Indonesian Language

Objectives

• One of the aims of the Indonesian program at the University of New England is to develop Asia-literacy in our students and to train a core-group who will promote the concept of Asia-literacy into the next generation.
• We aim to improve understanding students’ own selves through study of the rich Indonesian culture.
• We also aim for our students to have a sound basis for further Indonesian study at advanced and professional levels.
• We aim to prepare students for careers working with Indonesia, including those wishing to teach the language.

Career Prospects
The United Nations estimates that by the year 2050, Indonesia's population will have increased to over 300 million. As Indonesia is Australia's nearest Asian neighbour, it has become increasingly important for Australia's future to have a body of educated people with knowledge of the language and culture. The present political and social change in Indonesia has emphasised this need. Students from a variety of disciplines will benefit in their future careers from a close understanding of Australia's dynamic northern neighbour. Recent security issues have also emphasised the need for learning the Indonesian language and culture not only for Australians but also for people from other countries especially in the area of defence, police and the media.

The language
The national language, Bahasa Indonesia, is based on and developed from Malay, a language used throughout Southeast Asia. Because it is written in Roman script and has near-phonetic spelling, students can generally achieve a high level of proficiency in a relatively shorter time.

The culture
Modern Indonesian culture is extremely diverse and complex, and is a fascinating way through which to understand the people, beliefs, and ideas found in the archipelago. Relevant aspects of Indonesian culture and religions are integrated into the language curricula.
To see which areas of culture and society are the research and teaching interests of staff, click the link to Staff in the Indonesian Discipline. Supervision for Honours and postgraduate research programs is available in those, and related, fields.

Study Materials
Indonesian at UNE is studied through a variety of media, including print, video, audio and optional Online elements. For external students advice from lecturers is only a phone call, fax or email away.

Travel
Each year a number of students study in Indonesia as part of their degree. In-country study options range from full year to short courses in a variety of locations.

At the University of New England, Indonesian Language and Culture Studies are offered as:

The Indonesian major for beginning students is: (NB. all units are now semesterised)

Native speakers should take

Those with some background knowledge and skills in Indonesian