Yogyakarta, 6 September 2019—“Papua disagrees with the currently existing notion of nationhood. Modern nationhood emphasizes on the notion of nation-states, while in Papua, the integration process has been done without a proper deal. Since the past, we have been trying to clarify Papua’s history, as how other ethnicities have done, such as the Javanese, the Bugis, and the others. Papua’s demands will never be accepted by Jakarta, but it through a referendum. Just give what Papua want!,” as stated by Frans, a representative of the Papuan students that were present on this discussion. This discussion was entitled “Papua and Nationhood” and was held last Friday on Fisipol’s Digilib Café. read more

Yogyakarta, 30 August 2019—The internet greatly helps us in providing the necessary information daily, but the internet also has its rather illicit side, known as the dark web. The dark web was the main focus of the Center for Digital Society’s (CfDS) 15^th edition of Digital Future Discussion (Difussion), entitled “Dark Web: What Should We Know About It?” on Thursday at Antologi Collaborative Space. This event featured three researchers from CfDS.

The first speaker, Felice Valeria, focused on political activism in the dark web. The dark web provides anonymity, which can be useful for political activists. Different governments have different stances in regard to the dark web. In China, the dark web is banned, while it is not in the United States. “For sensitive issues, the dark web can greatly facilitate activists, as activists can organize their underground movements. We can use the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States as an example,” Felice stated. In Indonesia, criminal activities, pornography and human trafficking activities can be found in the dark web. read more

Yogyakarta, 29 August 2019—In regard to countering terrorism, very little research has been done to understand the appropriate method for deradicalization after a terrorist has been arrested. Hence, most attempts of countering terrorism only focus on short-term goals, while neglecting the long-term aspects. Therefore, the Institute of International Studies (IIS) UGM held a discussion to dive further on this matter.

This discussion was led by Cut Intan Auliannisa Isma from IIS and featured two guest speakers from different backgrounds. The first speaker was Hardya Pranadipa, which recently earned his M.A. degree from the International Institute of Social Studies in Den Haag, and also an alumnus from the Department of International Relations of UGM. Meanwhile, the second speaker was Abu Tholut Al-Jawiy, an expert of Islamic social movements and a former member of Jemaah Islamiyah. read more

Yogyakarta, 24 August 2019—This edition of “Cross-Cultural Understanding Club (CCUC): Know Your City” was held at the beginning of the academic year. “Foreign students, as well as Indonesian students that originated from outside Yogyakarta, were introduced to Yogyakarta’s history on this programme,” as stated by Yusuf Dhimas, the Project Manager of CCUC in Fisipol UGM’s Global Engagement Office (GEO).

CCUC is GEO Fisipol’s monthly program and invited both foreign and local students as a platform for cultural exchange. CCUC usually visits historical and interactive places. In this edition of “Know Your City”, the participants visited three historical places in Yogyakarta; Pakualaman, Keraton Yogyakarta and Sonobudoyo Museum. read more

Yogyakarta, 23 August 2019—Prof. Dr. Jianbang Deng, from the Graduate Institute of Future Studies of Tamkang University, Taiwan, provoked the audience to predict the future. This Studium Generale, entitled “Future Studies in Sociology”, was held by the Department of Sociology. The lack of future studies-related resources in Indonesia motivated the Department of Sociology to organize this event. “At the same time, nobody can guess what will happen in the future,” Deng stated.

Deng opened the discussion by explaining several data published by Edison Research and the National Election Pool. These data focused on the demographic composition of the population of the United States during the last presidential election. These data were utilized by the campaign teams of both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton widely. read more

Yogyakarta, 19 August 2019—Under a collaboration with the University of Melbourne, Fisipol UGM held a workshop in the form of focus group discussion entitled “Research Workshop on Political Islam in Indonesia and Turkey.” This workshop was aimed to provide a comprehensive discussion on political Islam in Indonesia and Turkey. This workshop was held on the 4^th floor of the Fisipol UGM building, from 9 am until 3 pm.

Indonesia and Turkey were chosen due to their similarities. In the contemporary era, both have experienced Islamic populism and radicalism. Historically, left-wing parties have also influenced the politics of both states. Research has shown that cities that were once dominated by left-wing parties in the past tend to shift to support Islamic parties today. This research workshop discussed further on this ideological shift. read more

Yogyakarta, 16 August 2019—The development of startup companies is affected by the growth Indonesia’s digital economy. Hence, BEKRAF for Pre-Startup (BEKUP) was held to strengthen the competencies of Indonesia’s startup founders and to integrate their businesses with the existing economic system.

BEKUP will be held in three cities. Bandung is the first city to be visited on June until August, while Yogyakarta is the second city to be visited, which will be held until October. Meanwhile, Bogor is the third city, in which this event will be held from October until December. BEKUP was designed to take two months to complete. This programme is consisted of five parts, which are bootcamp, team consultation, mid-evaluation, routine review journey and final evaluation. Competences such as business plan drafting, market analysis and prospective consumer observation are the focus in BEKUP. read more

Yogyakarta, 16 August 2019—The Uyghur issue cannot be merely seen as a form of “oppression of the strong against the weak.” Various social, political, cultural and psychological elements in the Chinese society has also influenced this matter. This topic was the focus of Beyond The Great Wall #4, which was held by the Department of International Relations last Friday.

“The decision-making process involves numerous actors that are always influenced by the existing social, environmental and historical aspects,” as stated by Irfan Halim, an expert in intellectual property rights from the Faculty of Psychology. At this event, he discussed the Uyghur issue using historical psychology and narrative psychology perspectives. Furthermore, Arindha Nityasari, a researcher from the Institute of International Studies UGM also presented a book review regarding artificial intelligence in China. read more

Yogyakarta, 6 August 2019—The new student orientation programme of Fisipol UGM, PPSMB Society, is an event held annually to welcome the new students to Fisipol. This year’s event was held for two days, from Tuesday (6/8) until Wednesday (7/8).Similar to the previous years, this year’s event featured several interesting activities. Introduction by the lecturers from the six departments, followed by an opening speech from Erwan Agus Purwanto, the Dean of Fisipol, opened this event. Erwan stated that Fisipol is ready to become the new home and family for the batch of 2019 students. Afterwards, the event was continued with a talk show entitled “Becoming Fisipol, Becoming Indonesia”, which was presented by two Fisipol alumni, Ria Papermoon and Zulfikar Arse Sadikin. This talk show was moderated by Mashita Fandia, lecturer at the Department of Communication Studies.

In addition to the talk show, the new students also participated in a focus group discussion regarding politics in everyday life. After that, an anti-harassment campaign, which was led by Ayu Diasti Rahmawati (lecturer at the Department of International Relations), Dina Wahida (psychologist from the Career Development Center) and Ulya Niami Efrina Jamson (lecturer at the Department of Politics and Government). This campaign was aimed to provide an inclusive environment for everyone in Fisipol.

The first day of PPSMB Society was closed by an exposition, which showcased 18 student clubs in the spheres of art, culture, religion, literature and others, as well as various research centres and student support services. read more

Yogyakarta, 5 August 2019—Adapting to a totally new academic environment is something that all students have to face, including foreign students in UGM. Held simultaneously with the new student orientation programme, GEO Fisipol also held an orientation programme for foreign students. This programme introduced several important institutions to the foreign students that will help them during their stay, which included OIA and GEO Fisipol.This programme was opened by I Made Andi Arsana, Ph.D., the representative from OIA. He explained various aspects regarding the visa arrangement procedures for the foreign students. The foreign students were also given a student ID card as an additional ID for their stay in Indonesia.

Afterwards, the foreign students were taught on how to take courses in Fisipol UGM. Classes from the Department of Public Policy and Management and the Department of International Relations were available for them. Foreign students can take classes that are under the International Undergraduate Programme or the Immersion Programme, and they are also able to take regular classes should they have a sufficient proficiency of Indonesian.

In addition, the foreign students were also introduced to the Buddy Club, which can help them in formal and informal matters. Several programmes of the Buddy Club include Welcoming Dinner, City Tour, Cultural Exposure, Garden Gathering and Farewell Party. In the Cultural Exposure programme, foreign students can experience making batik, visit other cities and interact with the locals. read more