, M.A., Dr Ni Gusti Ayu Roselani, M.A., and Dr Tofan Dwi Hardjanto, M.A., delivered their introductory remarks on English writing. The Muhammadiyah Bumiayu students were attentively following the presented materials. The presentation’s focus was the application of Grammarly. It is an application that helps authors identify and automatically repair grammatical errors in their work. Bagas, one of the English Studies Programme students who also contributed as a presenter, demonstrated the methods, how-to’s, and tips and tricks for applying for the programme clearly and straightforwardly under the supervision of Dr Ni Gusti Ayu Roselani, M.A.

Students were assigned a brief article describing Bumiayu’s tourist potential to be completed after the presentation. After they finished, they were given a break while their essays were read, scored, and the best excerpts were collected for a booklet. Those whose articles were selected will be rewarded monetarily.

Everything went off without a hitch, and a quick photo session was arranged to honour the winners of the best-written essay contest thereafter.

Written by: Mohammad Anandhya Averill Sulistyo, English Studies Programme 2020
Proofread by: Adiba Qonita Zahroh, S.S., M.Litt.

Are you keenly interested in discussing various topics about children? If so, let’s tune in to our International Students’ Seminar on Children’s Issues with our incredible speakers:

– Aulia Muchtarom (English Literature UGM 2020)
– Monica Audrey (English Literature UGM 2018)
– Samantha Perez (Oberlin Shansi Fellow)
– Dana Castell Martinez (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona)

This seminar will be held on:
🗓️ Saturday, November 26th, 2022, 09.00-11.00 WIB
📍Offline: Room 709, 7th-floor Soegondo Building, Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM
🖥️ Online: http://ugm.id/SS2Zoom

Don’t forget to register yourself here:
http://ugm.id/SS2REG

This seminar is free and open to the public! You will also get an e-certificate, so secure your place right now!
(Only 55 seats are available for offline attendees)

For further information, kindly contact:
Fatihah: +6282137401363