New Release: Megashift FISIPOL UGM Article

“Satirical Comedy in the Digital Public Sphere: A Contemporary Form of Political Participation”
By: Ardi Muhammad Rifqi
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Megashift FISIPOL UGM has published a fresh article exploring how satirical comedy on social media has become a creative and powerful form of political participation in today’s digital era. Written by Ardi Muhammad Rifqi, the article dissects how humor, memes, and stand-up comedy content are reshaping political discourse in Indonesia.

The article highlights three main drivers behind the rise of satire: the accessibility of social media platforms, the growing popularity of stand-up comedy, and restrictions on free expression under regulations like the ITE Law. Within this context, satire emerges as a safe yet sharp tool for citizens to voice criticism and hold political actors accountable. read more

Yogyakarta, 29 Agustus 2025─The Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FISIPOL UGM), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Yamanashi Eiwa College, Japan, marking a new chapter in their long-standing academic partnership.

The MoU was signed by Prof. Toshiya Tsukamoto, President of Yamanashi Eiwa College, alongside Dr. Wawan Mas’udi, Dean of FISIPOL UGM, as representatives of the two institutions.

Founded in 1889, Yamanashi Eiwa College is a liberal arts institution with a strong tradition of global education, offering programs in psychology, library science, ICT, and global studies. Despite its small size, with around 600 students, the college has an international student body, comprising 13% from Asia, including Indonesia. read more

Yogyakarta, August 28, 2025—The Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIPOL) Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) welcomed a group of participants from the Training on the Preparation of Strategic Plans (Renstra) for Regional Government Agencies of Bogor Regency. The program, facilitated by the Center for Capacity Development and Cooperation (PPKK) FISIPOL UGM, was designed as a campus tour and took place on Thursday morning (28/8).

The visit began with explorations to several faculties at UGM, including the Faculty of Forestry and the Faculty of Law, before concluding at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIPOL). At FISIPOL UGM, the participants were welcomed by the Executive Secretary of PPKK, Dr. Pradhikna Yunik, followed by a presentation from Dr. Maharani Hapsari titled “Building Regional Competitiveness: Mapping Economic Potential and Innovation Based on Science and Technology.” read more

Yogyakarta, August 27, 2025—The FISIPOL UGM Library once again demonstrated its commitment to supporting academic activities by inviting Library Coordinator, Yuli Hesti Wahyuningsih, S.IP., as a guest lecturer in an Academic Writing class in the Department of International Relations. The event took place in two separate sessions, with the main topic being the library’s facilities and access, which have been transformed into a modern digital library.

In the first session, on Wednesday (August 27) from 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. WIB in room BA 301, the Library Coordinator delivered a lecture on “Facilities and Access to the FISIPOL UGM Library.” This lecture was intended for regular students of the Undergraduate Program in International Relations. In her presentation, the Library Coordinator explained the various facilities available at the FISIPOL Library, including how academics can access digital collections to support their learning and research needs. read more

Yogyakarta, August 27, 2025 – The Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FISIPOL UGM), today graduated 216 undergraduate students during the 4th Graduation Period of the 2024/2025 Academic Year.

The graduates came from six departments, as follows:

• International Relations (57 graduates)

• Communication Science (65 graduates)

• Public Policy and Management (28 graduates)

• Social Development and Welfare (31 graduates)

• Politics and Government (19 graduates)

• Sociology (16 graduates)

For this period, Hanung Abdul Muqqit Ramadhan Anwar from the Department of Communication Science was named the Faculty’s Best Graduate with a GPA of 3.97 and a study duration of 3 years, 7 months, and 25 days. read more

Dr. Nurhadi, lecturer at the Department of Social Development and Welfare (PSDK), Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FISIPOL UGM), participated in a visiting scholar program at BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangladesh, from August 6–15, 2025. The program aims to strengthen international academic collaboration, particularly in poverty alleviation studies through the Graduation Approach.

BRAC University was chosen due to its close connection with BRAC International, the institution that pioneered the Graduation Approach in the early 2000s. Today, this method has become a global reference in poverty reduction strategies, including in Indonesia. read more

Two Sociology lecturers from the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FISIPOL UGM), Oki Rahadianto Sutopo and Fuji Riang Prastowo, have contributed their latest academic work to an internationally renowned reference book, The Palgrave Handbook of Global Social Problems.

In their chapter entitled “Young People and Inequality in Indonesia”, they examine how social inequalities in Indonesia generate a series of social, economic, and political challenges for the younger generation. Despite Indonesia’s high universal literacy and numeracy rates, social mobility remains limited, and youth wages are still low—particularly since more than half of the domestic economy operates in the informal sector. read more

Yogyakarta, August 23, 2025—The Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIPOL) of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), in collaboration with the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), a Jakarta-based international think tank, held an international workshop titled “Asian Regional Approaches Towards Digital Trade Governance” on Saturday (August 23).

The workshop brought together researchers, academics, and practitioners from eight countries: Japan, South Korea, China, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. The event was held in a hybrid format at the BB Building, FISIPOL UGM. read more

Yogyakarta, August 21st 2025─Amidst the bustling cafes, restaurants, shopping malls, and other venues where music is a key element of the atmosphere, a public debate has arisen regarding regulations for playing music in public spaces. This is especially true when news reports indicate that the government and music industry organizations (LMK) are reaffirming the obligation to pay royalties for playing Indonesian music in places like cafes, restaurants, hotels, and shopping malls. In fact, it’s not uncommon for this issue to be turned into memes or other digital jokes on social media. read more

Climate change is not a problem that centers on a single root cause. Collaboration and understanding are needed, as systems greatly influence their impact. Government policy is key to ensuring that this issue does not create deeper divisions between communities. Instead, good national policy in addressing climate change must be inclusive and equitable.

Patra added that, like it or not, many climate change challenges need to be prepared for. This is especially true as global support in the financial sector is beginning to shift towards this issue. However, climate action in Indonesia has grown organically within communities. This means that public awareness of climate change has already started to grow. The government must be able to formulate grassroots-based policies that can reach the smallest units of society. read more