How to Decolonise the Curriculum: MicroCPD Transcription

How do we Decolonise the Curriculum? For the School of Government, Decolonising means a fundamental rethinking of how we teach. We sought to critically assess our shared assumptions about the world and how it works and to find ways to respond to the fact that most research about topics that we teach has been done almost exclusively by men located within the West. 

Our strategies are driven by three key points: 

-          Firstly, the content of our modules matters. At Government, we developed a curriculum “health check.” We carefully examined our reading lists in order to identify gaps in our coverage of gender, as well as in topics and themes pertaining to diversity across our programmes. 

-          Secondly, decolonising does not merely mean diversifying. Decolonising requires us to be transparent about historical content and to engage in classroom discussions that resonate with the experiences and perspective of our diverse student body. 

-          Finally, the Decolonising process is never complete; we need to be constantly mindful of our own biases moving forward. For us, this agenda features in our annual staff surveys and in multiple focus groups with students. 

We invite you to read through our report for more details, and to engage with our findings as we all move forward with this exciting agenda.