Faculty of Arts Asia Institute

Indonesian Language and Studies

Indonesia's geographic proximity and strategic importance to Australia make it vital to understand its peoples, politics, history, languages and cultures. Indonesia is the most influential member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and as the fourth most populous country in the world is an increasingly important force in world affairs. Indonesia is culturally diverse, comprising hundreds of different ethnic groups and languages with rich literary traditions, spread over thousands of islands. It has the world's largest Muslim-majority population but also includes significant Christian, Buddhist and Hindu minorities. The national language of Indonesia, Indonesian or Bahasa Indonesia, has made an important contribution to the country's unity. Based on Malay, Indonesian is closely related to the national languages of three other Southeast Asian countries, Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore, thus giving access to more than 200 million people on Australia's doorstep.

Studying Indonesian at Asia Institute makes a difference

Indonesian Studies at Asia Institute is one of the premier Indonesian programs in Australia. Studying Indonesian at the University of Melbourne provides thorough training in the language and a broad understanding of contemporary Indonesian culture, politics and society. Expertise in Indonesian studies can enhance employment opportunities in commerce, education, government and cultural affairs. It can also serve as the foundation for further research through post-graduate work in Indonesian Studies.

Ways to Study Indonesian

Undergraduate students can study Indonesian as:

Indonesian can also be studied as:

At the Postgraduate level, Indonesian Studies offer courses for:

Indonesian can also a component in an Asian Studies program at either undergraduate or post-graduate levels.

Credit for Overseas Study

Many students take the opportunity to study Indonesian language in-country and most find that this experience greatly enhances their understanding of Indonesia, its language and people.

Indonesian language students can apply to take a 4-week or 6-week ungraded language course in Indonesia, once they have completed one year of language study at the University. Successful participation attracts 12.5 or 25 points credit. There is also a semester long program run through ACICIS which many students join. Students who have spent one semester at an Indonesian university as part of their Bachelors degree may obtain a full year's language study accreditation (a maximum 25 points). They may also be eligible to receive up to 25 points of non-language credit. In all cases students may be required to sit a proficiency test and/or submit substantial written work in Indonesian as evidence of successful completion of their study program. The total weight of language subjects taken outside the University cannot be more than the total weight of the language courses taken within the Indonesian Program.

Students who are interested should submit a course plan using this form to Sander Adelaar and discuss their proposed program with Dr Adelaar to ensure they will be eligible for credit. Please note that not all exchange programs are valid for credit, so it is good to discuss your plans with both Asia Institute and Faculty staff well in advance.

Indonesian Language-Specific Scholarships

Australia-Indonesia Youth Exchange Program (AIYEP) sponsors applicants undertaking tertiary studies or employed in any one or more of the areas: agriculture, arts, music, Asian studies, economics, business, education, engineering, science, environmental management, journalism, media, law, medicine, politics, sports and tourism. Contact details: http://www.dfat.gov.au/aii/scholarship_program/youth_exchange_program.html or Australia-Indonesia Institute, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, R.G. Casey Building, John McEwen Crescent, Barton, ACT, 0221 Australia. Tel: +61 2 6261 1111 Fax: +61 2 6261 3111

Foreign students from selected countries, including Australia, are eligible to apply for Darmasiswa scholarship from the Indonesian Government to study one year, non degree programs at a tertiary level in Indonesia. Applications must be received by the Education and Cultural Section by the end of November, and are then sent to Jakarta for consideration. Successful applicants are notified mid year, and travel to Indonesia to commence their studies in August/September. For further details, please contact: Cultural and Education Attaché - Indonesian Embassy, 8 Darwin Ave. - Yarralumla, ACT 2600, Ph: (02) 6250 8626 Fax: (02) 6273 7348, e-mail: educbr@cyberone.org.au, Online: http://www.kbri-canberra.org.au/dikbud/openedu.html

Eligible Indonesian nationals may apply for Australian Development Scholarship (ADS), funded by the government of Australia for postgraduate study at Australian Universities. For further details, see http://www.adsjakarta.or.id/ or Australian Development Scholarships (ADS), Gedung Wira Usaha, 2nd floor, Jl. HR. Rasuna Said Kav.C-5, Kuningan, Jakarta Selatan 12940, Indonesia, Tel. (+62-21) 527-7648, Fax (+62-21) 527-7649, Email info@adsjakarta.or.id

More general scholarship information can be found here.

Subjects

For details of subjects available in the New Generation Indonesian major, please consult the Arts Faculty Handbook entry for Indonesian. Students who commenced their studies prior to the introduction of the Melbourne Model should consult their Student Centre regarding details of the major.

Staff in Indonesian Program

Name Room Telephone Email address
Sander ADELAAR, Assoc Prof 311 8344 5283 karlaa@unimelb.edu.au
Michael EWING, Dr 314 8344 7557 mce@unimelb.edu.au
Ariel HERYANTO, Dr  (Convenor) 206 8344 0153 arielh@unimelb.edu.au
Aline SCOTT-MAXWELL, Dr 230a 8344 8945 alinesm@unimelb.edu.au
Justin WEJAK, Mr 212 8344 7184 justinw@unimelb.edu.au
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