2017 International Relations ProgramProgram Profile
Contact Details www.acicis.edu.au
ACICIS Resident Director: Ms Elena Williams, MA
+62 274 561 477
Program DetailsACICIS International Relations Program
Bandung, Indonesia
Semester 1: January – June
Semester 2: August – December
www.acicis.edu.au/programs/semester/international-relations-irp
What is ACICIS?The Australian Consortium for ‘In-Country’ Indonesian Studies (ACICIS) was
established with government funding in 1994 to provide a unique support
network for students wishing to study in Indonesia. Consisting of 26 member
universities, including leading institutions in the field of Indonesian studies in
Australia, the UK and the Netherlands, ACICIS coordinates various semester-
long, six-week short course, and educational study tour options in Indonesia.
Since its inception, ACICIS has helped over 2,000 students from Australia and
abroad attend universities in Indonesia and complete professional placement
module. Current study options include: professional practicum courses in
Business, Journalism and Development Studies (Jakarta), intensive Indonesian
language study, Islamic Studies, teacher training, and an independent field
study and Development Studies Immersion program (Yogyakarta). Courses are
fully assessed by our Indonesian partner universities and accepted by member
universities for credit towards home university degrees in Australia and abroad.
ACICIS IRP 2017 PROGRAM PROFILE 32 THE AUSTRALIAN CONSORTIUM FOR ‘IN-COUNTRY’ INDONESIAN STUDIES
What is the International Relations Program?ACICIS’ International Relations Program (IRP) is a semester-long program hosted by Parahyangan Catholic
University (UNPAR), Bandung. Taught in English, this program provides students with a comprehensive
understanding of international relations at regional and global levels, as seen from an Indonesian
perspective, while developing necessary critical skills to enter the field of international relations. Students
take subjects taught in English at UNPAR’s Department of International Relations. These subjects cover
a range of thematic areas within international relations, including: national politics, global issues, foreign
policy, civil society movements, diplomacy, regionalism, and security and counter-terrorism. The IRP also
offers students the option to undertake a Professional Placement, which enables students to put their
studies into practice and gain a real-world experience outside the classroom. Students are placed at local
community-based organisations and are given the opportunity to develop important skills in administration,
research and reporting, and project management.
Parahyangan Catholic UniversityParahyangan Catholic University (UNPAR) was established in January 17th 1955 and is one of the oldest
private universities in Indonesia. Parahyangan Catholic University has seven faculties with more than 16
departments, all of which have received government accreditation as among the finest in Indonesia. With
more than 10,000 students from various cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds, each year more than
2,000 professionals graduate from UNPAR in various fields. Most of its alumni now work in national and
global companies and in government departments.
IRP StructureThe IRP runs in two intakes each year: from August to December, and from January to June. The structure
of the semester-long program is as follows:
✜ A semester of academic classes and coursework (approximately 560-635 hours in total) at
Parahyangan University. Classes can be scheduled anytime between 07:00 to 18:00 Monday-Friday,
and 07:00 to 12:00 on Saturdays;
OR
✜ A semester of academic classes and coursework (approximately 400 hours in total) at Parahyangan
University. Classes can be scheduled anytime between 07:00 to 18:00 Monday-Friday, and 07:00 to
12:00 on Saturdays;
Concurrent with;
✜ Two days per week professional placement – provided the placement host organisation is located in
Bandung or surrounds (approximately 200 hours).
OR
✜ A semester of academic classes and coursework (approximately 400 hours in total) at Parahyangan
University. Classes can be scheduled anytime between 07:00 to 18:00 Monday-Friday, and 07:00 to
12:00 on Saturdays;
Followed by
✜ A five-week ‘block’ professional placement at a host organisation outside of Bandung (approximately
200 hours). (ONLY available in January-June semester)
2017 IRP Program DatesSemester 1
✜ Semester 1 will commence with an orientation
period at Parayhangan Catholic University in
January 2017.
✜ Classes will run from January to June 2017.
✜ The professional placement option will run
either concurrently during the semester, or
run as a block at the end of the semester.
Semester 2 ✜ Semester 2 will commence with an orientation
period at Parayhangan Catholic University in
August 2017.
✜ Classes will run from August to December 2017.
✜ The professional placement option will run
concurrently during the semester.
Enrolment and ScholarshipsStudents can apply for the International Relations Program either online, via: www.acicis.edu.au/apply-
now/online or by sending a hard copy application to the ACICIS Secretariat in Perth, Western Australia.
In the 2017 round of the Australian Government’s New Colombo Plan Mobility Program, ACICIS was
successful in securing a total of $1.9 million of funding to support student mobility to Indonesia during
2017 and 2018. In total there are 371 mobility grants available to support students from ACICIS member
universities to undertake studies in Indonesia, 46 of which are allocated for IRP at a value of $6,000 each.
Interested parties should contact the ACICIS Secretariat or individual university International Offices for more
information on NCP mobility grant availability and eligibility.
ACICIS IRP 2017 PROGRAM PROFILE 54 THE AUSTRALIAN CONSORTIUM FOR ‘IN-COUNTRY’ INDONESIAN STUDIES
What does the IRP Offer Host Organisations?Via a careful selection process, ACICIS aims to provide Host Organisations with competent interns with prior
experience in the development or voluntary sector.
IRP participants bring with them a good understanding of the major theoretical issues in the development
field, and a diverse range of professional and/ or voluntary experiences.
The majority of participants are native English speakers and/or are enrolled in English language degree
programs at their home universities. Placement tasks are at the discretion of each Host Organisation to suit
office needs and student capabilities; however, past placements have seen students assigned to tasks such
as:
✜ Compiling desk reviews on current political
and/ or social issues which may be of interest
to the Host Organisation’s operations in
Indonesia;
✜ Reviewing and compiling project monitoring
reports for final evaluation;
✜ Assisting in the design and editing of web
material and other reporting obligations;
✜ Editing and maintaining an organisation’s visual
and/ or digital archives;
✜ Research assistance and data collection;
✜ Assisting in the preparation of funding
applications and/ or grant proposals;
✜ Field visits to one or more of the Host
Organisation’s partners;
✜ Assisting with media and communication
strategy;.
✜ Capacity building.
IRP Professional PlacementThe IRP Professional Placement provides students with the chance to apply theoretical knowledge to
a real-life professional context while fostering important practical skills in administration, research and
report writing, and monitoring and evaluation. Throughout the professional placement, students undertake
a supervised period of unpaid work at a participating Host Organisation. Host Organisations for the IRP
professional placement include community-based organisations, Indonesian government agencies, and
non-government organisations (NGOs) working in areas such as:
✜ Education;
✜ Health;
✜ Governance & Corruption;
✜ Environment;
✜ Disaster Response;
✜ Refugee & Migration.
Host OrganisationsHost organisations for the IRP Professional Placement are listed below.
ACICIS IRP 2017 PROGRAM PROFILE 76 THE AUSTRALIAN CONSORTIUM FOR ‘IN-COUNTRY’ INDONESIAN STUDIES
IRP Management and Pastoral CareACICIS manages all aspects of the IRP from the point of participant arrival to departure. Three full-
time ACICIS staff members, and the ACICIS Resident Director oversee the program. ACICIS provides
all participants with a comprehensive pre-departure and in‐country orientation program, routine and
emergency assistance for the duration of the program, and supervision during their Professional Placement.
Over the course of the program ACICIS staff will meet regularly with Host Organisations to assess the
progress of participants and to help resolve any issues that may arise.
Parahyangan Catholic University provides visa sponsorship for all IRP participants on a 12-month Temporary
Stay Permit visa (KITAS). The professional placement is conducted as part of a formal academic program
hosted by the university, and as such, students are strictly prohibited from undertaking any paid work
during their professional placement.
All participants must hold comprehensive medical insurance covering emergency evacuation, and adhere
to ACICIS’ Risk Management Strategy for Bandung. At all times they also remain bound by all internal
regulations and risk management strategies of their Host Organisations.
Travel as part of a professional placement is permissible so long as it meets the requirements of ACICIS’
Risk Management Strategy and is approved by the ACICIS Resident Director well in advance (a minimum
of two weeks prior to travel). Participants or hosts are encouraged to inform the Resident Director of any
proposed travel plans as early as possible.
The IRP has been designed in such a way that ACICIS and Parahyangan Catholic University fulfil all
administrative and pastoral care duties, thus freeing Host Organisations of such tasks.
AssessmentThe academic emphasis of the IRP is on gaining a comprehensive understanding of international relations
at regional and global levels. The IRP is designed to meet a full semester load at most universities,
comprising the following assessable components:
Program Structure 1: IRP: Classes and Coursework Only
# Component Weighting Notes
1 Classes and coursework at
UNPAR
100% Classes and coursework delivered, supervised and
assessed by Parahyangan University’s Department
of International Relations.
Program Structure 2: IRP with Professional Placement
# Component Weighting Notes
1 Classes and coursework at
UNPAR
65% Classes and coursework delivered, supervised and
assessed by Parahyangan University’s Department
of International Relations.
2 Completion of IRP
professional placement
35% For IRP Professional Placement students: Host
Organisation mentors and UNPAR/ACICIS staff will
monitor student placement performance and provide
feedback.
Upon completion of the program the ACICIS Resident Director provides a one‐page student outcome
evaluation report on the performance of each student. In accordance with standard ACICIS practice,
student performance in the Resident Director’s report will be assessed only as ‘Satisfactory’ or
‘Unsatisfactory’ (equivalent to an ‘ungraded pass/fail’).
To complete this program satisfactorily, students must demonstrate the ability to perform tasks in their
professional placement (if undertaken), to an industry standard, and also to reflect on the experience and
relate it back to their academic studies. Students must attend a minimum of 80 per cent of scheduled
classes at UNPAR, as well as achieve a ‘pass’ grade minimum in all subjects undertaken.
A student’s home university may retain the right to set and grade other assessment tasks related to the
program. While ACICIS makes a recommendation about how much academic credit a student should be
awarded for their participation in the program, it is up to individual home universities to determine their own
protocols and rules for awarding academic credit to students who undertake and successfully complete
the program.
ACICIS IRP 2017 PROGRAM PROFILE 98 THE AUSTRALIAN CONSORTIUM FOR ‘IN-COUNTRY’ INDONESIAN STUDIES
IRP Program ProtocolsThe success of the ACICIS International Relations Program (IRP) requires the cooperation of ACICIS, all
student participants, and the organisations which host them during their placement. The smooth operation
of the program is enhanced when these three ‘stakeholders’ agree to the following protocols:
1. ACICIS agrees to: ✜ Arrange an orientation program when students first arrive in-country;
✜ Arrange a professional placement for the participant in a relevant work environment where English is a
medium of communication;
✜ Have a staff member present in Indonesia to assist participants throughout the program with academic
matters;
✜ Provide appropriate advice and support to the Host Organisation regarding the requirements of the
placement for the duration of the program;
✜ Provide the home university with an evaluation report on each participant, with a recommended pass/
fail grade for the practicum;
✜ Provide participants with full contact details of the Australian Embassy (or the embassy of their home
country) in Jakarta, such as may be required for security purposes, and to inform appropriate Embassy
officials of the arrangements for the ACICIS program;
✜ Assist participants in obtaining the appropriate visa for the program.
2. The student participant agrees to: ✜ Participate fully in the classes, including lectures and tutorials;
✜ Complete all academic assessments as required;
✜ Participate fully in the professional placement under the supervision of a mentor/academic, to an
extent appropriate to be participant’s level of experience and skill;
✜ Behave in accordance with the highest professional standards and in a culturally and contextually
appropriate manner.
3. The Host Organisation for the professional placement agrees to accept a specified number of ACICIS IRP participants for the period of work experience and to provide each participant with:
✜ A ‘mentor’ who will supervise and advise the participant;
✜ Ongoing advice regarding a student’s duties in that work environment;
✜ A conducive work environment and facilities for the participant (desk/ work space, and access to
equipment);
✜ Involve the participant in all regular activities of the work environment, as appropriate to the
participant’s level of experience and skill;
✜ Provide ACICIS with a brief written assessment report by the mentor on the participant by the end of
the placement (1-2 paragraphs);
✜ Provide ACICIS with feedback on the program and any suggestions for future improvements.
Additional InformationThe IRP is open to both Australian and non-Australian citizens/ students. There are no Indonesian language
pre-requisites for the program. Unless an applicant indicates they have strong Indonesian language
skills and would like an Indonesian language placement, work placements will be in English-language
environments.
✜ Professional placement schedules are to follow the regular working hours for the participating Host
Organisation;
✜ Host Organisations may accept more than one intern;
✜ Should Host Organisations wish to extend the placement period beyond the semester, ACICIS is no
longer responsible for the student’s pastoral care, academic or visa management;
✜ Host Organisations are not liable for any expenses throughout the placement. Any travel expenses
related to placement activities should be discussed with participants well in advance. Should
participants be unable to afford additional work-related travel expenses, an alternative set of duties
should be provided;
✜ Host Organisations have the right to terminate the placement position should candidate performance
be unsatisfactory;
✜ Students enter Indonesia on a KITAS study visa, and as such, are strictly prohibited from carrying out
any paid work during their time in-country, or receiving any form of financial compensation for their
duties performed while on the ACICIS program.
Sponsorship PackagesACICIS welcomes proposals from Australian and Indonesian businesses interested in supporting the
continued development of the IRP through a range of sponsorship packages. Packaging arrangements
may include: one-off or ongoing financial contributions to ACICIS Indonesia’s IRP program; in-kind support
for the IRP through the provision of speakers, networking events and/or venue support; or scholarships
and/ or grants provided directly to IRP students. In turn, ACICIS will acknowledge such support through
the inclusion of your business logo on our site and promotional materials; acknowledgement of your
support throughout our IRP program documents; and, where appropriate, the allocation of an intern/s at
your organisation. For sponsorship enquiries, please contact ACICIS’ Resident Director, Ms Elena Williams,
directly, at: [email protected].
ACICIS IRP 2017 PROGRAM PROFILE 1110 THE AUSTRALIAN CONSORTIUM FOR ‘IN-COUNTRY’ INDONESIAN STUDIES
ACICIS StaffConsortium DirectorThe Consortium Director is responsible for the overall management of ACICIS, chairing the National
Reference Group which determines ACICIS policy. The Consortium Director and Founder of ACICIS is
Professor David T. Hill, AM. Prof. Hill is an Emeritus Professor at Murdoch University in Perth, having recently
retired from his position in the Asian Studies Program where he was a Fellow of the Asia Research Centre
for Social, Political and Economic Change. His research interests are in Indonesian media, literature,
biography, and cultural politics, and he is a NAATI-accredited professional English-Indonesian interpreter
and translator. While based in Perth, Prof. Hill is a frequent visitor to Indonesia.
Resident DirectorACICIS’ Resident Director oversees the provision of academic and pastoral advice to students, liaises with
Indonesian authorities and universities, and ensures that ACICIS’ 13 in-country programs run smoothly. The
current Resident Director is Ms Elena Williams, who was a former ACICIS student in 2005 and later served
as the Yogyakarta Program Manager between 2008 and 2010. Ms Williams holds a Masters of Applied
Anthropology and Participatory Development in Gender Studies from The Australian National University,
and has a keen interest in gender and development, anthropology and social movements. Ms Williams
oversees the IRP, coordinates the academic program, and provides pastoral care and support to students.
ACICIS Bandung Staff ACICIS staff located in Bandung are responsible for managing the design and implementation of the IRP
program and liaising with Host Organisations, university staff and students. Throughout the program, ACICIS
staff advises students on academic and industry-specific matters, offers pastoral care and emergency
assistance, and represents ACICIS at participating Host Organisations and related events.
ACICIS Contact DetailsACICIS welcomes the opportunity to partner with your organisation in the IRP. Please feel free to contact us
at the details below for further information.
For all in-country enquiries, including corporate sponsorship packaging, hosting a IRP student intern or
becoming involved as an industry speaker, please contact the ACICIS Resident Director:
Ms Elena Williams, MA - ACICIS Resident Director
ACICIS Yogyakarta Office
Gg. Alamanda CT X/ 18A
Catur Tunggal, Depok
Sleman, Yogyakarta 55281
t: +62 274 561 477
m: +62 818 267 712
ACICIS IRP 2017 PROGRAM PROFILE 1312 THE AUSTRALIAN CONSORTIUM FOR ‘IN-COUNTRY’ INDONESIAN STUDIES
ACICIS International Relations ProgramProfessional Placement Host Organisations
ACICIS International Relations ProgramIndonesian Partner University
AcknowledgementsACICIS gratefully acknowledges the financial and in-kind support it has
received from the Australian Government’s ‘New Colombo Plan’ Mobility
Grant Program, which has partially funded students’ participation in the
International Relations Program throughout 2016 – 2017.
The New Colombo Plan is a signature initiative of the Australian
Government which aims to lift knowledge of the Indo-Pacific in Australia
by supporting Australian undergraduates to study and undertakep
rofessional experiencesin the region. For more information on the New
Colombo Plan, please visit: www.dfat.gov.au/new-colombo-plan
ACICIS is gratefully hosted by The University of Western Australia (UWA),
one of Australia’s leading teaching, learning and research universities.
From its heritage riverside campus in Perth, UWA is consistently ranked
in the top 100 universities in the world and is a national leader in student
demand, graduate starting salaries, research grants and more.
ACICIS Member Universities
ACICIS is gratefully hosted by