Semarang, October 2, 2026 — The Applied Foreign Languages Study Program invited Dr. Giovanni Ma, a syntactician and graduate of the University of Melbourne, Australia, to teach the “Basic English Grammar” course. The class, held on Friday, October 2, 2026, was part of the Undip Global Classroom 2026 series.
Dr. Ma participated in the Basic English Grammar course to share his expertise in the field of syntax. The material presented focused on subject-verb agreement in the English language.
The presentation began with an introduction to the concept of subject-verb agreement, in which the verb changes to agree with the subject of the sentence. Moreover, Dr Ma made a comparison between Indonesian and English to ease the students’ understanding of the concept.
Furthermore, students participated in solving problems related to the material. Over 160 students from the Applied Foreign Languages program in their first and third years attended the online session. Third-year students were expected to refresh their understanding of the relevant material before taking the TOEIC test.
A Brief Profile of the Speaker
Dr. Ma is a graduate of the University of Melbourne whose research focused on syntax. His dissertation explored the syntax of a language spoken by one of Australia’s Aboriginal communities. Thus, his expertise in syntax is highly relevant to the English language class: Basic English Grammar.
About UNDIP Global Classroom
The Undip Global Classroom initiative is one of the World Class University (WCU) programs introduced by Universitas Diponegoro this year. On top of that, this program aims to increase international exposure for Undip students, thereby helping them develop a global perspective.