Bandung, July 9, 2025 - The English Language and Literature Study Program, Faculty of Language and Literature Education, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (UPI), successfully held the Undergraduate Students of English Studies (USES) Seminar on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, in an online format. This seminar emerged in response to a growing need in academic circles to proactively address the increasing demand for high-quality academic publications and to boost the visibility and reputation of the English Department’s journal, Passage. For scholars and researchers, publishing is not only about sharing knowledge, but also about making meaningful contributions to the fields of linguistics and English literature in particular, and the humanities in general.
The main objective of the seminar was to serve as a platform for academic exchange. Through a peer-review process, the presented papers will be considered for publication in upcoming issues of Passage as well as in an edited volume (book chapter). This initiative reflects the English Department’s commitment to promoting scholarly dialogue and encouraging research productivity within the academic community.
The seminar was officially opened by the Dean of the Faculty of Language and Literature Education, Prof. Dr. Tri Indri Hardini, M.Pd., and proudly welcomed 35 presenters from six different universities, including the host, UPI. This diverse representation aimed to enrich discussions during the parallel sessions. To further emphasize the interdisciplinary nature of the event, Dr. Raden Safrina, M.A., a senior lecturer in the English Department, delivered the keynote speech. Her presentation, titled “Exploring Semantics Playground: Interdisciplinarity in Linguistics, Literary, and Cultural Studies,” offered valuable insights on conducting interdisciplinary research - an increasingly relevant topic in today’s humanities scholarship.
The seminar was organized in collaboration with English departments from several partner universities: Maranatha Christian University, Universitas Komputer Indonesia, and Sultan Maulana Hasanuddin State Islamic University of Banten. The Head of the English Language and Literature Study Program at UPI, Nita Novianti, M.A., Ph.D., expressed her appreciation for the commitment shown by the partners, who supported the event by sending five reviewed papers from their respective institutions. She also extended gratitude to the organizing team - Dr. Nia Nafisah, S.S., M.Pd., Isti Siti Saleha Gandana, M.Ed., Ph.D., Ernie D. Ayu Imperiani, M.Ed., Ayu Fitri Kusumaningrum, M.A. - as well as the student volunteers who worked hard to bring the seminar to fruition.
The USES Seminar featured three parallel sessions and concluded with the session “Trends and Challenges in Linguistics, Literature, and Cultural Studies.” The organizing committee hopes this academic event provided opportunities for learning, collaboration, and collective growth within the research community - especially for undergraduate students in the humanities.
(Nita Novianti)