Official Blog of EDCOM FIB UNS

EDCOM EDU FEST National English Debate Competition 2016

2016-07-01T22:29:00.001+07:00

EDCOM EDU FEST National English Debate Competition 2016 is a national English debate competition for university students held by EDCOM FIB UNS. This debate competition gives an opportunity for talented debaters to show their intelligence and persuasive capability against other debaters. The debate competition also gives opportunities for the participants to learn more about debate through each session of the debate competition. Using British Parliamentary System Debate, this competition will be held on 2^nd-4^th September 2016 (3 days) at FIB UNS.

Total prize for the winners is IDR 8 M.

· 1^st place : IDR 3.000.000,-

· 2^nd place : IDR 2.000.000,-

· 3^rd place : IDR 1.500.000,-

· 4^th place : IDR 1.000.000,-

· Best speaker : IDR 500.000,-

Participants:

Participants should be active university students (Batch 2014 or 2015).
Each team consists of two debaters and one N1.
Each university is allowed to send no more than three teams.

The first two teams will be in the main list, and the other will be in the waiting list. The main list and waiting list teams are announced two weeks after the registration day in this blog.

The registration information:

· The registration is open from 11^th July to 18^th August 2016.
· Participants should complete the registration form, downloadable here.
· Complete the registration form and sent it to debate.eef@gmail.com

The student card copy must be attached.

Here is the format of file name of registration form and the email subject: REGISTRATION_Campus Name. For instance: REGISTRATION_Universitas Sebelas Maret.

4. Registration fee (IDR 600,000) should be transferred to

Account Number : 900-00-2014167-8

Account Holder : Yuniar Mega Andani

Bank : MANDIRI

· 5. The scan of the transfer receipt/slip and the registration form accompanied with 3x4 photograph should be sent to debate.eef@gmail.com

E-mail subject: TRANSFER-RECEIPT_Name of Leader_Campus_Team^(*). For example: TRANSFER-RECEIPT_Miranda_ Universitas Sebelas Maret_Team-A.

· We will announce 32 fixed teams at http://edcom.fib.uns.ac.id on 20^th August 2016.

· Please take a note that the accommodation is not included.

Facilities:

1. Seminar kit

2. Snack and lunch

3. Certificate

Let’s join us!

Get new friends, experience, knowledge, and competition at once!

Contact Person:

1. Lydia Nanda S : 085879378273 (SMS)

2. Tika Nur A : 085740898972 (SMS & WhatsApp)

FFor further information, visit http://edcom.fib.uns.ac.id!

^(*)The name of the team will be announced in http://edcom.fib.uns.ac.id, two weeks after the registration is opened.

Fascinating 2016: BTB performs drama themed sin

2016-05-18T21:21:00.000+07:00

Bradley Scott (A. Prasetyoaji) is trying to proof his innocent to the detective (Nanda S.D.) in front of 'his assassin' (Azzam Mustaqim)

Better Than Broadway (BTB) showed a Fascinating drama on Thursday (5/12) at theater building of Taman Budaya Jawa Tengah (TBJT). Merely 50 audiences and some lecturers attended the show.

Fascinating is a drama performance as a welcoming session for new members of BTB. The fascinating drama consisted of two short dramas with the title: The Interrogation as the first performance and The Afterlife as the second drama.
The two dramas based on the theme which was about sin. The show was started at 19:55 by Arif as the MC of the show. It continued to the speech session from the chief of the show, Zelin Feby Zeina S. and the Dean of Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Riyadi Santosa, who also belongs as one of the lecturers in English Department.

The first closing gate was at 20:13 to perform the first drama, The Interrogation, which spent duration time about 20 minutes. The drama’s script was written and directed by M. Rofiquzzaman (Azzam). It told about the judgment of a man named Bradley Scott who was accused killing his wife. He finally was jailed because of that case. However, at the end of the story, the fact told the audience that Scott was not a murderer. He was just defamed by his business rival, Schmidt. He also didn’t kill the victim, but he had to pay a hurt responsibility for a sin made by another person.

Death (F. Adib Murtadla) prepares to send Arnold (Imron Hizbullah)
after hearing the judgement

The second closing gate was at 20:46. Drama with the title The Afterlife was performed about 35 minutes. The drama was written and directed by Yonatan Dedi Kurniawan. The story began when the poor Charlotte was still waiting for her husband, Arnold Robinson, to wake up from the long coma after the accident 2 years ago. During the coma, Arnold suddenly woke up in somewhere unknown. He met Death, the death angel and also the one that determines a person should go to the hell or heaven. At that time, Arnold also met his two old friends that had been dead 6 years ago, named Dave and Sophia. They blamed Arnold because when they were still alive, Arnold fraudulent in reaching his success in the company. However, he tried to defend himself in order not to go to the hell but it was useless. With all of the evidence, Death finally decided to drag Arnold to the hell.

In the end of drama performance was the question and answer session. The two directors, Azzam and Yonatan were interviewed about their opinions in the performance and their preparation in writing the script also doing a casting for the characters.

“I wrote the script about 1.5 months ago. Well, I think, the most difficult character is the Detective. She should master the emotional character. I’m proud of her in this drama. She acts really well and mastered the character. Actually, all of the characters can be acted well. Thanks for all of the characters”, Azzam as the first drama’s director mentioned.

The second opportunity to tell about the drama was Yonatan, the writer and also the director of the second drama.

Yonatan said, “I need 3 months to prepare the concept while the script needs less than 1 month to finish. About the most difficult character I think Death, which is played by Adib because in this character, Adib must control his emotion, expression, intonation and volume of his voice when saying every dialogue. Overall, I really appreciate all of the effort of the characters in this drama. Well done”.

The performance finished at 22:00. It got positive comment from Karunia, as the advisor of BTB.

“I am satisfied of the performance. They act as amazing as always. I hope they will always do their job well. Hopefully, they will improve their performance better and better, so that they can do such a national or international performance in the future," said Karunia, the lecturer.

EDCOM holds a seminar on international education

2016-04-29T17:08:00.000+07:00

EDCOM (English Department Community) held a seminar about international education on Sunday (4/24). The seminar was held in the Building 3 of FIB (Faculty of Cultural Sciences). Merely 140 audiences joined the event. Based on the tagline "Discover your future in global education", the seminar tried to let people know about global education.

Four speakers were invited to deliver their knowledge based on the international education. The first speaker came from America. His name is Jesse Kiendl, an English Language Specialist who contributes in Regional English Language Office (RELO), which aims to study about education system and culture. The second speaker came from International Office of Sebelas Maret University (UNS), Safitri Bonea, who talked about her experience about campus lifestyle in Utrecht University, Netherland. The third speaker, Fitra Ramadania, delivered her knowledge and experience while became an international student in America. Last speaker, Gun Gun Gunawan, told his experience and gave some ways according to his experience to survive in Egypt (Suez Canal University) as a student who dedicated in exchange program.

The event was well-guided by Meidiana K. L. and Rake A. as master of ceremony started at 09:30 a.m. Riyadi Santosa as the Dean of FIB and Khafitta Q. as the leader of the event delivered their opening speech about 45 minutes. Then, the event continued to the first speaker period, moderated by Taufiq Al Makmun, one of lecturers in English Department, who talked about the different culture and its benefits. Jesse Kiendl is an expert of English language teacher and belongs to be a member of RELO. He talked about many important things related to higher education in USA such as the regulations and the requirements to study abroad in the USA. He also shared his own educational experience in Columbia University while majoring History and Botany.

Jessie explained the difference of education system between in Indonesia and USA. He explained that children in USA take a Nursery School before Kindergarten and they spend their time in Senior High School for about 4 years. There is also a school for graduated High school's students called Junior College or Community college that took 2 - 2.5 years to finish it. The students can transfer into University once they graduate. The requirement for applying on the University in the USA is also different comparing to the grade based on Indonesia's educational system. In USA the requirements demanded usually consist of personal statement, where the student’s candidates are from, who they are, and etc. Usually, the students choose the major after spend their time in the university for a year. The class usually begins in September or October and the normal course consists of 3-5 courses per term. There are also two types of Master Degree programs in the USA: Academic and Professional Program.

After question and answer session with Jesse as the first speaker, prizes were given for audiences who asked questions, and the seminar's souvenirs were also given for the speaker. Then, it continued to Safitri Bonea session, the second speaker who talks about lifestyle while studying abroad. She began her turn by telling about her life experiences while study in Uthrect, a small city in Netherland with the most beautiful canal in the world. She stated that while study abroad, people should make balance in the term of study, play, or many other aspects in their life.

According to Safitri’s explanation, the educational system in Netherland requires students to be more active, independent, and talkative in the learning proccess because of the “speak up” culture. People must also read many books and try to be critical, that's how educational system in Netherland categorized in good condition. People there prefer using bicylce to go anywhere because public transportation costs very expensive. About social life aspect, there are such international student groups or student organizations which let the students gave more knowledge and pleasure daily life.

As the third speaker, Fitra Ramadania talked about her life story while study in Stony Brook University funded by Fulbright scholarship. She mentioned that the campus can be reached about 2 hours from New York, and it is also a beautiful, large and huge university. The campus provided a student card that can be use for many things such as for open the dorm room, for borow books, for buy something in cafetaria and etc. Fitria explained that students in USA tend to be less formal in the class, they can eat snacks, they can wear whatever they want to wear such an sandals, short pants, and etc because they respect the lecturer in their own way, for example by seriously pay attention to the class and always raising hand or asking something in the question and answer session.

Gun Gun Gunawan, the forth speaker of the seminar event talked about his experience of survival life while doing an exchange program in Egypt. While sharing information about the social life and condition in Egypt, he also shared his knowledge about the educational system in Egypt, in which the lecturer tend to use the ceramah mode and there's no presentation or discussion session at all. In addition of his explanation the students also not allowed to ask something except the lecturer told them to do so because it is a part of their tradition.

The seminar held well and finished at 01:00 p.m. It also got good impressed from Jesse as the main speaker in the event.

“Wow, based on this seminar I found that actually many people want to study abroad including USA. According to this condition, so all of you who want to study in the USA must work hard to compete with others candidates. Well, another good point is actually I think that Indonesian students are passive during the discussion, but what had happened in the seminar differs from my expectation. Many people ask me questions and that’s good, well-done for all of you”, he mentioned.

SARASEHAN EDCOM 2014

2014-06-03T16:53:00.000+07:00

(5/23/2014) EDCOM tried to hold “Sarasehan” event which was attended by the lecturers and the students of English Department UNS. This event that was exactly started at 09.30 am was deliberated for discussing more about “what lecturers want” and “what students want”. Sarasehan tried to discuss about the problems around the study and also to know about the perception between lectures and students. They can say everything here to make a clarification. Hopefully that lecturers or students can find their solution for the better English Department.

Sarasehan was opened successfully by MC in the seminar room, building 3. Then, there was greeting from our head of English Department, Mr. Agus Hari Wibowo. He said about the vision and mission of the English Department. He also gave us many advices and recommendations. “English Department students should have a lot of achievements in major literature, linguistic, translation, American studies both international and national” he said. Mr Agus Hari Wibowo also takes big expectation to his students that they can graduate from college on time with stock of skill from here.

Approximately at 10.00 am, it was the turn of students to give feed back to the lecturers. They said about the problem in study. Firstly, the student from 2012 asked question about transparency of the grades. Students want the lectures to be transparent about the grades, so students can know and learn more about their mistakes. Then, students from 2011 and 2010 also asked question to the lecturers about the apprenticeship program in English Department. They wanted English Department UNS pay more attention when giving information about it. They also shared their experience when they’re training in new place.

The conversation between lecturers and students was running well. Mr. Agus D Priyanto also helped to answer their student’s questions. “In training program or apprenticeship program, it should be a credible place. Then, students must project their specialization in training program. So, it can’t be useless experience for students.” He said. Some students from 2013 also asked about their problem, and the lecturers—Mr. Budi Waskito and Mrs. Ardianna Nuraeni tried to give them answer.

Sarasehan was still continuing until 11.30 am. There were a lot of questions that have been answered by the lecturers. Finally, between lecturers and students can know each other and solve the problem one by one. As we hope, there’s no wrong perception if everybody wants to discuss about their problem.

MISSION: We Bring Movie to Your Class

2014-06-03T16:44:00.002+07:00

I guess movie is one of important sources of entertainment for us all. So what is better than having a movie time with a good crowd, with some good friends, especially when we also have a small discussion right after the credit end rolls?

Research and Development (RnD) Division of Edcom is trying to bring such experience in Faculty of Letters and Fine Arts by this new program, MISSION or Movie Discussion. This program aims to conduct a discussion towards selected movie as well as improve our skill in English speaking. It is held once a month on Friday, mostly on third week of the month.

MISSION has been conducted four times with various genre of each session. The first one, we had 2013’s blockbuster movies with The Hunger Games: Catching Fire as the selected one. Even though it is a new program, we already get a high enthusiasm from the pupils. More than 20 students came that day. Despite its success on the first session, some participants complained about the long duration of the movie. We could not hold a proper discussion since we ran out of time.

Frozen Movie Discussion on Friday the 3rd of March.
Darker room than the previous Mission (Movie Discussion)

The second one, we had better preparation as well as the choice of the movies. The selection of the movies was conducted by a survey via votes on internet and questionnaire. From the previous session, the movie duration also got some attention for this session. This one, we had animation movies as the theme with Frozen (2013) came out as the most voted one. The pupils were so enthusiastic, even better, especially we got special guest, Widya Saraswati from American Studies mainstream. She brought a feminism issue in Disney movie which was also in Frozen, making the discussion more interesting.

For the third session, as followed the month it was held (April) brought a comedy genre since April itself well-known by its April-mop. We had Eddie Murphy’s A Thousand Words. Even though it was a comedy, some participants stated that they also got some moral values from the movies such as doing things without thinking what we might get in return.

The fourth session was held for the special demand of Esty Diah Imaniar, an American Studies scholar to conduct a discussion about LGBT movies. The selected movie was The Kids Are All Right (2011). However, the crowd was not as many as the previous sessions since some of students went back to their hometown due to national holiday on the previous day. Even though it was a small crowd, the discussion went as interesting as the previous ones. This genre also helped open up our mind for some various issue among society.

EDCOM UPGRADING 2014: Meningkatkan Prestasi Organisasi Dengan Ceria

2014-06-02T12:51:00.005+07:00

UPGRADING is one of EDCOM's annual event. This event is purposed to strengthen the management of EDCOM internal consolidation and improve the quality of knowledge about the basics of organization.

The preparation before leaving campus

This year, UP GRADING held on 25 to 26 April 2014 in the Villa 41 Tawangmangu. This event was followed by EDCOM active members at 2013-2014 period. The event which was chaired by Adithea Rake Sanjaya (ED13) ran well appropriate on schedule. Participants have gathered at Faculty of Literature and Fine Arts on Friday at 2:00 pm and left at 4:30 pm by bus.

Alvian Novi Arvianto, speaker of the recent year
EDCOM UPGRADING

The first day activities were provided by Alvian Novi Arvianto from English Education Department, he talked about organization material, and then followed by a quiz from DEMISIONER that was pretty entertaining.

First game at the first night of UPGRADING

Mr. Agus H. W. while giving his speech

The second day was a special day for outbound activities provided by DEMISIONER. Started by giving a brief material about the organization by Mr. Agus H. W., the chairman of English Department, and continued with series of outbound activities taking place in the green area around the villa.

The games during UPGRADING 2014

The whole series of UPGRADING could serve as a refreshing but still provided benefits for the participants. As we expected, after participating UPGRADING, the participants become closer and more familiar each other and have a provision to organize and build up for EDCOM.

EDCOM Inauguration 2014: The New Generation

2014-05-16T14:05:00.003+07:00

On March, 14^th 2014, exactly at 13.00 pm was the important day for the new EDCOM (English Department Community) of Letters and Fine Art Faculty in Sebelas Maret University. EDCOM inauguration was held in 307 of the first building with the theme: Fresh for New Movement. This agenda was highly anticipated by each member of EDCOM every year. As before, EDCOM held with the new recruitment of members and also forum discussion—or called Musang. Musang is the process to know more about EDCOM, to discuss about AD/ART and to choose the next president. So, with all that preparation, the new president and all of members are expected to take their responsibility for the better EDCOM.

The new President of EDCOM, Mahardhika B. P.

Back to the EDCOM inauguration 2014, the first agenda was started with opening from MC. Then, continued by the greeting from the EDCOM president 2013— Rahma Restia. The opening was running well. There’s greeting from Miss Dini Amalia who’s the new mentor of EDCOM and also from the head of English Department, Mr. Agus Hari Wibowo.

At 13.50, there was agenda of reading “Surat Keputusan” by Miss Dini Amalia and followed by the vow from new president and also the new member of EDCOM. Then, the new president, Mahardhika B Prasetyo, was giving response for his new position to audience.

At 15.00, EDCOM inauguration was closed with the entertainment from Better than Broadway (BTB) Acoustic. Mostly person was singing and clapping together. EDCOM inauguration 2014 was running well and as we hope, EDCOM will be much better in the future.

The new generation of EDCOM

DEMA UNS Installs KPU and PANWASLU UNS Great Election 2013

2013-09-11T17:34:00.000+07:00

(4/9/13) UNS Solo: Dewan Mahasiswa (Students Council of Sebelas Maret University) had installed Komisi Pemilihan Umum (Election Commitee) and PANWASLU (Superintendent Election Commitee) at the office of university head’ meeting room 2. The leader of DEMA UNS, Arip Budhi Hermawan (ABH) installed 13 students as KPU member and 11 students as PANWASLU member.

The event was opened at 04.10 p.m. Tens invitation guests of DEMA, BEM (Students Executive Broad) and Press in UNS attended it.

“The both were important elements for driving UNS Great Election 2013 successfully,” Arip Budhi Hermawan, the leader of DEMA UNS said. “They have some duties, one of them is Giving political education to other students in order to increase students partisipation in the election.”

When he was asked about delays the election. DEMA UNS adjusted the process of UNS ISO, according ABH.

Some socialitations came after the installation. DEMA UNS gave socialitations of the Election Act, the Political Party of Campuss Act, and the new structure of KBM UNS (organizations in UNS). (by Setyari Pamungkas)

The Adjudicators of #SODC2013

2013-01-18T06:24:00.002+07:00

A-Core are as follows:

Erna Wisnu (Ernez)
Satya Irfananda (Nanda)
Novianto Juli (Juli)

Invited adjudicators are:

Enricko Lukman (Enricko)
Ahdiat Permana (Ahdiat)
Arbi Wienandar (Arbi)
Algi Rahmat Alfianto (Algi)
Rizal Kuddah (Rizal)
Ika Handayani (Iko)
Novelisa Wirid (Novel)
Liswindio Apendicaesar (Dio)

The Participants of SODC 2013

2013-01-07T21:37:00.000+07:00

Here the participants of SODC 2013:

No.	Team Name	Team Member	N1
1.	SATRIA	Juli Purnomo Oktikaningsih Dani Mustofa	Belynda Surya F
2.	UADS	Abdul Latif Nur Azis Robby Kurniawan Annisa Nurhayati	Karjongko
3.	Green Ranger	Deanty Mulia Ramadhani Yos Rizal Prima Saputra Prio Nugroho	Muhammad Esa Saputra
4.	EDS UNY A	Sinta Yuliani Aviningrum Ratna Yunita Zidnie Ilma	Siti Nasibah
5.	EDS UNY B	Tika Destiratri Setiawan Anisa Sukma Wantari Astika Nurwidyawati	Arif Burhanudin
6.	EDS UGM A	Alvine Stefan Widjaja Dianty Widyowati Ningrum Indriani Pratiwi	Nabila Aghniarizqa Olivia
7.	EDS UGM B	Romario Hasintongan Tambunan Alif Satria Amir Abdul Azis	Arsh Starfy Firdausy
8.	EDS UGM C	Wida Wahyuni Ali Bahtiar Sirry Gehan Ghofari	Aufia Espressivo
9.	New Comers	Adit Zem M. Nur Rizki Oceano Puritanical	Hildaria Kurnianingsih
10.	Sumpah Ini Lomba Terakhir Gue	Boby Andika Ruitang Rifan Ibnu Rahman Dwita Aryani	Fiski Aditya
11.	EFEC UNSOED A	Helen Pratiwi Safiera Faradila Azzahra Gilang Moehammad Nugraha	Faiz Amer Abdat
12.	SMEC	Nesita Anggraini Moony Sinawang Paksi Pradipta Mamukti	Devandra Eko Radityo
13.	SEGA UNSOED	M. Fauzan Farid Al-Hamdi Fildzah Kharisma Nurul Haq Budi Hartono	Hutami Chandra Lingga
14.	SEF UNSOED	Andhita Yedi Pramanik Yunas Pamatda Firsta Angga S	Riska Rahmawati
15.	EDS UGM D	Putu Trahinari Abdillah Zaya Mariette Wahyuningsih	Dyah Yunitasari
16.	UMS A	Doni Irvan Siswanto Hudi Sufyan Dyah Tri Utari	Sri Jumiati
17.	UMS B	Endang Rahmawati Siti Nur Rohmah Muhammad Nur Sobirin	Angga Wahyu Pratama
18.	SADHAR A	Vania Williany Sekartiyasa Kusumastuti Irene Anindyaputri	Margareta Ardini T.P
19.	SADHAR B	Tethy Cahyati Pesoa Helena Hanindya Kartika Putri Alexander Ignatius Kaparang	Theresia Ayu Santika
20.	EECC Ranger 1	Intan Sari Purnama Putri Rahmah Aulia Rumaisah Azizah Al Adawiyah	Afit Istiandaru
21.	EECC Ranger 2	Ikhsan Reza Delfrino Randy Yosua Immanuel Gustining Handarbeni	Muhammad Bahrul Ulum
22.	The Hobbit	Muhammad Fajar Shiddiq Adjam Haris Apriyanto Pieter Hadinata	Siska Nuramay Asari
23.	Unnes A	Indri Giriyanti Girindra Putri Ardana Reswari Jeffri Dian Andika	Mareta Permatasari
24.	Unnes B	Sony Ramadhan Slamet Prasojo Cesar Abdul Rizal	Wanudya Cahya Mita
25.	Valiant UM-A	– – –	-
26	Valiant UM-B	– – –	-

The committee finally add one more room for participants, it means that there are two more slots are available. Thus, we promote the top two of the previous waiting list. Congratulation to UM Valiant A and UM Valiant B.

Seleksi Beasiswa Aktivis Nusantara 3

2012-12-23T02:29:00.001+07:00

Beasiswa Aktivis Nusantara (BAKTI NUSA) adalah investasi sumberdaya manusia yang mengelola biaya untuk pendidikan, pembinaan, pelatihan, serta pendampingan bagi aktivis mahasiswa. Program BAKTI NUSA bertujuan mengembangkan pengetahuan, pemahaman, dan sikap peserta program, yang akan mengarahkannya menjadi sumberdaya manusia yang berkarakter pemimpin yang bertanggung jawab dan mampu berkontribusi di tengah masyarakat.

Adapun Misi dari program beasiswa aktivis adalah:
1. Pengembangan diri pesrta program yang berbasis karakter dan nilai
2. Membangun dan mengoptimalkan jaringan
3. Mengoptimalkan peran penerima manfaat dalam aktivis pemberdayaan masyarakat.

Batas akhir pendaftaran tanggal 8 Februari 2013. Berkas Pendaftaran dikirimkan ke: HRD Beastudi Indonesia (Bumi Pengembangan Insani – Dompet Dhuafa. Jl. Raya Parung – Bogor Km. 42 Desa Jampang. Kecamatan Kemang Kabupaten Bogor 16310. Email: beastudi@beastudiindonesia.net)

DOWNLOAD FORMULIR PENDAFTARAN DISINI!

DOWNLOAD SURAT REKOMENADSI

Sumber: http://www.beastudiindonesia.net/bakti-nusa/148-seleksi-beasiswa-aktivis-nusantara-3

http://bemfssruns.com/seleksi-beasiswa-aktivis-nusantara-3/

SODC Invitation Letter

2012-12-21T18:01:00.000+07:00

ATTENTION! Due to some considerations, SODC 2013 will be held one day earlier i.e. 25th-27th 2013. The detail of the information can be seen here.

Here is the invitation letter of the event for those who may need it:

(click to get a bigger picture)

We look forward to your participation, many thanks.

What These Three Leaders Say About “Osmaru”?

2012-12-14T16:08:00.002+07:00

Osmaru (Orientasi Mahasiswa Baru) can be simply defined as a welcoming event for new students, it happens annually in most departments in this university, including English Department. With different concept and committee, every new student has their own experience in the way they acknowledge the department. Here is the interview with three different leaders of the Osmaru committee held in three different years.

What was the theme? Why did you choose that?

Desi Nursita (The Head of Committee of Closer 2010)

We chose music as the concept of the Osmaru. It had been discussed and everyone agreed. Closer stands for Camaraderie League of Star Serenade, which means a community of friendship and serenade of the stars. Moreover, it has a purpose to introduce the new students to their upper class seniors and the department.

Galang Pradipta (The Head of the Committee of Coffee Bean 2011)

The theme is about film genre.

Ryan Erwanda (The Head of Committee of OffAir 2012)

It has a concept of TV Shows, with “broadcast yourself with ED” as a jargon.

What is your impression of Osmaru as the leader of the committee?

Desi: When I was the head of the committee, many friends in the committee were enthusiastic although there were some people who were “hands-off”. It’s a little bit hard but challenging since I hadn’t joined any student organization and had to learn the bureaucracy things.

Galang: It was my first time being a leader of an event. It was stressing and burdening, I was shadowed by failure. However the experience made me and my friends grow up.

Ryan: It was fun because almost all of the committee was active, but there was a dificulty in handling the time management, the preparation period was too short.

What is your opinion about Osmaru?

Desi: For Closer, there were a slight problem with the attendance of the seniors. However, the event ran smoothly overall.

Galang: Closer did not vary the events. But it inspired Coffee Bean, and it ran well. However, the cooperation between committee had not been yet maximalized despite the full participation of the 2010 students. As for Offair, it had smaller number of committee, but they cooperated well and took their job seriously. However, the grouping was not well-done.

Ryan: I hope this event will be always held in the years to come. But we don't need violence in bully-ing since it would be better for us to get along with each other.

What is your expectation for the upcoming Osmaru?

Desi: I hope this event will be conducted every year because Osmaru is the effective event to familiarize new students to their surroundings. I hope the next Osmaru will be arranged more creatively and the cooperation have to be kept well.

Galang: I hope sometimes this event will be conducted outside the campus with more varried activities.

Ryan: The decoration also has to be taken care of. The cooperation has to be kept because conflict is always there. We have to overcome it in the best way.

SODC Upgraded to a National Level

2012-12-12T20:26:00.002+07:00

The upcoming event of Edcom FSSR, SODC (Solo Open Debate Championship) was upgraded to a national level. The committee of the event which is planned to be held on January, 26th-27th 2013 changed the competition level due to a meeting decision. Rahma, the head of the committee said that the word "Open" in SODC means that everyone can join the event. There are no age or place requirements to be a participant.

"Even someone who already has a job can enroll, and then the head of our adjudicator was reprimanded by a debater which almost threaten the reputation of SODC and UNS" Rahma added her explanation.

Talking about the progress of the event preparation, Rahma explained briefly,

"The preparations had reached the registration phase" [cahyo]

Linguistics Mainstream in UNS’ English Department

2012-12-11T18:05:00.001+07:00

By Alifa Irlinda (ED’09)

Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is one of the four mainstreams conducted by Sebelas Maret University’s English Department. Every year, it draws many English Department students interested in the study to deepen their Linguistics knowledge within classes.

Linguistic Levels

Linguistics can be divided into several sub-studies, i.e. language structure, language meaning, and language in context. The first category deals with the grammar of a language, meaning some sort of rules obeyed by the users of a language concluded in the study of morphology, syntax, phonology and systemic functional grammar. The second scoop of study deals with language meaning. It is concluded in the study of semantics and pragmatics. The third sub-study sees language as it is influenced by social, political, cultural, and historical matters. It is concluded in the study of sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, language acquisition, and discourse analysis.

All the sub-studies of linguistics mentioned above are interestingly delivered in the classes by the teachers. To mention that, I am personally interested in the study of pragmatics, the study of how meaning is inferred from the context. Pragmatics is concerned with how language assigns meaning. It includes the attempts to manage and resolve ambiguity. Learning pragmatics and semantics makes one able to use ambiguity as a strategy to blur their motives as well as reveal what an ambiguity means.

Systemic functional grammar class is also great. In my experience, SFG made me curious and gave me a migraine at the same time. It’s because the data were very intricate to analyze, yet intriguing. For the students who take SFG class, I suppose you have the same problems like I did. To overcome that, my friends and I often discussed the whole analysis together since all the assignments and tests were taken home, although we often ended up with different analysis and conclusions. However, discussing it together helped so much in understanding the data.

Language acquisition class is even more interesting. We studied how people acquire language as children, including exceptional children who live in disabilities such as deaf, dumb, or both. We learned how amazingly they process their mother tongue in their mind and even other languages later when they grow up.

Talking about discourse analysis class, it requires more critical thinking. Otherwise, you will only be statically stuck while analyzing such a short text. Discourse analysis includes the study that sees language in its role within social, political, cultural matters, etc. Therefore, a broad knowledge about such areas is also needed in order to produce a good and scientific analysis. In my opinion, this class is the toughest among all, yet challenging and interesting to study.

I often heard many students choose Linguistics mainstream because it needs a rather shorter period of time to graduate and doesn’t require much reading. Well, let me get this straight. None of the mainstreams in ED conducts a learning-teaching process without requiring the participants of the class to read. Finally, to achieve the short period of time to graduate, it basically depends on the individual’s effort and consistency.

HMBI Udinus and Edcom Conduct a Comparative Study

2012-12-11T06:04:00.001+07:00

The Association of English Student of Dian Nuswantoro University (HMBI Udinus) and English Department Community (Edcom) Sebelas Maret University (UNS) successfully held a comparative study in Faculty of Letters and Arts (FSSR) UNS on Sunday (10/12/12). This event was also attended by some lecturers from both universities.

HMBI Udinus visited Edcom FSSR in order of their series of partnership. This time HMBI wanted to learn about organization from Edcom. Rini, HMBI’s advisor lecturer stated that the HMBI must take something from Edcom.

“We want to learn from Edcom, comparing to us, you are older and have many experiences in organization” Said Rini in her greeting speech.

“I hope there will be sharing and accommodation given by Edcom so we can take something from this activity. The partnership has to keep continue, we wait for Edcom to come to Udinus someday” Rini added the explanation.

The discussion activity which held in room 307 of the Building 1 was success, proved by there many students either from Edcom or HMBI asked and discussed many things after they presented a presentation about the organization. Adit, one of Udinus students stated that he get something from Edcom.

“Because of this event, we now acknowledge many activities did by Edcom. We also can compare it with HMBI, which maybe have less activities and squad”

“Hopefully from now on we can apply some activities inspired by Edcom. We will also re-establish many things like the press products and our drama group” Said Adit. [Cahyo]

So, What is "Osmaru"? - Zeitgeist November 2012

2012-11-28T07:58:00.002+07:00

Bimo '12

Greeting from Philly

2012-11-25T16:13:00.000+07:00

Philadelphia had been a very warm city for me, though the weather was not warm at all. One month was a very short time to get acquianted with Philly, but I felt it was like my own city. And by the time I was close enough with every corner of the city and was accustomed to the subway, I had to leave my Philly. So dramatic!

Philadelphia, or many people call it ‘Philly’ is the biggest city in Pennsylvania. It is well known as historical city because Philadelphia was the place where the United States of America was born. The city was old, I thought, when I set my feet on the city of Philadelphia for the first time. I stayed for one month during the winter in the area of Temple University in the center of the city. Although my program schedule was so tight, I still had time to explore the city with my friends.

The best way to enjoy Philly is by taking a walk. Taking a walk in Philly will not make you bored as every place is very interesting and beautiful though it was winter and people preferred to stay at home with hot chocolate rather than go out. Moreover, there are murals around the city. Mural is a wall painting just like graffiti but it’s different because mural represents a community and contains a story. The picture tells us something important relates to socio-cultural condition and it becomes the medium for telling everybody in Philly about specific custom, tradition, and important figures. For instance, in a black people community we will see the mural of Martin Luther King, but it is not merely about a group but also about what people need to understand from Philly. Mural also becomes the symbol of diversity which welcomes everybody to come to Philadelphia.

The interesting thing I never experienced was the subway system, another alternative to travel around the city. I was freaked out as I entered the Subway station at the first time because I saw many strange people like gangsters, that’s because I always imagined a scene in an action movie, LOL. Subway is the main transportation mode in most American cities. There are several stations in every stop in Philly such as Cecile B. Moore, City Hall, Girard, etc. We use what they call as tokens to enter the subway. Token is like a coin which costs $10 for three. We can buy token from the token machine or just buy it in the counter before entering the subway. The system is very good, and everybody is so disciplined, so far.

Philly has a high percentage of crime, especially in the North. Many people told me not to walk to the North because gangsters often fight there. My lecturer was even afraid to take the subway after 6 P.M. Otherwise, he would meet people with gun and weapon in their pants. Even many shops that have less security system are closed at 7 P.M. I think Solo is more crowded at night than Philly. However, Philly is safe, I mean it.

Shopping was not a difficult thing to do especially when we know the best place to do it. We can easily find used books and used stuffs by going to markets and booksellers which are located not very far from the City Hall. Although they sell used stuffs, the qualities are still good. We can get a lower price rather than if we buy new ones. That’s what I like to do.

Visiting some places in Philly was like going back to a hundred years ago in the revolutionary era. I got a chance to visit Independence Hall, the house wherein The Declaration of Independence was signed. The chair of George Washington was clearly seen, and even the detail of the chairs and the pen were still in good order. The museum is also very interesting and attractive. It uses modern technology to present the past. Thus, visiting museum was not a horrific thing like I usually experience here in Indonesia. American people are so proud of their history and respect it by creating such a beautiful and sophisticated museum. National Convention Center in Philadelphia is an example. There is a kind of Movie Theater in the museum that presents the history of America. The movie uses special effects. It gives us experience as if we were part of the history presented on the screen around the audience’s chairs.

The sense of religiosity was also felt in this city. Various worship places can be easily found around the city, from the old ones to the newest ones, from Quakers to Islamic worship places. Even Quakers church of Elizabeth Cady Stanton still exists in a well condition. I also visited the church of noble people, and my friend even sat on the chairs of George Washington’s family. I stayed near the mosque of Nation of Islam in which people used to pray like Christians do, but they have changed into the true Islamic practices now. Some Jewish synagogues are also built in a more modern way.

I got a chance to participate in the voluntary service for Martin Luther King Day on January 17 2011. On that day, American people usually have many community services, either small or big community service. I joined a big community service in Girrard College where people had many activities such as minority discussion and collecting clothes and food for people in need. Some of my friends went to a smaller community service in a church of African American community which provided food for children.

One more thing that unites the people in Philly is basketball. Probably you know the NBA team Philadelphia 76ers, or usually called Sixers. Most people in Philadelphia often go tobasketball games to support their local team, not only male but also females, even children and elders. Last February, Philadelphia 76ers won in their own home. The people in Philadelphia was really happy, and they celebrated the vitory on the street after the match.

Months had passed, and I had to leave Philly. It was just like when you are suddenly forced to stop eating chocolate. I miss the city and the snow. The morning breakfast car selling sandwich, bagel, and Philly cheese steak, strange sound near the Barnes and Noble bookstore in the broad street every morning, and even people holding cup of hot chocolate while walking in a hurry. One more thing, I will miss everyone I never knew saying Salam to me on the street. That’s Philly!

Safitri Bonea P.- SUSI RPA for Student Leaders 2011 Alumni

Majority and Minority Status – Prejudice and Stereotype

2012-11-21T02:29:00.000+07:00

by Rizqi Arifuddin

In a very diverse and multicultural society, there exists the so called majority and minority society. In one session of my short course in US (SUSI for Student Leaders on Religious Pluralism), I studied this issue more profoundly. ‘A miniature of the world’, is how one of my friends called the United States of America. In this country, there are various people coming from different nations and cultures speaking different languages. Therefore, in the US, as in many other plural places, the existence of majority group is observable.

Nowadays, the majority of US citizen is indisputably White people. They make up a large number of US citizens. Other groups of people make up minority group. They consist of African American, Latin American, Asian American and others. Each possesses and preserves each own distinct culture. Thus, the concept of salad bowl is now more preferable than melting pot. In salad bowl, each member of the society still preserves its original ‘form’. But in melting pot, they all blend, they all melt. The current phenomena in US society are not represented by the latter.

In understanding the concept of majority and minority, Dr. Racelle Weiman and Angela Ilic, the mentors - who led the session, - asked the participants to engage in an interactive teaching. The participants consisting of twenty Indonesian students shared the same commonalities: black hair and black eye color. The mentors then drew a circle on the floor and instructed the participants to step in after some instructions. “Step in the circle for people whose hair is black” said Dr. Racelle. Twenty people stepped in the circle, leaving the blonde Dr. Racelle and the somewhat red-haired Angela Ilic. Which group is the majority now? When they asked the class to step inside a circle for those whose religion is non Moslem, six people (the two mentors and four participants) stepped in. Do you remember that the four students were once in the majority group? What does it suggest?

The concept of majority and minority is very much determined by two factors: space and time. Imagine the twenty students from Indonesia. They were the majority within the class room for having black hair (special factor). But once they got out, even if only one step, outside of the classroom, they would become the minority as most people in the campus area were blonde. Moslems were majority inside the classroom. Once the students got out of it, they became minority (special factor). Say, African American. Once they come to Africa they will not be minority (measured by skin color). All of these examples show that space play a crucial role in making up a majority group. It means that status as a majority is not an absolute status. Everyone may become or may not become majority member in a given space. Time also plays the same factor. It actually is an interlocking system with space in making up majority/minority status. It works in the same way as space does. For instance there is an interesting finding about American society. If the survey and calculation is correct, in the near future, White people will loose its status as majority people in US as the number of minority keeps on growing [1].

What happen to the majority group with the existence of a growing minority? The initial response of majority to minority is usually not the good ones. In most cases, majority is usually attributed with more power, more control and more privilege. People from majority group usually enjoy all the privileges that minority group cannot afford. One example is the right to vote in the US. Only in 1965 could all US citizens regardless their race and gender vote freely. The majority will react with mostly fear and anxiety to the growing number of minority. They fear that the minority will get all the privileges. They are anxious that the minority will take over and even overthrow them from their position in society. Thus, to prevent this from happening prejudice and stereotype are in force. Whan does prejudice mean? Here are some definitions of prejudice from http://dictionary.reference.com :

n
1.	an opinion formed beforehand, esp an unfavourable one based on inadequate facts
2.	the act or condition of holding such opinions
3.	intolerance of or dislike for people of a specific race, religion,etc
4.	disadvantage or injury resulting from prejudice
5.	to the prejudice of to the detriment of
6.	law without prejudice without dismissing or detracting from anexisting right or claim

The six definitions of prejudice refers to acts of forming negative pre-opinion to specific group of people based on race, religion, etc which has no adequate facts. Prejudice then may not be true since it has less fact. Which group of people is mostly prejudiced? It surely is the minority one. The majority will have their prejudice on the minority and once these prejudices are perpetuated and believed as something true by many people, they become stereotypes and it will be very hard to combat them.

Stereotypes are negative opinions to a certain group of people which are believed as true. The easiest example is the stereotype that women are weak. Are all women weak? Surely not. There are plenty of strong women out there. Stereotypes are also characterized by generalization and they are perpetuated by media. More and more people believe in stereotypes of certain group of people because they are frequently embedded in popular media. Media work in a specific unconscious ways to influence people. Thus, the minority group must work hard to combat stereotypes imposed on them, and it is not an easy fight. Do you believe in certain stereotypes of groups of people?

So how can we combat the stereotypes or prejudice? Being a majority, one will always feel safe, secure and comfortable. S/he lives in a comfort zone that leads to ignorance to the others, -- the minority ones. However, if one really wants to combat stereotypes and prejudice, s/he is supposed to leave her/his comfort zone. S/he needs to at least be open minded, let the ignorance evaporate, and learn about others (qq).

References:

[1] The End of White America? http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2009/01/the-end-of-white-america/7208/; White people will not be majority by 2042 http://gulfnews.com/news/world/usa/white-people-will-not-be-a-majority-in-us-by-2042-1.124913

Pict: http://img.ehowcdn.com/article-new/ehow/images/a07/di/oc/reduce-prejudice-stereotyping-schools-800x800.jpg

The Youth Pledge

2012-11-02T16:04:00.002+07:00


Illustrated by Arsyad

The Youth Pledge (known as Sumpah Pemuda) is the national day in Indonesia which is celebrated at October 28^th. The Indonesia’s Independence is the result of the struggle of Indonesian who were colonized at that time. As Indonesian people were oppressed and become a slave, the youth from many regions strengthened themselves and gathered their power to oppose the colonialists. They wanted to end the suffering by doing revolutional movements. One of them was the Indonesian Youth Congress which was done for two times led by Sugondo Djojopuspito. As the result, It incited a congress formulation written by Mohammad Yamin. It explained the confession of youth that they admitted three points indicating their identity as Indonesian. Starting from this, it becomes a commitment for Indonesian people until they reach the independence seventeen years later, August 17^th 1945.

There have been many changes after the event. The struggle is still continued until the invaders recognized the Indonesian’s Sovereignty and left our motherland. Furthermore, they also took part in the political arena. They stepped forward to convey their dissapointment for the president H. Muhammad Soeharto and ousted him from his position. The youth gives a lot of contributions toward the nation’s political condition.

Nowadays, almost students are not productive. The title “Agent of Change” that is given for us is just a mere romance. Because we live in globalization era which almost instantaneous, we are pampered by technologies and do not want to try when we begin something. We lose our sense of patriotism.We prefer to do for ourselves than for nation.

In this commemoration, the writer persuades all of you, the next generation, to change our behavior and actively contribute to the country. What should we do? As a student, our two first movement is studying and following some social activities such as in Non-General Organization for student. We hope that the youth can be the next generation that have nobility and conscience.I hope they become an authoritative leader. May the day of the pledge of youth be a reflection for us. [Erik]

The original version of SumpahPemuda:

Pertama

Kami, poetra dan poetri Indonesia, mengakoe bertoempah darah satoe, tanah air Indonesia

(Firstly, We the sons and daughters of Indonesia, acknowledge one motherland, Indonesia.)

Kedoea

Kami, poetra dan poetri Indonesia, mengakoe berbangsa yang satoe, bangsa indonesia

(Secondly, We the sons and daughters of Indonesia, acknowledge one nation, the nation of Indonesia.)

Ketiga

Kami, poetra dan poetri Indonesia, mendjoengdjoeng bahasa persatoean, bahasa indonesia

(Thirdly, We the sons and daughters of Indonesia, uphold the language of unity, Indonesian.)

Source :

http://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumpah_Pemuda

http://search.viva.co.id/search?m=art&q=Tawuran+Pelajar

Rundown Poranti 2012 "Revolution"

2012-10-14T14:02:00.001+07:00

Poranti is back! Poranti (Pekan Olahraga Antar Tingkat) kali ini akan dilaksanakan pada tanggal 15-19 Oktober 2012 di GOR UNS dan Bengawan Sport Center. Adapun jenis olahraga yang dilombakan adalah Futsal, Basket, dan Tarik Tambang. Dengan tema "Revolution", Poranti kali ini memiliki jargon "Be the Last Man Standing".

Berikut RUNDOWN PORANTI 2012 "Revolution"..

HARI PERTAMA
Senin, 15 Oktober 2012
Waktu Kegiatan
14.30 – 15.00 Pembukaan
15.00 – 15.30 Basket putra 2008 vs 2012
15.30 – 16.00 Basket putri 2011 vs 2012
16.00 – 16.30 Basket putra 2010 vs 2011
16.30 – 17.00 Basket putri 2008 vs 2009

HARI KEDUA
Selasa, 16 Oktober 2012
Waktu Kegiatan
14.30 – 15.00 Futsal putra 2010 vs 2011
15.00 – 15.30 Futsal putri 2011 vs 2012
15.30 – 16.00 Futsal putra 2009 vs 2012
16.00 – 16.30 Futsal putri 2008 vs 2009

HARI KETIGA
Rabu, 17 Oktober 2012
Waktu Kegiatan
14.30 – 15.00 Semi Final Futsal putra 2008 vs win (2009 vs 2012)
15.00 – 15.30 Semi Final Futsal putri 2010 vs win (2008 vs 2009)
15.30 – 16.00 Final Futsal putra
16.00 – 16.30 Final Futsal putri

HARI KEEMPAT
Kamis, 18 Oktober 2012
Waktu Kegiatan
14.30 – 15.00 Semi Final Basket putra 2009 vs win (2010 vs 2011)
15.00 – 15.30 Semi Final Basket putri 2010 vs win (2008 vs 2009)
15.30 – 15.45 Tarik Tambang putra 2010 vs 2011
15.45 – 16.00 Tarik Tambang putri 2008 vs 2009
16.00 – 16.15 Tarik Tambang putra 2008 vs 2012
16.15 – 17.00 Tarik Tambang putri 2010 vs 2011

HARI KELIMA
Jumat, 19 Oktober 2012
Waktu Kegiatan
13.30 – 13.45 Semi Final Tarik tambang putra 2009 vs win (2008 vs 2012)
13.45 – 14.00 Semi Final Tarik tambang putri 2012 vs win (2010 vs 2011)
14.00 – 14.10 Final tarik tambang putra
14.10 – 14.20 Final tarik tambang putri
14.20 – 14.50 Final Basket Putri
14.50 – 15.20 Final Basket Putra
15.20 – 15.50 All Star Basket Putri
15.50 – 16.20 All Star Basket Putra
16.20 - selesai Pengumuman kejuaraan + penutupan

P.S:: Khusus pertandingan Futsal, tempat pelaksanaannya di Bengawan Sport, Sekarpace. Selebihnya, pertandingan dilaksanakan di GOR UNS.

BE THE LAST MAN STANDING! Ganbarimasu! ^^v

Opinion: About Literature Mainstream

2012-07-23T06:33:00.002+07:00

by A. Qodir
English Literature 2008

I chose literature mainstream because it had been my interest since a long time. Literature is different than any other mainstreams in our department. We can play with words, explore our mind, and make some awesome arguments or opinions. There's the artistic value in literature, that's the plus point, because art is beautiful. Beautiful is judged by our own sense, everyone has different taste and perception. You can get it in literature mainstream, it's fun!

In literature we have to read a lot, in returns, we can also write a lot. Reading is actually one of the effective ways for exercising to write. Furthermore, we have the theory, so we can write more appropriately. In other words, we can compose literature because we know literature. The more books you read, the more idea you can develop.

Literature has the same essence no matter what language is used, it's all about art. Besides that, what Mr. Yuyun says as “in literature we learn about life” is true. From literary works we can study about anthropology. We also learn about society and every element that builds it up.

I love poem, drama and novel too but my favorite literary work is poem. My favorite author is Edgar Allan Poe, an American author, poet, editor and literary critic. I love his style in writing, most of his works are written in horror and thriller themes. Well, everyone has different interest, like my friend Danar, he rather likes love and romantic themes. I think some of you love it too.

Many of you might avoid dizziness caused by reading, but let me tell you, the more dizziness you get in literature, the more fun you'll get as well. Probably it is difficult in the first time, but literature is totally worth to learn.

Profile: Radyan Wresniwira Sandi

2012-07-21T06:07:00.000+07:00

interviewed by: Agachi Satria

New Leader, New Hope, New Expectation, New Story

Radyan Wresniwira Sandi was inaugurated as Edcom President. He is a funny and friendly youngman. When we interviewed him, he looked so cheerful and full of spirit. As a new president, he has the charisma as a leader we can depend on.

Name :Radyan Wresniwira Sandi
Department : English Department 2009
Place & Date of Birth :Wonogiri, 13th August 1992
Family Status : 1st child out of 2 siblings
Hobby : Doing sports; futsal and basketball, playing video games, reading comic, learning interesting things.
Favorite Quotation : Give the best and get the best!

Would you mind explaining your impression as a president of EDCOM for the first time?
I felt so nervous because this is the first time I am chosen as a leader. I admit that I do not have any experience before. I was in doubt. Can I do the best for this organization? Can I hold the responsibility? These words were haunting me in my head all the time. But as time goes by, I'm trying my best to lead EDCOM. I always ask my senior when I am in doubt and I always strive to be a good leader. In the end, I enjoy my position right now, I have adapted to this circumstance and I will give my best efforts to EDCOM.

Every leader has their own vision. Would you like to tell us yours?
I have a very big dream for this department. I want to make English Department just like a real family. As we can see, there is a gap between generations. It doesn’t pleasure me to see this phenomenon. So, my highest target is to create a warm and friendly atmosphere in our department.

Q. When that dream comes true, what will you do next?
I will maintain that. As we can imagine, if we live in a warm and lively atmosphere, we can do our work more happily. We can create a very good teamwork as a system and it will be very fun.

I see, that is a magnificent target you have. However, have you already make a move to bring EDCOM one step closer toward your dream?
Yes, I do. I always try to be friendly to anyone regardless the generation. By knowing them, I can understand their feelings and ideas toward the progression of Edcom. Well, every head has a different way of thinking, so I always try to find a good solution for Edcom's sustainability.

That's wonderful! By the way, do you have any book or movie that inspires you?
For movie, I do not think I do have, LOL. But I do have a book that inspires me. The manga, One Piece, is the real deal. You can find so many moral values from the story of Luffy. Happiness, struggle, friendship, faith, sorrow, death, the meaning of life, that is what One Piece about.

Excellent! And here comes the last question. Do you have a message to every member of our beloved English department?
Well, not much. I just have one message: Even our point of view and way of thinking are different from each other, we have to learn to be a person who always respect the others.

Mainstream Dilemma

2012-07-14T20:27:00.001+07:00

by Cahyo Adi Nugroho

If you can't convince them, confuse them. -Harry S. Truman-

The quote from the former president of United States of America should be suitable for the theme of Research and Development Division (RND)’s Seminar on Mainstream back then. The fact is, based on the results obtained by RND’s research and interview conducted by me after the seminar was held, there are two groups of students formed: a group that is more certain with their mainstream and the more confused one.

Every student must ever feel in doubt or dilemmatic on something, moreover in a thing so-called mainstream. “Pre-mainstream” students always have plenty of choices in their minds, sometimes with pressure. They tend to believe in the information regarding particular mainstream based on what upper-semester students say, and it then finally becomes such a paradigm of which they don’t even have any idea whether it is right or wrong.

In the following semester, fourth semester students of English Department will face the reality that they have to choose their mainstreams earlier than their seniors since the Department has decided to accelerate the students learning process in campus. From the research done by RND in the last seminar, 86% from 57 respondents (49 students) said that it was okay to choose the mainstream in the beginning of the fifth semester. However, 54% of them said they had not got enough information about their future mainstreams, and then there are still about 1% of them that did not even get clear picture at all. Regarding these results, the Department should probably give a good solution by making sure that the students will receive enough information about mainstream.

Based on the same research conducted before the seminar started, American Studies (Amstud) was the most preferred mainstream by the student. From the questioner results, 40,5 % of the respondents chose Amstud as their future mainstream, 31,6 % chose Linguistics, 21,1 % chose Translation and only about 7% chose Literature.

The second questioner was released by RND after the seminar finished and different results appeared. With fewer respondents, Linguistics became the most favorite mainstream with 44,7% votes. It seems that the seminar surely influenced the students whether to keep their choice or change it. 62% of the respondents were certain with their choices. In contrasts, there are 27% of them becoming more confused, or shall we say ‘dilemma’, about their own choices.

When they were asked about their certainty upon the final choice after the seminar, there were no significant differences from before, the certainty levels were still around 50%-80%.

Talking about the seminar effect, there were varied opinions from different students. Zein, one of the fourth semester students, said that the seminar did not affect his choice, it only improved his knowledge about the mainstreams, and he still believed in what his heart said. Different from Zein, Haikal said that the seminar had successfully made him confused,

“Before this seminar, I have been convinced to choose Amstud, but now I am confused between Amstud and Linguistics” he explained.

Salman, another student, said that he had decided to choose translation as his mainstream. When he was asked about the reason, he answered it briefly,

“Translating is a noble job. I’ll help many people who don’t know English"

"I think from now on I have to make friends with many raters” he continued his answer.

Popular Paradigm

People tend to think that in Amstud they have to be critical, let’s blame those people who keep telling us that paradigm. What you have to remember is: critical thinking is needed in every mainstream. Even the string of word “critic” itself is used in several courses in our major. In Literature they have a course called Literature Criticism and Critical Discourse Analysis in Linguistics. In fact, we have to be critical in analyzing a discourse or literary works. In Translation, we have to be critical as well about the notion of culture and structure differences between source language and target language.

A friend of mine says that translating ability is very useful. We can get a knowledge that can be directly applied in the society. Another says that translating is a basic knowledge of our major, which means what societies see from our graduates is the translating ability. Prior to getting translation course, I thought it was easy to translate. It’s true until I realized I also have to think about my target reader understanding, since different person has different background and ability.

Those are only several paradigms about English Department’s mainstreams. They depend on how we respond to the information, just be careful in absorbing them. Take your time and think a lot about your future. Whatever you choose, be sure that you have enough understanding about your choice, like when the president who said the quote above decided the most crucial decision in history: putting atomic bomb in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Happy Birthday, Edcom!

2012-06-28T20:32:00.000+07:00

Hari ini bukan hari yang biasa untuk Edcom. HMJ yang telah berdiri sejak tanggal 28 Juni 2001 itu hari ini berulang tahun yang ke 11. Sebagai salah satu cara untuk memperingatinya, beberapa mahasiswa Sastra Inggris, baik itu pengurus Edcom atau bukan, membuat kartu ucapan selamat ulang tahun untuk Edcom. Kartu-kartu ucapan tersebut kemudian ditempelkan di mading.

Penampakan mading di hari ulang tahun Edcom:

Bahkan di sela-sela ucapan selamatnya, bendahara juga sempat menuliskan pesan:

Ketika ada salah satu mahasiswa yang sempat menyinggung soal pentingnya ucapan selamat, Radyan, Presiden Edcom, menjawab singkat, "Ya ini kan juga sebagai doa.."

Happy 11th birthday Edcom, wish you all the best!