Decolonising and diversifying the curriculum
In this section, we have highlighted useful projects and general resources relating to decolonising and diversifying the curriculum initiatives, including diversifying reading lists.
Definitions and approaches to such initiatives vary, and we realise there is much more to diversifying the curriculum than simply updating your reading list. However, we hope the resources in this section will help colleagues adopt a wide-ranging and holistic approach to such projects, and ensure that challenging and revising your reading list forms part of your project.
Students are increasingly calling for change in this area, and diversifying your readings may lead greater student engagement.
If you are interested in diversifying your curriculum, we would be happy to discuss how we can help: just get in touch with your Library liaison team. You will also be playing a part in helping us to diversify the Library's collections.
Reference:
Ferguson, R., et al (2019) Innovating Pedagogy 2019, Open University Innovation Report 7, Milton Keynes: Open University, p3.
Diversifying your reading list: resources to help you get started
- EDI Resource BankOpen access database to share reports and initiatives relating to EDI in higher education.
- Miseducation: decolonising curricula, culture and pedagogy in UK universitiesA 2020 report from the Higher Education Policy Institute.
- NUSU Decolonising NCLNUSU's campaign to seek commitments and assurances from the University to move beyond the mere touch up of reading lists and demand to see the practice of decolonisation embedded, at every level of the decision making at the University.
- Decolonising the curriculum in environmental sciences: toolkitThese resources were developed by Amelia Magistrali, Stefania Bilca,
Alisha Ali, Ashlyn Wong, Erin Hollinshead, Avneet Sandhu, and Hannah Davis as part of two Newcastle University projects: Decolonising the SNES and SENG Curriculum and Decolonising Environmental Sciences. They are reflective of work completed in June 2022 in the context of environmental sciences and STEM subjects. We recognise that approaches, terminology and recommendations for inclusive teaching change regularly and these resources should be used in recognition of the context they were produced. The toolkit contains suggested language swaps, key terms list and definitions. - Decolonising the curriculum in environmental sciences: checklistFor reviewing lecture content.
- Decolonising the curriculum in environmental sciences: additional readingA list of resources organised by subject area for further reading and learning.
- Decolonising the curriculum in environmental sciences: module review guidanceFor reviewing module content in detail.
- School of Modern Languages EDI Reading ListA bibliography of resources around the colonial and postcolonial histories associated with the languages studied in the School of Modern Languages (SML) at Newcastle University. Developed by SML as part of a project supported by the Black History Month Fund.
- Broaden My Bookshelf at Huddersfield UniversityAn initiative started in 2018 between the library, Students’ Union, and BAME Ambassadors, aimed at increasing diversity in library collections. Activities included discussions with staff/students and book buying campaigns.
- Decolonisation in education: role of the academic libraryRecording and slides from a recent webinar organised by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA)
- Decolonising and diversifying librarianship and higher educationA reading list designed for library staff working on decolonising and diversifying collections, library and archival practice, and pedagogy.
- Decolonising library collections and practicesSlides and resources from a 2019 conference at Cardiff Met University.
- How diverse is your reading list?2020 article from the Higher Education journal.
- Newcastle University Library's EDI guideOur Library's guide which aims to curate and highlight information resources relating to EDI themes.
- University of East Anglia Decolonisation GuideCreated by the library at the University of East Anglia, this guide includes resources and links for decolonising in different subject disciplines.
- University of Exeter tipsUseful tips from this guide on decolonising your reading list, focusing on ways to diversify content.
- University of Kent: diversified reading list examplesExamples of diversified reading lists from a wide range of subject disciplines.
Diversifying your reading list: step by step
A good starting point is to critically evaluate your existing reading list against a range of criteria.
We have highlighted some useful tools below to help you get started.
- Manchester Metropolitan University reading list audit spreadsheetMMU project which shows how you can audit your list quantitatively against criteria such as gender, ethnicity and geographical location of the authors.
- University of the Arts London checklistThis helpful toolkit includes a series of questions to ask yourself about your reading list (Step 2)
If you are interested in analysing your reading list in depth, you can export it in various formats, including Excel. Just click on the three dots in the top right hand corner when you are viewing it within Canvas. You can export the entire list, or certain sections.
To broaden your search for materials, try using advanced search functionality on databases like Web of Science and Scopus to focus your search results: for example, by country or region of origin. You may also find it helpful to broaden your search to include material beyond 'traditional' scholarly publications, such as audiovisual resources, or grey (unpublished) literature. We've picked out some other useful finding tools below.
- Audiovisual resourcesOur guide to finding and using audiovisual resources.
- Cite Black AuthorsSearchable database of work authored by Black academics. The project aims to enhance recognition and citation of Black academic voices.
- Grey literature guideOur guide to 'grey literature': materials and research produced by organisations outside of traditional commercial or academic publishing and distribution channels. It includes reports, working papers and evaluations.
- Open Access materialsWe'll be posting a useful link to help you find OA materials soon!
- Social mediaOur guide to using social media (watch out for our new Canvas module about social media coming soon!)
Academic publishing has long been dominated by publishers based within the USA, UK and Europe. The links below should help you to identify other publishers beyond the 'big players'.
- Journals OnlineAims to increase the visibility, accessibility and quality of journals published in developing countries.
If you are looking to add new items to your reading list, but not sure where to start, we've highlighted our own themed lists created for our EDI guide, and always welcome further suggestions.
- Disability Equality reading listOur reading list on the topic of disability equality.
- Faith, Religion and Belief reading listOur reading list about faith, religion and belief.
- Gender Equality reading listOur reading list about gender equality.
- LGBT equality reading listOur reading list on the topic of LGBT issues and equality.
- Race Equality reading listOur reading list on the topic of race equality.
- Social mobility reading listOur reading list about social mobility issues.
- School of Modern Languages EDI Reading ListA bibliography of resources around the colonial and postcolonial histories associated with the languages studied in the School of Modern Languages (SML) at Newcastle University. Developed by SML as part of a project supported by the Black History Month Fund.
Many universities are developing and making their own reading lists publicly available. We've highlighted some subject-themed lists below to provide ideas.
- Anti-racist lab: ten simple rulesArticle by two US-based academics about building an anti-racist lab based on 10 rules. Aimed specifically at STEM topics.
- Oxford Brookes University: business topicsRecommended books on different Business subjects.
- Sheffield University: social sciencesThe website is curated by Gurminder K Bhambra, and features module outline forms and reading lists for many social sciences topics, including geography, sociology and politics.
- University of East Anglia Decolonisation guideCreated by the library at the University of East Anglia, this guide includes resources and links for decolonising in different subject disciplines.
- University of Exeter: subject recommendationsSuggestions for diverse resources in a range of subject areas.
- University of Kent: diversified reading list examplesExamples of diversified reading lists from a wide range of subject disciplines.
Books about curriculum diversity
