Cross-disciplinary, collaborative and student-led: developing a change process for diversifying reading lists
<p class="first" id="d2912295e175"> Increasingly across many UK higher education institutions staff and students are questioning and challenging systemic inequalities that affect racially minoritised groups in their learning and sense of...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
UCL Press
2022-01-01
|
| Series: | London Review of Education |
| Online Access: | https://uclpress.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.14324/LRE.20.1.01 |
| _version_ | 1797896469725839360 |
|---|---|
| author | Barbara Adewumi Laura R. Bailey Emma Mires-Richards Kathleen M. Quinlan Evangeline Agyeman Aisha Alabi Miriam Jeyasingh Collins Konadu-Mensah Wayne Lavinière Patrice Mighton Tore Shortridge Dave S.P. Thomas Nain Wassamba-Wabelua |
| author_facet | Barbara Adewumi Laura R. Bailey Emma Mires-Richards Kathleen M. Quinlan Evangeline Agyeman Aisha Alabi Miriam Jeyasingh Collins Konadu-Mensah Wayne Lavinière Patrice Mighton Tore Shortridge Dave S.P. Thomas Nain Wassamba-Wabelua |
| author_sort | Barbara Adewumi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p class="first" id="d2912295e175">
Increasingly across many UK higher education institutions staff and students are questioning
and challenging systemic inequalities that affect racially minoritised groups in their
learning and sense of belonging within the curriculum. Students are calling for inclusion
of diverse sources of knowledge and perspectives, especially from scholars of colour
and from the Global South, to enrich what is currently perceived to be a Eurocentric
canon. One way to promote more culturally aligned pedagogy is through diversifying
reading lists. This article presents findings from two pilot studies that explored
the reading lists in one department in social sciences and one in the humanities at
the University of Kent, UK. Applying critical race theory as a guiding framework, the first part of the article
examines the ways in which a diverse curriculum must include the voices of the marginalised.
It then describes the methods: a desk-based review of the reading lists, interviews
with academics to inform the work, disseminate the findings, instigate further action
and identify future needs, and student focus groups. Crucially, the project resulted
from the collaboration between students and staff, and across departments and disciplines.
We found that reading lists in both departments overwhelmingly comprised items by
White male authors. Students and staff both reflected on the importance of not only
curriculum diversification but also barriers to diversification and decolonisation.
The article discusses the impact of this project, which has led to a Diversity Mark
process, and the Diversity Mark Toolkit, which can be used in any discipline when
putting together reading lists to create a more culturally competent curriculum. It
concludes by considering other systemic changes needed, with particular attention
to changes needed in library services and collections.
</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T07:42:22Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7b6e63a4567249babc30f22baf537df4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1474-8460 1474-8479 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T07:42:22Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | UCL Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | London Review of Education |
| spelling | doaj.art-7b6e63a4567249babc30f22baf537df42023-02-23T11:28:09ZengUCL PressLondon Review of Education1474-84601474-84792022-01-01201710.14324/LRE.20.1.01Cross-disciplinary, collaborative and student-led: developing a change process for diversifying reading listsBarbara AdewumiLaura R. BaileyEmma Mires-RichardsKathleen M. QuinlanEvangeline AgyemanAisha AlabiMiriam JeyasinghCollins Konadu-MensahWayne LavinièrePatrice MightonTore ShortridgeDave S.P. ThomasNain Wassamba-Wabelua<p class="first" id="d2912295e175"> Increasingly across many UK higher education institutions staff and students are questioning and challenging systemic inequalities that affect racially minoritised groups in their learning and sense of belonging within the curriculum. Students are calling for inclusion of diverse sources of knowledge and perspectives, especially from scholars of colour and from the Global South, to enrich what is currently perceived to be a Eurocentric canon. One way to promote more culturally aligned pedagogy is through diversifying reading lists. This article presents findings from two pilot studies that explored the reading lists in one department in social sciences and one in the humanities at the University of Kent, UK. Applying critical race theory as a guiding framework, the first part of the article examines the ways in which a diverse curriculum must include the voices of the marginalised. It then describes the methods: a desk-based review of the reading lists, interviews with academics to inform the work, disseminate the findings, instigate further action and identify future needs, and student focus groups. Crucially, the project resulted from the collaboration between students and staff, and across departments and disciplines. We found that reading lists in both departments overwhelmingly comprised items by White male authors. Students and staff both reflected on the importance of not only curriculum diversification but also barriers to diversification and decolonisation. The article discusses the impact of this project, which has led to a Diversity Mark process, and the Diversity Mark Toolkit, which can be used in any discipline when putting together reading lists to create a more culturally competent curriculum. It concludes by considering other systemic changes needed, with particular attention to changes needed in library services and collections. </p>https://uclpress.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.14324/LRE.20.1.01 |
| spellingShingle | Barbara Adewumi Laura R. Bailey Emma Mires-Richards Kathleen M. Quinlan Evangeline Agyeman Aisha Alabi Miriam Jeyasingh Collins Konadu-Mensah Wayne Lavinière Patrice Mighton Tore Shortridge Dave S.P. Thomas Nain Wassamba-Wabelua Cross-disciplinary, collaborative and student-led: developing a change process for diversifying reading lists London Review of Education |
| title | Cross-disciplinary, collaborative and student-led: developing a change process for diversifying reading lists |
| title_full | Cross-disciplinary, collaborative and student-led: developing a change process for diversifying reading lists |
| title_fullStr | Cross-disciplinary, collaborative and student-led: developing a change process for diversifying reading lists |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cross-disciplinary, collaborative and student-led: developing a change process for diversifying reading lists |
| title_short | Cross-disciplinary, collaborative and student-led: developing a change process for diversifying reading lists |
| title_sort | cross disciplinary collaborative and student led developing a change process for diversifying reading lists |
| url | https://uclpress.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.14324/LRE.20.1.01 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT barbaraadewumi crossdisciplinarycollaborativeandstudentleddevelopingachangeprocessfordiversifyingreadinglists AT laurarbailey crossdisciplinarycollaborativeandstudentleddevelopingachangeprocessfordiversifyingreadinglists AT emmamiresrichards crossdisciplinarycollaborativeandstudentleddevelopingachangeprocessfordiversifyingreadinglists AT kathleenmquinlan crossdisciplinarycollaborativeandstudentleddevelopingachangeprocessfordiversifyingreadinglists AT evangelineagyeman crossdisciplinarycollaborativeandstudentleddevelopingachangeprocessfordiversifyingreadinglists AT aishaalabi crossdisciplinarycollaborativeandstudentleddevelopingachangeprocessfordiversifyingreadinglists AT miriamjeyasingh crossdisciplinarycollaborativeandstudentleddevelopingachangeprocessfordiversifyingreadinglists AT collinskonadumensah crossdisciplinarycollaborativeandstudentleddevelopingachangeprocessfordiversifyingreadinglists AT waynelaviniere crossdisciplinarycollaborativeandstudentleddevelopingachangeprocessfordiversifyingreadinglists AT patricemighton crossdisciplinarycollaborativeandstudentleddevelopingachangeprocessfordiversifyingreadinglists AT toreshortridge crossdisciplinarycollaborativeandstudentleddevelopingachangeprocessfordiversifyingreadinglists AT davespthomas crossdisciplinarycollaborativeandstudentleddevelopingachangeprocessfordiversifyingreadinglists AT nainwassambawabelua crossdisciplinarycollaborativeandstudentleddevelopingachangeprocessfordiversifyingreadinglists |