AISEAS successfully holds In-Country Field School in Surabaya, Indonesia

To promote internationalization and a greater understanding of the Southeast Asian region, the
Ateneo Initiative for Southeast Asian Studies (AISEAS) with the Ricardo Leong Institute for Global and Area Studies held an in-country field study from June 18 to July 1 2023, in Surabaya, a port city in
East Java and the second largest city in Indonesia.

Following a six-year breather from the last in-country field school in 2017 in Brunei
Darussalam, AISEAS returned to the field to engage in intercultural dialogue and scholarship
through Southeast Asia In-Country Field School, a six-unit elective opened to all Loyola
Schools students across different disciplines. The program was co-designed with two of
Ateneo’s partner universities in Indonesia: Universitas Pembangunan Nasional “Veteran”
Jawa Timur (UPN Veteran) and the Universitas Katolik Widya Mandala Surabaya (UKWMS).

According to Dr. Diana J. Mendoza, the Director of the Ateneo Initiative for Southeast Asian Studies,
the in-country field school is a way to “integrate experiential learning and transformative pedagogy.”
“The goal is to enhance students’ academic experience about Southeast Asia through
cultural immersion and intercultural encounters in the host country,” Mendoza stressed. “As
a summer field school for Southeast Asian Studies, the course enhances students’
intercultural awareness and cross-cultural adaptability.”

Mendoza added that “the course develops among students a better understanding of other
cultures and a critical awareness of development issues within the host country and the
region.”

The field study would not have been as successful without the generous work of the representatives
of Ateneo’s partner universities. AISEAS would like to acknowledge:
UPN Veteran: Ms. Maria Indira Aryani (Head of International Office), Dr. Ario Bimo Utomo (Chair,
International Relations Department), Mr. Muhammad Indrawan Jatmika (Lecturer, International
Relations Department and Person-in Charge for SEAS 101 in UPN Veteran), and the student buddies -
Ryando Alwirasesa Rumbo Sitepu, Alfrina Suci Margaretha Pakpahan, Syaloom Berlian Kinanti,
Chesya Laura Huwae, Hilmi Nur Jihan, Rizqi Ayu Novitasari Untoro, Ofel Abiwada Abimanyu, Fairuz
Jawharah, Nabilah Putri Syahriani, and Aurriel Sekar Triadira.

Widya Mandala: Dr. Aloysius Widyawam Louis (Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy), Mr. Untara Simon
(Vice-Dean 1 of the Faculty of Philosophy), Mr. Datu Hendrawan (Vice-Dean 2 of the Faculty of
Philosophy), Dr. Erlyn Erawan (Head of International Affairs), Dr. Ramon E. Nadres (Lecturer at the
Faculty of Philosophy), Fr. Emanuel Prasetyono (Faculty of Philosophy), Ayu Gayatri Krisna Murti
(Staff, International Affairs), and the student buddies - Alfriza Divra Rizky Rezaldy, Cesi Carmelin,
Widya Ayu Rusiana and Risqi Ariqo Firdaus.

Special thanks: to Kyai Irfan and IBu Ika Irfan who welcomed us inside their pesantren and showed us
how caring for our common planet transcends our faiths, to Moh. Aan Anshori (“Gus Aan”) who
showed us how encountering each other more is a crucial prelude to understanding each other’s
faiths, and to Fr. Wayan Marianta who added such a joyful leg to our travels.