Indonesian Studies

About this major

Indonesian Studies at the University of Sydney emphasises the importance of providing a rounded education, drawing on its extensive links with Indonesia and the Indonesian community in Australia. It produces graduates with strong language skills, transferrable academic skills, and substantial country knowledge. The Department caters for undergraduates with a range of language backgrounds, including beginners, school leavers, and background speakers of Indonesian. Indonesian can be taken as a major in a variety of degree programs, or as elective for as little as one semester. Undergraduates in a faculty other than the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences who wish to do more Indonesian Studies Units of Study than their degree can accommodate can take the equivalent of a full major through the Diploma of Language Studies. The Diploma is also available to graduates of any university in any discipline.

An Indonesian major will provide you with the skills required to use Indonesian in a variety of settings, and to conduct research using Indonesian language. Study of Indonesian politics, history, and culture are integrated into all levels of study. Students learn about the impact of Indonesia’s complex archipelagic geography on its peoples and cultures in a context where colonisation and modernity are merely the most recent of many waves of foreign influence. Advanced learners and background speakers have the opportunity to study key aspects of modern Indonesian society through thematic seminars taught in the Indonesian language medium.

Requirements for completion Introductory Stream only (see below for sample Intermediate and Advanced Streams)

A major in Indonesian Studies requires 48 credit points from the Unit of Study table including:
(i) 12 credit points of 1000-level language units
(ii) 12 credit points of 2000-level language units
(iii) 12 credit points of 3000-level language units
(iv) 6 credit points of 2000-level culture units
(v) 6 credit points of 3000-level Interdisciplinary Project units

A minor in Indonesian Studies requires 36 credit points from the Unit of Study table including:
(i) 12 credit points of 1000-level language units
(ii) 12 credit points of 2000-level language units
(iii) 6 credit points of 2000-level culture units
(iv) 6 credit points of 3000-level language units

First year

If you are a beginning student, the two 1000-level language units introduce you to the basic structures of Indonesian language, enabling you to communicate effectively in Indonesian, and equipping you with general knowledge about Indonesian society. If you have completed HSC Indonesian or equivalent, the two 2000-level language units enable you to increase your language competence by introducing you to complex language structures and ways of analysing issues in contemporary Indonesian society using Indonesian language.

Second year

If you are from the beginners’ pathway, the two 2000-level language units enable you to increase your language competence by introducing you to complex language structures and ways of analysing issues in contemporary Indonesian society using Indonesian language. To work towards a major, you need to take a 2000-level culture unit this year. If you are from the post-HSC pathway, you enter the advanced level in your second year by taking two 3000-level language units. You also need to take a 3000-level culture unit this year to develop a major.

Third year

In the third year of Indonesian, students from the beginners’ pathway complete the major by taking two language units at 3000 level and one interdisciplinary unit. You strengthen your language skills by reading advanced-level materials and discussing them using complex language. Students from the post-HSC pathway complete the major by taking two advanced language units at 3000-level and one interdisciplinary unit. You consolidate your language skills by reading advanced-level materials and discussing complex issues in contemporary Indonesian society using developed language.

Honours

If you commenced your degree prior to 2018, admission to honours requires a major in Indonesian Studies with an average of 70% or above.

If you commenced your degree in 2018, admission to honours is via the Bachelor of Advanced Studies and requires the completion of a major in Indonesian Studies with an average of 70% or above. You will need to ensure you have completed all other requirements of the Bachelor of Arts, including Open Learning Environment (OLE) units and a second major, prior to commencing honours.

Students who do well in their pass degrees often choose to take an additional honours year.

During an honours year, you conduct in-depth research to produce an 18,000-20,000 word thesis written in English on a chosen topic, drawing on Indonesian and English language resources and primary research. An honours project may involve a fieldwork component, which greatly enhances the Honours experience.

Advanced coursework

The requirements for advanced coursework in Indonesian Studies are described in the degree resolutions for the Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Advanced Studies.

24 credit points of advanced study will be included in the table for 2020.

Contact and further information

Department website: sydney.edu.au/arts/indonesian

Chair of Department: Dr Novi Djenar

Example pathways

The Introductory pathway
2 language units at level 1000; 2 language units at level 2000 + 1 culture unit at level 2000; 2 language units at level 3000 + 1 Interdisciplinary Project unit at 3000 level

Year 1: INMS1101 + INMS1102
Year 2: INMS2601 + INMS2602 + 1 culture unit at level 2000
Year 3: INMS3601 + INMS3602 + 1 Interdisciplinary Project unit at 3000 level

(Note: Students can take In Country units in place of the 2 language units and 1 culture unit at level 2000 or 3000, and 1 language unit at level 3000)

The Intermediate pathway
0 units at Level 1000; 2 language units at level 2000; 4 language units at level 3000 + 1 culture unit at level 2000 or 3000 + 1 Interdisciplinary Project unit at 3000 level

Year 1: INMS2601 + INMS2602
Year 2: INMS3601 + INMS3602 + 1 culture unit at level 2000 or 3000
Year 3: Either INMS3607 or INMS3609 or INMS3611 + either INMS3608 or INMS3610 or INMS3612 + 1 Interdisciplinary Project unit at 3000 level

(Note: Students can take In Country units in place of the 2 language units and 1 culture unit at level 2000 or 3000 and 1 language unit at level 3000)

The Advanced pathway
0 units at level 1000; 6 language units at level 3000; 1 culture unit at level 2000 or 3000 + 1 Interdisciplinary Project unit at 3000 level

Year 1: Either INMS3607 or INMS3609 or INMS3611 + Either INMS3608 or INMS3610 or INMS3612
Year 2: Either INMS3607 or INMS3609 or INMS3611 + Either INMS3608 or INMS3610 or INMS3612 + 1 culture unit at level 2000 or 3000
Year 3: Either INMS3607 or INMS3609 or INMS3611 + Either INMS3608 or INMS3610 or INMS3612 + 1 Interdisciplinary Project unit at 3000 level

(Note: Students can take In Country units in place of 3 language units and 1 culture unit at level 2000 or 3000.)