Why Study Indonesian?
Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia) is the official language of the Republic of Indonesia. There are over 200 million speakers of Indonesian, making it the seventh most widely spoken language in the world. Indonesia has hundreds of different ethnic groups, each with its own culture and language. For many Indonesians their first language is their regional language, but Indonesian serves as a focus for national unity and national identity linking together this rich ethnic and cultural diversity. It is used in all government and public domains, including education, commerce and the mass media.
Australia’s present and future are closely linked to those of our closest neighbour, Indonesia. Apart from our geographical proximity, the strategic and cultural importance of Australia-Indonesia relationships is evident every day in the media. Learning the national language opens doors to Indonesia’s culture and way of life. Travel to Indonesia is easy and relatively inexpensive. In-country experiences are literally on our doorstep. And because Indonesian is based on Malay, learning Indonesian not only gives students knowledge of the language of the world’s largest Muslim country, but also provides access to three other countries in Southeast Asia, namely Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.
The Indonesian Program in the School of Languages and Comparative Cultural Studies offers a single major in Indonesian language. Students may also take elective courses in related studies areas to complement their Indonesian language study. There are limited opportunities (subject to current DFAT travel advisories) to undertake in-country language programs in Indonesia for credit towards the BA degree. We also have an honours and postgraduate research program for those interested in the specialised study of Indonesia.
Just about anyone can learn Indonesian at UQ. It is possible to include Indonesian courses in most degree programs. Our current students are studying arts, science, business and business management, law, environmental science, engineering, social work and journalism. They see their Indonesian skills as a useful adjunct to their general and professional degree studies.
Employment Opportunities
Australian graduates with expertise in Indonesian are poised to make the most of opportunities in the twenty-first century. In addition to the personal benefits of language study, graduates with Indonesian language skills have a wide choice of career options in many facets of government, in business management, in mining and industry and in environmental and development careers.
Our recent graduates are working as teachers, researchers, diplomats, lawyers, in culture and tourism, in commerce and in many areas of state and federal government.
Major Structure
The School Offers a Single Major in Indonesian.
For details, see the University's Programs and Courses website.
Stream A - Beginners
Year 1
Semester 1 INDN1000 Introductory Indonesian A
Semester 2 INDN1001 Introductory Indonesian B
Year 2
Semester 1 INDN2000 Intermediate Indonesian A
Semester 2 INDN2001 Intermediate Indonesian B
Year 3
Semester 1 INDN3000 Advanced Indonesian A
Semester 2 INDN3001 Advanced Indonesian B
Stream B - for students with Senior Indonesian or equivalent
Year 1
Semester 1 INDN2000 Intermediate Indonesian A
Semester 2 INDN2001 Intermediate Indonesian B
Then, continue with #12 of advanced level language
courses in Years 2 and 3.
NB. Students with previous knowledge of Indonesian should consult the coordinator of Indonesian Studies before enrolling in any courses.
INDN Courses
INDN1000 Introductory Indonesian A
Introduction to Indonesian language for students with no prior knowledge. Both spoken and written aspects of the language taught.
INDN1001 Introductory Indonesian B
Continuation of INDN1000. Consolidate language ability of students so they can communicate in everyday situations.
INDN2000 Intermediate Indonesian A
An intermediate level course in Indonesian language which aims to improve students' communication skills in Indonesian focusing equally on the four skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening, using a range of authentic sources from print and electronic media.
INDN2001 Intermediate Indonesian B
Continuation of INDN2000. It aims to extend students' communication skills in Indonesian, focusing equally on the four skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening. An expanded range of authentic sources is used to provide opportunities for more advanced language practice and development.
INDN3000 Advanced Indonesian A
Study at advanced level of modern Indonesian in both formal and informal registers. Emphasises reading, translation and debating skills. Students advised to enrol also in INDN3003.
INDN3001 Advanced Indonesian B
Further study of Indonesian written texts drawn from contemporary fictional and non-fiction writings. Extended writing practice.
INDN3002 Indonesian Contemporary Culture
Advanced level course in Indonesian language which aims to extend comprehension and competence in formal and informal registers. The course focuses on contemporary Indonesian popular culture and draws on a range of authentic texts drawn from print, visual and electronic media.
INDN3003 Indonesian Through the Media
Study of selected texts from print, visual and electronic media to develop and extend listening and viewing comprehension & competence in formal and informal registers. Students advised to enrol also in INDN3000.
Translation Studies A
A practical skills-based course for advanced students of Indonesian providing regular practice in translating correspondence, reports and standard textual materials from a range of professional and academic fields. The emphasis in this course is on formal language texts.
INDN3005 Indonesian Translation Studies B
A practical skills-based course for advanced students of Indonesian providing regular practice in translating standard textual materials from a range of creative and popular textual genres. The development and analysis of translation strategies is applied to all practical work. The emphasis in this course is on non-formal language texts.
Other Courses
COMU1002 Crossing Bridges: Communicating between Cultures
How people negotiate meaning across cultural boundaries, with special reference to the differing expressions of politeness, cultural sensitivity, negotiation, explicit and covert language, and their relation to local and international cultures.
LTCS1000 Issues in Contemporary Asia
Introduces students to breadth and diversity of contemporary Asian cultures. Issues such as religious change, population control, environment, ethnic conflicts and changing gender roles discussed.
LTCS2001 Women in Asian Literatures
Examines literature written by or about women in Asia. Framed within context of position of women in Asian cultures, this course explores interaction between gender, class, text and culture.
LTCS2004 Environment and Asia: a cross-cultural approach
Focusing on environmental issues in Asia, this course explores cultural aspects of contemporary environmentalism that tend to be absent in current environmental discourse. Although the approaches of Asian nations to these issues are often central to many environmental debates particularly in Australia, they are not well understood and are more often misunderstood, hindering sound management and regional cooperation.
LTCS2013 Tales of the City: Representations of the Metropolis in Modern Culture
Through a focus on representations of the modern city in film and text, the course will pursue comparative approaches to the semiotics of culture and the 'reading' of cultural phenomena.
LTCS3007 Asian Studies Individual Studies Project
Individual guided reading and writing project in selected area of Japanese, Chinese, Indonesian or Korean studies, suited to each student's interests and skills. Project topic can be from such areas as language, literature, culture, society, religion and politics.
MSTU2001 From Buddha to Bruce Lee: Asian Visual Cultures
This course examines the interaction of visual cultures (art and film) within Asia, and between Asia and the `West'. We will focus especially on East Asia (China, Japan, and to a lesser extent Korea) and also include South-East Asia, especially Indonesia. Lectures will introduce students to the cross-cultural nature of art and more recently film in these societies.
WRIT1001 Academic English Writing for Asian Language Speakers
Examines the overarching issues that have been found to cause problems for speakers of Asian languages in academic writing, such as the nature of a logical argument, how to develop facility in critical thinking, and specific differences between Asian languages and English language writing practices.
Honours Courses
INDN6340 Advanced Indonesian Language Skills
Advanced language development for research purposes.
INDN6350 Special Topics in Language Studies
This course provides students with the opportunity to focus aspects of their research topic in the field of Indonesian language studies. It provides a foundation for the Honours thesis.
INDN6360 Special Topics in Cultural Studies
This course provides students with the opportunity to focus on specific aspects of their research topic in the field of Indonesian cultural studies. It provides a foundation for the Honours thesis.
INDN6501 Thesis (Honours)
Honours thesis of approx. 15,000-20,000 words in an area of Indonesian Studies.
LTCS6000 General Research Methods
The fundamental aspects of a thesis/dissertation including the nature and types of research, research quality and planning, honesty and ethics in research, developing a research problem and literature review, preparing a research proposal, and beginning to understand the nature and use of argument in research. The students will also be introduced to research being completed by academic staff in the areas of applied linguistics, cultural studies, and languages here in the School of Languages and Comparative Cultural Studies.
LTCS6360 Special Topics in Cultural Studies
This courses goes with INDN6360.
This course introduces basis generic concepts in comparative cultural studies, through consideration of how cultures are represented and experienced through paradigms created by other cultures. The areas covered by lecturers are quite diverse, ranging from the experience of Chinese and Japanese diaspora communities and the construction of Latin American identities to German-Australian relations and French constructions of the 'oriental' Other. However, the course aims to assert the unity existing amid such diversity by identifying generic issues of cross-cultural contact, transfer and (mis)representation.
SLAT7706 Applied Linguistics and Language Teaching
This course goes with INDN6350.
Introduction to applied linguistic concepts & to basic literature, with special emphasis on applications of linguistic theory to problems of first & second language acquisition & to language in social contexts.
LTCS6001 Doing Things with French Theory
Students must apply to the Honours coordinator for permission to do this course, which is outside the school honours structure.
Current work in the humanities pay a great deal of attention to what it calls "French Theory", and students perceive a need to be knowledgeable about these matters. Rather than merely provide an overview of the key concepts of the thinkers to be covered, however, this course stresses the need for close readings of the texts under consideration themselves and a subsequent application of the concepts discussed in the texts to other texts and objects.
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