Beginners Guide to Indonesian-Australian Interactions

Enrol
1 day
In-Person
Canberra
$1,045.00
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Overview
This short course offers a quick primer before you interact with Indonesia to help prevent embarrassing awkward moments and to lay the groundwork for respectful discussions. Basic cultural norms and political differences are packaged as digestible bites, rather than a detailed language course, to help you navigate what can be vastly different worldviews. The course covers practical information like handshake etiquette and small talk, through to strategies which echo the idea of agreeing to disagree on major political issues.
On request, case-studies can be included to tailor the series to the interactions participants expect to be involved in.
Course content
This course is broken into the following core learning topics:
- Socio-cultural norms – heartwarming, hilarious, and (potentially) horribly awkward.
- Political sensitivity – things that can shock, polarise, and woo
Learning outcomes
By completing this course, learners will be able to:
- Identify common cultural differences between Indonesian and Australian settings.
- Analyse and anticipate how personal attributes can factor into initial meetings in the Indonesian context.
- Proactively initiate positive interactions using culturally and linguistically appropriate strategies.
Who should attend
Anyone intending to travel to Indonesia in either a professional or personal capacity, or those regularly interacting with Indonesian counterparts online or in Australia.
Facilitator
Zara Maxwell-Smith
Dr Zara Maxwell-Smith is an interdisciplinary researcher and lecturer in Indonesian Studies in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS), UNSW Canberra. Zara completed her doctorate investigating Indonesian language teaching in 2024, at the Australian National University where she taught from 2013-2023. She has worked across a range of universities and schools, and as a researcher for the Australian government. She also holds a Graduate Diploma in Teaching, was awarded Australia Indonesia Institute Indonesian Language Teaching Award in 2022.
Cancellation policy
Courses will be held subject to sufficient registrations. UNSW Canberra reserves the right to cancel a course up to five working days prior to commencement of the course. If a course is cancelled, you will have the opportunity to transfer your registration or be issued a full refund. If registrant cancels within 10 days of course commencement, a 50% registration fee will apply. UNSW Canberra is a registered ACT provider under ESOS Act 2000-CRICOS provider Code 00098G.