Disciplines and areas of study
Indonesian
Program Coordinator: To be advised
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 subjects 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 pass a minimum of 130 credit points of Indonesian subjects, including the core subjects outlined below. Depending on a student’s prior knowledge of and/or qualifications in the Indonesian language when they commence their degree, there are two different major streams: beginners and advanced. Students who have successfully completed VCE Indonesian must enrol in the advanced stream.
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.
The major requirements for these streams are as follows.
Indonesian Major
To complete a major in Indonesian students must complete:
- the Indonesian core subjects for their language stream at each year level of their degree.
- 30 credit points at first year level,
- 40 credit points at second-year level and
- at least 60 credit points at third year level.
| Teaching period | Subject title | Subject code |
|---|---|---|
| First year core subjects (15 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Indonesian Beginners 1A | INM1BEA |
| TE-SEM-2 | Indonesian Beginners 1B | INM1BEB |
| Second year core subject (20 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Indonesian Beginners 2A | INM2BEA |
| TE-SEM-2 | Indonesian Beginners 2B | INM2BEB |
| Third year core subject (20 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Indonesian Beginners 3A | INM3BEA |
| TE-SEM-2 | Indonesian Beginners 3B | INM3BEB |
| TE-SEM-2 | Critical Issues in Contemporary Asia | AST3CIA |
| Teaching period | Subject title | Subject code |
|---|---|---|
| First year core subjects (15 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Indonesian Advanced 1A | INM1ADA |
| TE-SEM-2 | Indonesian Advanced 1B | INM1ADB |
| Second year core subject (20 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Indonesian Advanced 2A | INM2ADA |
| TE-SEM-2 | Indonesian Advanced 2B | INM2ADB |
| Third year core subject (20 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Indonesian Advanced 3A | INM3ADA |
| TE-SEM-2 | Indonesian Advanced 3B | INM3ADB |
| TE-SEM-2 | Critical Issues in Contemporary Asia | AST3CIA |
Compatible subjects from other schools
The following subjects are particularly suitable for study in conjunction with study of the Indonesian language. They are not normally credited towards an Indonesian major.
| Second or third year subjects (20 credit points) | Subject code |
|---|---|
| Intercultural Communication | LIN2CCC/LIN3CCC |
| Development, Globalisation and Culture | ANT2DGC/ANT3DGC |
| Goddesses, Sexuality and Liberation: India and beyond | AST2GSL/AST3GSL |
| Introduction to Buddhism | AST2INB/AST3INB |
| Australian Foreign Policy | POL2AAW/POL3AAW |
| Doing Anthropology | ANT2MQA/ANT3MQA |
| Language in Asia | LIN2LIA/LIN3LIA |
| South-East Asian Politics: change and conflict1 | POL2SEA/POL3SEA |
Prescribed reading
All students taking language subjects 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 Djenar, D. N. A student’s guide to Indonesian grammar. OUP 2003 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 Asian Studies Honours Coordinator.
Thesis
Students must prepare, under supervision, a minor thesis of 12,000 to 15,000 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.