Course Title: Seminar 
Instructor: Dr. Johanna O. Zulueta
Date: 29-31 August 2019
Venue.: Malaysia

  On 29-31 August, third year FILA students under the seminar of Dr. Johanna Zulueta (Sociology, Migration Studies) visited Kuching in Sarawak, East Malaysia for their seminar study trip. Kuching, the capital city of Sarawak, is a richly historical place and students learned how a multicultural, postcolonial city is significant in problematizing contemporary Malaysian society. Sarawak State’s ethnic make-up is different from West Malaysia, where Malays are a majority, and the state prides itself in maintaining harmonious relations among its ethnic groups. The Soka delegation was welcomed by faculty members of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, headed by the Dean of the Faculty, Professor Neilson Ilan Mersat, who expressed interest in creating an MOA between his Faculty and Soka University’s FILA. The students then attended lectures given by some professors, which touched on topics related to gender in Sarawak, migrant workers in East Malaysia, and the ethnography of Borneo. The professors engaged the students in active discussions, which increased their awareness about the diversity found in Southeast Asia. The students capped their study trip with a short visit to a museum, a walk around the city, and a cruise along the Kuching Waterfront.