Yogyakarta, January 31st, 2018

Number : 030/C.6-VIII/ICoSI/XII/2018
Attachment : 1 (one) set Term of Reference
Subject : An Invitation as Speaker at 3rd International Conference on Sustainable
Innovation (ICoSI)

Prof. Dr. Koichi Iwabuchi

Monash University

On behalf of Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta, we are pleased to have the honour of

inviting you as an invited speaker at our 1st International Symposium on Social Sciences,
Humanities, Education, and Religious Studies (ISHERSs), which is the focal conference under
the International Conference of Sustainable Innovation (ICoSI) 2019. The conference is
scheduled on July 30 - 31, 2019 at Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY), Yogyakarta,
Indonesia.

The conference is mainly designed to discuss the questions and issues regarding the challenges
and opportunities of social sciences, humanities, education, and religious studies in the disruptive
era and intends to showcase several studies conducted by researchers around the world.

We will provide the airfare tickets and accommodations during your stay (4 nights) in
Yogyakarta. Please find attached herewith the term of reference of the symposium and let us
know if you will require any audio-visual equipment for your presentation.

Please do not hesitate to contact Abdul Rasyid Ghazali at thegozha@gmail.com or +62 852-
9080-2366 for more information.

We are looking forward to meeting you in our International Conference.

Chairperson of ICoSI 2019

dr. Iman Permana, M.Kes., Ph.D

 Term of Reference (TOR)

1st International Symposium on Social Sciences, Humanities, Education, and Religious

Studies (ISHERSs) 2019

“Challenges and Opportunities of the Disruptive Era in Social Sciences, Humanities,

Education, and Religious Studies”

UNIVERSITAS MUHAMMADIYAH YOGYAKARTA (UMY)

30-31th July 2019

Introduction
In the era of digital technology, human beings are provided with opportunities and challenges.
Human employs robotic devices, Artificial Intelligence (AI), blockchain technology, and other
scientific innovations that increase easiness and effectiveness in human life. Instead of having
domestic maids, for example, robots can assists human doing daily chores. The robots equipped
with Artificial Intelligence can help, even replace, human in manufacturing industries and work
forces in general. Blockchain technology enables financial transaction more direct, secure, and
faster compared to using intermediary final institutions like banks.

However, the disruptive era as a result of the Industrial Revolution 4.0 with its scientific,
technological, and digital revolution brings some unprecedented disruptions, threats and
challenges as well. Some traditional jobs such as bankers, conventional sellers and traders, or
types of managers might disappear since robots or technology can handle their tasks. Some
companies and financial institutions might go bankrupt since their functions are taken over by
blockchain technology, which make trades and financial transactions more decentralized, secure,
and efficient. In the realm of education, innovations in educational technology change types of
relationship between teachers and students, which may be more impersonal, especially the
growing number of long distant learnings and online courses.

These scientific, technological, and digital innovations pose disruptions and challenges, not only
in the realm of trade, industry, and finance, but also in the realm of education and the future of
certain sciences. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and other
sciences-related to technological innovation are seen to be more prestigious and promising than
social sciences and humanities. The Liberal Arts, in which social sciences and humanities
(including general education and religious studies) are studied and taught, seem to be irrelevant
in the disruptive era, which focuses on the digital innovations and the advancement of
technology. Compared to hard sciences, engineering, and technology major, social sciences and
humanities (including general education and religious studies) are seemingly less related to
technological inventions and scientific discoveries Therefore, parents who have intelligent
children, for instance, are prone to divert their children from majoring in social sciences or

Term of References ISHERs 2019 Page 1 of 4

humanities. In this light, social sciences and humanities are considered useless and obsolete in
the face of innovative forces in disruptive era.

This negative perception of social sciences and humanities is not true. As cited above, the
legendary technological innovator and inventor like Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, used to
say that the contribution of liberal arts, including humanities, to technological innovations is
undeniable. He said in 2011,” “It’s in Apple’s DNA that technology alone is not enough — it’s
technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields us the results that
make our heart sing.” To him, liberal arts provide valuable foundation and shape for Apple’s
high and aesthetic technology. The success of Apple cannot be separated from artists, poets,
musicians, historians, and zoologists in addition to their skills in computer science.

Then, what the Liberal Arts can further offer in the digital progress and innovation in the
disruptive era? Or, the Liberal Arts will be considered worthless and forgotten since they are
viewed incompatible with the innovative force in the digital-disruption era?

In the Liberal Arts, students are equipped with essential skills such as critical thinking,
creativity, empathy, resilience, decision-making, cultural and global competency, leadership
quality, logical consistency, and communication skills. These skills are foundational for
innovation in the realm of technology, economy, and digital-technology sciences. Axelle
Tessandier in the Next Web (2016) writes,” By not teaching our children liberal arts, we will
hinder their capacity to innovate.” Thus, teaching liberal arts is a key for innovation. This setting
might explain why most of US-born chief executives and heads of product engineering are from
the liberal arts background, not from STEM degree (Vivek Wadhwa, 2018). Those who have
degree in engineering are 37 percent and in mathematics are 2 percent, and the rest is from
liberal arts background (61 percent).

In addition to creative and innovative spirit and skill that the Liberal Art can offer, Syed Farid
Alatas (2018) adds that the Liberal Arts, such as philosophy, religious studies, general
education, literature, can also offer moral compass. If society is occupied with scientists and
engineers and lacking of scholars and thinkers in the field such as literature, it will be dangerous.
There will be no moral and ethical perspective since there is no authoritative person who can tell
whether certain act is ethical, right, good, or otherwise. To him, this kind of moral direction can
only be provided by philosophers, religion, ethical system, or literature.

Thus, social sciences, humanities, education, and religious studies under the big umbrella of the
Liberal Arts can change potential threats and challenges in the disruptive era to become
opportunities for human innovation. However, there are some sceptical questions that still can be
posed, such as whether Liberal Arts education in Indonesian universities equips students with
such essential and necessary skills as discussed above? How if Liberal Arts in our universities is
not directed to stimulate critical thinking, creativity, cultural and global competency, and other
skills? How if the Liberal Arts, including social sciences, humanities, general education, and
religious studies is used to teach and extend certain political or religious ideologies of owners of
the universities? Is the Liberal Arts a hindrance or catalyst for innovation in the disruptive era?

Term of References ISHERs 2019 Page 2 of 4

This symposium is mainly designed to discuss the above questions and issues regarding the
challenges and opportunities of social sciences, humanities, education, and religious studies in
the disruptive era.

Theme and Sub themes

The 1st International Symposium on Social Sciences, Humanities, Education, and Islamic
Studies is administered by Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta. The symposium raises the
main theme “Challenges and Opportunities of the Disruptive Era in Social Sciences,
Humanities, Education and Islamic Studies”. The theme covers the subthemes that allow
prospective scholars who are interested in submitting their paper for oral presentation or
workshop under the following scopes:
 Journalism
 Marketing Communication
 Broadcasting
 Advertising
 Public Relations
 Communication and New Media
 Democratic governance
 Public policy
 Gender and equality
 Educational Leadership
 Technology in Education 
 Teaching and learning 
 Assessment 
 Curriculum 
 Cultural issues in education 
 Instructional design 
 Innovation in Islamic Education dan Finance 
 Innovation and sustainability in Moslem world
 Character Education
 Islamic studies in Disruption era 
 Islamic digital humanities
 Challenges in Economic Syariah in digital era
 Islamic Communication in New Media
 Area Studies
 Diplomacy and Foreign Policy
 Security, Conflict and Resolution
 Global and Transnational Issues (Human Right, Environment, Migration, Transnational
Crimes, Humanitarian and Development)
 International Trade, Investment and Political Economy
 New Thinking of International Relations Theory
 Gender and International Relations
 Islamic thought and International Relations

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Symposium Programs
The list of programs that will be performed during the conference include the following
programs:

a. Reception and Cultural Dinner

The participants of conference will be invited to attend the welcoming dinner hosted by
Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY). Additional cultural performances are
presented within the reception processes to entertain all participants in order to obtain different
cultural touch while they stay during the conference

b. Key note Speech and invited speech Session

The symposium presents the up-to-date development of knowledge from the scholars who
possess expertise in the current fields. Among the invited speakers are

Key Note Speakers:

1) Prof Dr. Ing B.J Habibie (The Former President R.I)
2) Prof. Dato Sri Tahir (Mayapada Group)
3) Prof. Nakashima Hideharu (Kyushu University)
4) Prof . Alberto Gomes (La Trobe University)

Invited Speakers:
(1) Dr. Zain Rafique
National University of Modern Language Islamabad (NUML), Pakistan
(2) Rahmawati Hussein, Ph.D
Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta, Indonesia
(3) Dr. Ben Wadham
Flinders University, Australia
(4) Dr. Koichi Iwabuchi
Monash University, Australia

c. Parallel Session
The symposium arranges parallels sessions for participants to share their research findings,
knowledge, and expertise. The sessions are made available for 100 presenters.

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