The Master’s Program in Religion and Cross-Cultural Studies, or the Center for Religious and Cross-cultural Studies (CRCS), and the Doctoral Program in Inter-Religious Studies (IRS) at the Graduate School of Gadjah Mada University (UGM) are hosting Intersession Courses, offering elective courses for students. “Intersession courses (IC) are elective courses offered by CRCS during the inter-semester period (June-July). The courses have 3 credits for each class and are essentially the same as regular semester courses. The difference is in the implementation, which is more intensive with 2 sessions per week,” said Dr. Samsul Maarif, Chief of the Program and Academic Coordinator of CRCS UGM.
The Intersession Courses will be established from June 10th to July 31st, 2024, featuring prominent international instructors such as Dr. Lena Larson from Oslo University, Nelly Van Doorn Harder from Wake Forest University in North Carolina, USA, and Brett Gilbert Scharffs from Brigham Young University, USA. Dr. Zainal Abidin Bagir, Chief of the IRS Doctoral Program, stated, “In fact, Intersession Courses are similar to regular courses but are intentionally held in June-July because universities abroad are on break, allowing international instructors to be invited to teach at CRCS and IRS. The themes are designed to be more advanced rather than introductory topics, with the hope that there will be participants from abroad joining these courses.”
Three elective courses are offered: Indigenous Religions, Ethics of Inter-Religious Cooperation for Peace, and Religion and Human Rights. The Intersession Courses include a series of classes both offline and online, accompanied by assignments, presentations, exams, and final projects. “Intersession Courses are organized in collaboration with both domestic and international partners. With international partners, classes feature guest lecturers, while domestic partners involve community engagement as part of the learning process,” added Dr. Samsul Maarif.
This year, the Ethics of Inter-Religious Cooperation class is conducted in collaboration with Globethics, taught by Dr. Dicky Sofjan, an IRS doctoral instructor, and Dr. Amele Ekue from Globethics. Meanwhile, the Indigenous Religions class involves a community of ancestral religious schools working with the Intersectoral Collaboration for Indigenous Religions (ICIR) and the Majelis Luhur Kepercayaan Indonesia (MLKI).
“The arrival of guest lecturers serves as a refreshing approach to learning and broadens students’ academic perspectives. Students also gain exposure to advanced themes. Direct interaction with leading instructors will have a different impact,” added Dr. Zainal.
Keywords: learning, subject, course, SDG 4: Quality Education, SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals, SDGs
Author: Asti Rahmaningrum
Editor: Linah K Pary