Indonesia

Arts, Religion, and Social Change Seminar – syllabus
(ASIA3000 / 3 credits)

An interdisciplinary course conducted in English, with required readings, that draws connections between contemporary Indonesian society, politics, and economy with the historical traditions apparent in everyday life, be it urban, village, or rural. Students also explore the dynamic ways in which Balinese identity and traditional arts are changing, in response to the pressures of globalization and increased Balinese engagement with global networks. Lecturers are drawn from institutions such as the Udayana University, Universitas Negeri Malang (UM), Institute of Arts of Indonesia (ISI Denpasar and Jogjakarta), Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), and local NGOs. Educational excursions are an integral part of this course, and attendance at evening and weekend temple ceremonies and performances is sometimes required.

Bahasa Indonesia – syllabus
(INDO1006-1506 / 6 credits)

Bahasa Indonesia – syllabus
(INDO2006-2506 / 6 credits)

Bahasa Indonesia – syllabus
(INDO3006-3506 / 6 credits)

Emphasis on beginning speaking and comprehension skills through classroom and field instruction. Instructors are faculty of Udayana University in Denpasar. Classes are taught three to four hours daily. Based on in-country evaluation, including oral proficiency testing, students are placed in beginning, intermediate, or advanced classes. Balinese or Javanese language instruction is available for students with full competence in Indonesian.

Bahasa Indonesia – syllabus
INDO1006-3506/3 credits

AND

Exploring Indonesia
3 credits

This interdisciplinary course offers a comprehensive introduction to the vibrant and complex archipelago nation of Indonesia. Spanning thousands of islands and home to hundreds of distinct ethnic groups, languages, and cultural traditions, Indonesia presents a fascinating case study in diversity, historical transformation, and political development. The course delves into Indonesia’s rich and layered history, tracing the influence of early kingdoms, the arrival of Islam, the impact of European colonialism, the struggle for independence, and the tumultuous periods of nation-building and political transition. Through this course, students will gain a multifaceted understanding of Indonesia’s remarkable complexity and its significance in the contemporary world.

The language course is offered at different levels: Choose to take either two thematic seminars and a 3-credit language course OR the thematic seminar course, Arts, Religion, and Social Change Seminar, and a six-credit language course.

Field Methods and Ethics – syllabus
(ANTH3500 / 3 credits)

A course in the concepts of learning across cultures and from field experience and an introduction to the Independent Study Project (ISP). Topics include cross-cultural adaptation and skills building; project selection and refinement; appropriate methodologies; field study ethics and the World Learning / SIT Human Subjects Review Policy; developing contacts and finding resources; developing skills in observation and interviewing; gathering, organizing, and communicating data; and maintaining a work journal.

In addition to taking the above courses, students will also need to enroll in one of the following two courses:

Independent Study Project
Independent Study Project – syllabus
(ISPR3000 / 4 credits)

Conducted at an approved location in Bali, Java, and other parts of Indonesia appropriate to the project. Sample topic areas: the ritual significance of gamelan music and Balinese dance; contemporary youth culture and street art; painting in the Ramayana tradition; the social-political relation of government and religion; environmental challenges of global tourism; the representation of myth in public art; traditional healing arts and modern medicine; the export of Balinese culture via tourism; traditional village life and governance; gender and economic change; irrigation management in rural Bali; the aesthetics of religious tradition in Bali; the role of women in contemporary Islamic communities of Java.

Sample ISP topic areas:

• Balinese rural women’s reproductive health issues
• Local responses to illegal land use
• The social and ritual organization of “original Balinese” villages in Balinese highland areas
• Street art and youth culture
• The ritual significance of gamelan music and Balinese dance
• Tourism and the environment
• The export of Balinese culture via tourism
• Modern arts of Java and Bali
• Gender minority in Java
• The role of women in contemporary Islamic communities of Java
• Life at Pesantren, an Islamic boarding school
• Balinese trans migrants on other islands of Indonesia
• Local beliefs on other islands of Indonesia

Browse this program’s Independent Study Projects / undergraduate research.

OR

Internship and Seminar
Internship and Seminar – syllabus
(ITRN3000 / 4 credits)

This seminar consists of a four-week internship with a local community organization, research organization, business, or international NGO. The aim of the internship is to enable the student to gain valuable work experience and to enhance their skills in an international work environment. Students will complete an internship and submit a paper in which they process their learning experience on the job, analyze an issue important to the organization, and/or design a socially responsible solution to a problem identified by the organization. A focus will be on linking internship learning with the program’s critical global issue focus and overall program theme. The internship course includes a module designed to help students build a foundation on which to engage in the internship experience.

Sample internships:

• Assisting efforts to help street children at Yayasan Kasih Peduli Anak (YKPA)
• Practicing the art of batik at Batik Museum in Java
• Protecting turtles with the Bali Turtle Conservation Project
• Helping with English in an Islamic boarding school
• Assisting and observing monkeys’ behavior at Monkey Forest Ubud
• Producing art form and guiding visitors at ARMA museum Ubud