Last week, five students currently on ACICIS’ West Java Field Study (WJFS) program at Universitas Katolik Parahyangan, Bandung have concluded their semester by giving their final presentations on their research topics. The students, from University of Adelaide, Flinders University, and Murdoch University, presented on topics from a wide range of areas, including education, refugees, the oil industry and worker’s rights in Indonesia. Examiners at UNPAR and ACICIS’ Deputy Resident Director, Dr Adrian Budiman, were impressed by the students studies over the semester.
The first presentation was given by Susan de Groot Heupner, from Murdoch University. After doing her research in North Sumatra for almost three months, she eloquently elaborated her findings about the oil industry and workers’ rights in North Sumatra. Using Marxist theory as her theoretical base, she explained about the ‘class consciousness’ to the realities of labour in the palm oil plantations in Sumatera. In obtaining data for her research, she was working closely with a Medan-based plantation labour NGO (OPPUK) and the labour union there. After her investigations, she described the correlation between conditions of workers, the oil plantation’s policy, and the political situation in North Sumatra
Thomas Brown, from University of Adelaide, presented his findings on the living conditions of refugees in Cisarua, Bogor.
Michael McAneney, from Flinders University, presented on Australia’s ability to affect Indonesia’s public policy through defence diplomacy.
Jyden Tan, from Murdoch University, discussed cultural fusion in Indonesia, and the integration and separation of ethnic minorities in metropolitan Indonesia.
Emma Ford, also from Murdoch University, completed research on the conditions of ‘Pengajar Muda’ (Youth Educators) in the outer islands of Indonesia and discussed the education climate in Indonesia with a specific focus on secondary schooling.
ACICIS commends all WJFS students for their achievements in immersing themselves into Indonesia’s culture by completing academic research in locations across Indonesia. We would like to congratulate all students for their hard work during their semester in Indonesia and we hope their time in Indonesia has given them a deeper understanding of Indonesia.
Good luck for all your future endeavours and once again, congratulations to ACICIS WJFS Semester 42 students!
For more information about this program visit: West Java Field Study