Changemakers update
LCC’s new Student Changemakers were introduced on here back in April and since then they’ve completed initial training and started working with staff to decolonise curricula across our undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
In May, Design School Changemakers worked with year 1 students, course librarians and lecturers to critically review and reimagine the Contextual & Theoretical Studies year 1 programme through the lenses of liberation and decolonisation.
Jess Baines, one of the lecturers involved, explains how the project has ‘kickstarted more focussed and lively conversations within my own department on the subject of reading lists, Moodle pages, dead white men, and of course examples of practice. Through this and other ongoing conversations we are now working towards integrating both the concept and practice of ‘decolonising the curriculum’ into our CTS1 planning.’
Changemaker Emma Sproat says ‘the collaborative process between Changemakers, students and staff provided the opportunity to build on not just existing shared ideas of a how a decolonised curriculum should look at LCC but also planted new seeds of change, offering a refreshed outlook on how a decolonised CTS1 could work within UAL.’
Through May-June Changemakers collaborated with other staff and students for LCC’s first Wikipedia Editathon, aimed at increasing the visibility and credibility of under-represented practitioners within LCC’s subject disciplines. As part of this work, Changemakers identified lots of practitioners in need of having their visibility and credibility improved on Wikipedia and the collaboration resulted in a total of 13 Wikipedia articles being edited, demonstrating to us the possibility of the change that can happen when working together.
Changemakers are currently working with their programmes to organise more Wikipedia Editathons for 2020-21 (to be announced here on the Hub). This is whilst also getting involved in course validation and reapproval processes, and acting as consultants for effective and meaningful decolonisation of curricula from the moment its designed.
Changemaker Alex Goodall says that ‘recent meetings have been incredibly productive with regard to generating exciting ideas for reapprovals, for example around embedding decolonisation in learning outcomes and recruiting diverse student bodies for consultation throughout the process. Course teams have been very supportive and the Changemakers are excited about working more closely with them through the year.’
Changemakers for the LCC programmes:
- Interaction Design and Visual Communications – Mai Elamin
- Branding Design and Innovation – Emma Sproat
- Graphic Design Communication – So Dam Jung
- Communications and Media – Prachee Mashru
- Photography – Ana Cristina Blumenkron Zertuche
- Journalism and Publishing – Sebastian George
- Sound and Music – Alex Goodall
- Film and TV – Rachel Williams
- Moving Image and Digital Arts – Sofia Bordin