The Western Asian Languages Department (WALD) was founded in 1965 when it was a study program from the Faculty of Social and Cultural Sciences (FISBUD). The WALD at that time was named Islamic Literature and Culture (SARKIS). This department was suspended during the time of Daud Yusuf as a minister of Education and Culture. The WALSP was reopened during the minister of Nugroho Notosusanto era. Based on Minister Nugroho’s decision, the Academic Senate of Hasanuddin University issued a decree number 8154/A/0/1983 on establishing this department. This decree was later strengthened by the decision of the Directorate of Higher Education of Ministry of Education and Culture number 234/DIKTI/KEP/1986. Based on these two decrees, the WALD was officially established under the faculty of literature.
The study programs expected in this department are Arabic, Persian, and Urdu Language and Literature Study Programs. However, the study program that can run is the Arabic Study Program (ArSP).
In general, the ArSP teaching staff remains responsible for serving lectures in this study program. However, starting in 2005, specifically, the introductory computer application courses, the faculty, staff, and laboratory (resources) courses used, were the resources found in the ArSP. Likewise, with several other departments at the Faculty of Letters and UPT, for example, MKU (Islamic religion lecturers), the Language Center, and the local languages study programs that require lectures or computer training using ArSP computer laboratories. Likewise, groups of people who need Arabic language computer programming services also use the same resources. Thus, these activities that utilize the ArSP resources require a good teaching management system.
The only grants that have been received by the ArSP so far are SP4 grants that have just ended (starting from 2005-2006). In 2001, the study program competed in the SemiQue project; however, it only reached the stage of submitting university level proposals. By 2004, the department’s leadership improved the SP4 program and was declared to have passed the 2005/2006 budget year. This grant program provides space and support for the management development capacity of the department. With this grant, learning facilities are available, such as comp lab, department information system, and e-learning. However, the system produced by this SP4 grant must be terminated because Unhas has used an information system and academic management as well as a Learning Management System (LMS) since 2007. This requirement is due to the Unhas Inherent Program, which integrates all the study program’s information systems in the Unhas environment.
In 2010, the ArSP again submitted a proposal for the Institution-Based Competition Grant Program (PHK-I). Together with four other study programs within the Unhas environment, the ArSP was again the winner of this PHK-I grant. The PHK-I grant for 2010 was won by 13 (thirteen) universities throughout Indonesia, including Hasanuddin University. In other words, four study programs, including the ArSP, became representatives of Hasanuddin University in winning the PHK-I grant in the 2010 selection. This grant will last for three years, from 2011 to 2013.