Decolonising your reading list

Any reviews of the curriculum and associated learning resources should be undertaken in partnership with students (UUK & NUS, 2019). Your students may wish to engage in the process of reviewing the resources on your reading list and may be able to suggest additional resources for inclusion. The University of Kent has detailed their process of staff-student partnerships in reviewing reading lists on the Advance HE website.

Here are some suggestions to help you get started:

• Reflect on what training, preparation and guidance students need to effectively participate in curriculum decolonisation. Agree how to do this, be that alone or with the support of librarians or academics.
• Think about what will encourage students, in particular those who are disengaging as a result of their identities, to participate in curriculum liberation work. Can you offer an award or pay them for their contribitions? 
• Reflect on what opportunities exist to embed reading list review and decolonisation into the assessed curriculum. Consider whether this can be aligned to learning outcomes and assessment criteria.

Suggested activities 

1) Arrange a staff-Student discussion on the disciplinary canon, areas of exclusion, and alternative narratives.

2) Ask students to critique the reading list and suggest new content from their own research and experience.

Content adapted from AEM Toolbox, University of the Arts London, under a Creative Commons Licence: CC BY-NC 4.0 Attribution.