South Tangerang, FAH Online News – The English Literature Study Program of the Faculty of Adab and Humanities (FAH), UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, held a National Seminar entitled “Understanding Children’s and Young Adult Literature: The Complexity Behind the Simplicity of the Genre” on Tuesday (19/05/2026) at the Theater Room, 5th Floor of FAH UIN Jakarta. The seminar featured Dr. Herdiana Hakim, S.Hum., M.Sc., M.Ed. from the Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Indonesia, as the main speaker and was moderated by Luthfiana Dwi Rakhmawati.

The seminar was attended enthusiastically by students, lecturers, and the academic community of FAH UIN Jakarta, who participated in discussions on children’s and young adult literature as an important field in literacy and educational development.

The event was officially opened by the Dean of FAH UIN Jakarta, Dr. Ade Abdul Hak. In his opening remarks, he emphasized the importance of strengthening literacy culture from an early age through various forms of reading materials, including children’s and young adult literature. According to him, every type of reading contributes to shaping readers’ mindset, knowledge, and literacy skills.

“We must deepen literacy and reading materials for children because every form of reading is important,” he stated during the seminar opening.

In the main session, Dr. Herdiana Hakim delivered comprehensive material through five major discussion sessions. The first session explored myths and the basic concepts of children’s literature, which is often perceived as simple despite its own complexities in both creation and delivery. The discussion then continued with a session on texts and reader responses, highlighting how children and adolescents interpret literary works according to their experiences and stages of development.

Furthermore, the speaker discussed the exploration of genres, formats, and categories of children’s and young adult literature, which continue to evolve alongside changing times and the needs of young readers. In the final session entitled “1001 Potentials,” Dr. Herdiana explained various opportunities for the development of children’s literature in education, research, the creative industry, and learning media.

The seminar was conducted interactively through two-way communication between the speaker and participants. In every session, participants were invited to respond by scanning QR codes provided by the committee. The collected responses were then discussed together, creating an active, dynamic, and participatory atmosphere. Not only students, but attending lecturers also shared their perspectives and experiences throughout the discussion.

The participants’ enthusiasm became even more evident during the open question-and-answer session. Two students raised questions regarding the implementation of children’s literature in learning and the development of reading interest among younger generations. Meanwhile, the final question was delivered by Mr. Agus, who discussed children’s education through storytelling in books as a medium for character building and moral values.

The seminar chairperson, Nina Farlina, explained that the seminar theme was chosen based on its relevance to the implementation of the New Curriculum 2025, which has begun to be applied in the English Literature Study Program. In addition, the topic of children’s and young adult literature was considered closely related to students’ lives while also contributing significantly to strengthening literacy culture.

According to her, prior to the event, the committee conducted a survey to identify themes that interested students as well as topics that had not been widely discussed within FAH. Studies on children’s literature were considered relatively limited, and therefore the seminar was expected to open broader opportunities for discussion and future research development.

“Research on children’s literature is still not widely discussed, so we hope this seminar can become a starting point for developing broader studies in the future,” Nina explained.

The national seminar proceeded smoothly without significant obstacles. Through this event, the organizers hoped that students would not only understand children’s and young adult literature as part of academic studies, but also be able to implement the values contained within it in daily life and future educational practices.

Writer: Muhammad Dafa Al Farisi / Sukasih Nur / Deny
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