Areas of Study

The Program Options

A. ACADEMIC ADVISORS

Once formally registered, students will be paired with an academic advisor who will support the student’s academic performance. Early in the first orientation day, students will be introduced to their academic advisors. The significant position of the academic advisor is both to arrange the administrative affairs of the students and in ‘accompanying’ them during their process of study at CRCS. Students should cooperate with the academic advisor (a) to manage courses which are taken by students; (b) to control academic development of the students; (c) to discuss focus of subject, specialization, and expertise of the students; (d) to plan students thesis proposal. It is advantageous that five CRCS academic advisors have their own rooms at CRCS office. Each academic advisor is responsible for three to six students every new academic year.

B. THESIS

The thesis is an individual research project focusing on specific issues drawn from CRCS’s three areas of study which is defended before the appointed committee. Early in the 3rd semester each student has to submit his/her proposal of thesis to the CRCS academic affairs to be examined and approved by the committee. Thesis Research comprising 8 credit hours is required for CRCS student to graduate.

In general, thesis is a methodologically scientific research report reflecting the ideas and analysis of students on certain religious and cultural issues. The written result of the thesis contains introduction, setting, analysis, and conclusion of the research ranging from 80 to180 pages. Specific instruction of thesis format and organization for the Graduate School of UGM is available in “Thesis Manual” by UGM Press. Unlike short papers submitted for regular class, the thesis report contains systematically integrated chapters illuminating one another.

Student will explore their topics while taking Research Methodology Class (semester 2), and must formally submit their research proposal beginning of semester 3. Early in this semester their proposal are reviewed and examined by a panel made by CRCS. The panel will decide the eligibility status of research accomplishment and nominate a few names to be researcher’s advisors. Passing this stage, students start conducting field or library researches supervised by their advisors. During this stage, students have to intensively communicate with their thesis advisors. Entering Semester 4, students must report their research progress in a workshop class. Each has to present his/ her field findings before their peers and an appointed panel. This panel will review the research progress and suggest with some solutions on any research difficulties.

In addition to the academic advisors whose task is to control students’ progress and support students’ academic performance, the student will be guided by a thesis advisor specific to their thesis research. The thesis advisor might be different from academic advisor; however both can work together to help student’s performance. Students are asked to request their thesis advisor early in the 3rd semester when submitting their thesis proposal. The panel will recommend the advisor to the CRCS, and CRCS will send a formal request to that person. In this stage, we suggest that students make earlier contact with their proposed advisors. If the assigned advisor is unable to meet regularly because of their distance and other reasons, students might be accompanied by second thesis advisor. In any case where the research contains inter-displinary issues, student might be assigned to two advisors from different disciplinary backgrounds or institutions. Students are encouraged to consider advisors living in Yogyakarta.

The last stage of the research is the thesis defense. In this stage, a student has to present his report and defend including the data, reference, analysis as well as to defend the logic of methods the researcher employs to the thesis committee. The thesis committee consists of academic and thesis advisor (s), and two examiners assigned by the Center. In order to organize the thesis defense, a student must prove their accomplishment of required classes, and submit their approved report draft to the Center two weeks prior to the date of the defense. The thesis defense takes at maximum 2 hours. Any revision after the defense must be completed and approved in the following two months. Any failure to complete revision after two months requires resubmitting and reexamining the new thesis draft.

C. EVALUATION AND GRADING

Students are evaluated every semester by professors and academic advisors. Academic advisors review their students’ performance through their class results and other academic activities such as academic English Class. Lecturers have full authority to evaluate their students’ accomplishment. In the end, the thesis committee determines the final evaluation of the student’s individual research.

There are five components of work that determine a student’s successful class performance, namely: (1) class attendance, (2) weekly response, (3) presentation (4) midterm exam or assignment and (5) final exam or assignment. Every lecturer has varying credits upon each evaluation component. Each lecturer has authority to define which component is considered most important; however students must attend at least 75 % of class to ensure passing that class.

Thesis work which is conducted in semester 3 and 4 are reviewed through three stages (1) Thesis Proposal Seminar, (2) Thesis Workshop, and (3) Thesis defense. The last phase determines student’s thesis result. If a student passes the thesis exam, they will be granted an MA degree.

All class grades and thesis research are submitted to the academic office of Graduate School to determine the achievement of each student through GPA. According to graduate school manual, here are classifications of students achievement based on their GPA.

(1) Between 2.75 and 3.25 students pass with satisfactory

(2) Between 3.25 and 3.75, students pass with honor

(3) Between 3. 75 and 04.00 students pass with Cum Laude

The current GPA is an important reference for academic advisors to suggest any courses and other activities that might help students’ timely graduation.