ACICIS is very pleased to announce Dr Maharani Hapsari (Rani) as the Academic Program Officer (APO) for the 2019 Development Studies Professional Practicum (DSPP), running in January-February next year.

Rani is a lecturer at the Department of International Relations, Faculty of Social and Political Science, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM). She completed her masters in 2010 and doctorate in 2012 in the field of international development at Nagoya University, Japan. Upon PhD completion, she began teaching political economy of development, disaster and development, and political economy of global environmental change. For the last six years, she has conducted advocacy research programs on the topics of citizenship and social movements in global natural resources governance. Rani’s research also covers topics on disaster, vulnerability and humanitarian action. She is currently working on rights-based water governance research in the Southeast Asia and grassroots collective action around environment-development nexus.

Previously hosted by Atma Jaya University in Jakarta, ACICIS will be partnering with Sanata Dharma University (USD) in Yogyakarta for the delivery of the 2019 Development Studies Professional (DSPP). The DSPP offers students the opportunity to undertake a two week academic program, including intensive Indonesian language classes and industry seminars, followed by a supervised practicum placement within a local or international organisation that cover a wide range of development sector interests and include monitoring bodies, research institutes, funding bodies, managing contractors, and advocacy groups.

An Academic Program Officer is assigned to each of ACICIS’ professional practicum programs to oversee all aspects of a program, including the supervision of its academic content and assessment of student performance. The APO and ACICIS Resident Director oversee application vetting, participant selection, and work placement allocation. During the program in Indonesia, the APO meets regularly with a student’s Host Organisation placement supervisor – and with the student themselves – to provide mentorship, to ensure that a student is getting the most out of their placement, and to assess a student’s performance. The APO provides students with advice on academic and industry-specific matters, and offers pastoral care and emergency assistance where necessary. The APO also plays a key role in curating and delivering the series of industry seminars that students undertake in the first two weeks of their program.

ACICIS is delighted to welcome Rani as the supervising academic for the DSPP. Participating students will be very well served by Rani’s experience and expertise in international development, governance and advocacy in Indonesia.