Global Utilities

La Trobe University
University Handbook 2008

Disciplines and areas of study

Indonesian

Program Coordinator: Dr Novi Djenar.

Indonesian is the national language of the world’s fourth most populous country and Australia’s important neighbour. The study of Indonesian has two major objectives. One is to equip students with appropriate knowledge and skills to communicate effectively in this language. The other is to develop a sympathetic understanding of the complex and diverse cultures of Indonesia and the Malay world: Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore.

In-country study

Students have the further opportunity, through formal classes and fieldwork, to develop practical language skills and to study the life, culture, and institutions of a South-East Asian country where Indonesian is used in everyday life. This work is normally undertaken within the framework of a course in Indonesian for foreign speakers, provided by one of the major Indonesian or Malaysian universities. Completion of a four-week course will be credited as 20 credit points, while completion of a six-week course will be credited as 40 credit points. Students are responsible for their own expenses. Students may take a maximum of 80 credit points of in-country study units towards their degree.

Students must seek permission from the Asian Studies Convenor in advance if they wish to take up this option.

Programs of study

To qualify for a degree with a major in Indonesian, a student must normally complete 110 credit points of Indonesian 1, 2 and 3, as well as 20 credit points of INM3TDA, INM3TDB or a relevant unit from another discipline such as linguistics, politics or sociology. Students are advised to note the prerequisites for the linguistics, politics, and sociology units that they wish to be included in the major. Students wishing to qualify as language teachers in schools are required to complete the third year advanced level of the language, in order to be able to take Indonesian as a teaching method towards the Diploma of Education.

Teaching period Unit title Unit code
First year units / core language units (15 credit points)
TE-SEM-1 Indonesian Advanced 1A INM1ADA
TE-SEM-1 Indonesian Beginners 1A INM1BEA
TE-SEM-2 Indonesian Advanced 1B INM1ADB
TE-SEM-2 Indonesian Beginners 1B INM1BEB
Second year units (20 credit points)
TE-SEM-1 Indonesian Advanced 2A INM2ADA
TE-SEM-1 Indonesian Beginners 2A INM2BEA
TE-SEM-2 Indonesian Advanced 2B INM2ADB
TE-SEM-2 Indonesian Beginners 2B INM2BEB
Second or third year units (20 credit points)
TE-SEM-1 Cross-cultural Communication LIN2CCC/LIN3CCC
TE-SEM-1 Development, Globalisation and Culture ANT2DGC/ANT3DGC
TE-SEM-1 Goddesses, Sexuality and Liberation: India and beyond AST2GSL/AST3GSL
TE-SEM-1 Introduction to Buddhism AST2INB/AST3INB
TE-SEM-1 Love and Eroticism in Asian Literature1 AST2LEA/AST3LEA
TE-SEM-1 Translation and Discussion A INM2TDA/INM3TDA
TE-SEM-2 Australian Foreign Policy POL2AAW/POL3AAW
TE-SEM-2 Bilingualism and Second Language Acquisition1 LIN2BSA/LIN3BSA
TE-SEM-2 Introduction to Ethnographic Research ANT2MQA/ANT3MQA
TE-SEM-2 Introduction to Hinduism1 AST2INH/AST3INH
TE-SEM-2 Language in Asia1 LIN2LIA/LIN3LIA
TE-SEM-2 South-East Asian Politics: change and conflict POL2SEA/POL3SEA
TE-SEM-2 Translation and Discussion B INM2TDB/INM3TDB
Third year units (20 credit points)
TE-SEM-1 Indonesian Advanced 3A INM3ADA
TE-SEM-1 Indonesian Beginners 3A INM3BEA
TE-SEM-2 Indonesian Advanced 3B INM3ADB
TE-SEM-2 Indonesian Beginners 3B INM3BEB
  • Key: 1 Not available in 2008.
Prescribed reading

All students taking language units more advanced than INM1BEA Indonesian Beginners 1A should acquire the following texts:

  • Echols, J. M., and Shadily, H. An Indonesian-English dictionary. Gramedia 1989
  • Echols, J. M., and Shadily, H. Kamus Inggris-Indonesia. Gramedia 1989
  • Either Mintz, M. A student’s grammar of Malay and Indonesian. EPB Publishers 1994 or Sneddon, J. Indonesian reference grammar. Allen & Unwin 1996.

Honours

Students wishing to enter the fourth year honours program in Indonesian should have a consistently high level of performance in Indonesian at the second and third year levels (normally at a level of B or above) and have satisfied requirements for the Bachelor of Arts pass degree. Indonesian 4 comprises a combination of coursework (50%) and a minor thesis (50%).

Coursework

Students must complete 60 credit points of coursework in their honours year. Students may be able to undertake some coursework components in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, or Brunei. They will be required to return to the university by the beginning of the second semester in order to prepare and submit their minor thesis. Details of overseas study opportunities are available from the Honours Coordinator.

Thesis

Students must prepare, under supervision, a minor thesis of 12000 to 15000 words. The topic must be agreed upon by the student and their supervisor(s) at the beginning of the course and should be written in English.

A full description of these units (including the unit name, unit code, credit points, campus/location, unit coordinator, class requirements, assessment, prerequisites, and readings) appears at the end of each discipline entry. A full description of INM units appears below. For the most recent descriptions of all units, please access the unit database at www.latrobe.edu.au/udb_public.

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