Department of Indonesian Studies
The department of Indonesian Studies evolved from the former department of Indonesian and Malayan Studies, which was the earliest Australian university department to specialise in the study of Indonesian languages and societies. The department emphasises the importance of providing a rounded education in Indonesian Studies, producing graduates who have both language skills and significant country knowledge.
Indonesian language is available for beginning, advanced and background speaker students. It can be taken as a major sequence of studies in a variety of degree programs, or as an elective subject for as little as one semester. Students have access to a range of options for in-country studies, from summer intensive programs at an Indonesian university to full semester or year long programs offered through the Australian Consortium for In-Country Indonesian Studies (ACICIS). It is also possible for students with good records of academic achievement in their pass degrees to take an additional Honours year and postgraduate research degrees in Indonesian Studies.
Units of study covering Indonesian history, politics, culture and society are offered through the Asian Studies program. Many students of Indonesian combine their study of the language with a separate major sequence in Asian Studies, where in addition to studying Asian societies in comparative perspective, they are able to specialise in the study of Indonesia and its people through studies in English. Indonesian is also a valuable addition to vocational degrees like engineering, law and business.