SoN resources
There are many ways that the SoN resources could be embedded in teaching for my course. The terms of reference journals feel particularly useful as they gather different perspectives on one specific topic. This means that the students have easy access to one nuanced resource. There are several personal stories included as well, which I think provide the most powerful messages. These journals can be added to the reading lists when we are covering social justice or other relevant topics. I am keen though to embed these resources at an early-stage seminar so that it is a visible resource from the beginning of the course. In this way, they would have used the website actively and hopefully, they will return to it at a later point again during their research. It could also impact their confidence in taking on more personal projects. As part of my artefact, I am planning to embed the SoN resources in an “emphasise’ seminar activity for students to explore individual stories and investigate potential design solutions for their chosen person.
Hahn Tapper ‘A pedagogy of social justice education: social identity, theory and intersectionality’
Tapper highlights the importance of taking the students’ identities into account in the classroom rather than assuming that everyone has similar social identities and reference points. Teaching in a very culturally diverse classroom, I completely agree with this. I can relate to the feeling of the British culture being foreign and unfamiliar as a Danish person living in England. Social status and class discussion are not visible in Denmark in the same way.
Facilitating students to share and learn from each other is such an important point to ensure that they embed their own perspectives and identity in their work. Social justice teaching must be co-created as I don’t think it is possible as a teacher to ‘teach’ the experience of others. Students also highlight how much they enjoy the cultural diversity on the course and learning from each other, so I believe this is an impactful learning experience in general.
Witness: unconscious bias
Josephine Kwali talks about the argument of unconscious bias. She challenges the idea and views it as a get-out-of-jail card. I agree with her point of view that if there is true unconscious bias, then what will it take for universities to change with training and teaching in place around this? She also touches on the topic of intersectionality by saying ‘as someone being both black and a woman… I might get two shots’. The intersectionality discussion is relevant to facilitate for students and getting them to reflect on their own positionality for them to consider their role and responsibility for change. Further read on Kimberle Crenshaw and the context of her defining intersectionality: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/nov/12/kimberle-crenshaw-the-woman-who-revolutionised-feminism-and-landed-at-the-heart-of-the-culture-wars
‘Retention and attainment in the disciplines: Art and Design’
This report highlights the challenges of retention and attainment for UG courses. There are several challenges presented and I think they
relate to my conversations with my PG students too. For example, students expect certainty and clear direction from tutors as mentioned for first-year UG in the report. This can be the same experience for 1 year PG courses, where challenges can be settling into the British education system, transitioning to MA-level studies, studying in a foreign language or perhaps it is the first experience of design education. This can be a steep learning curve in a short time. I talk with students who struggle with the ambiguity of self-directed research and the more open exploration of design solutions. Students sometimes search for the right answer in feedback sessions and say things like ‘what would you like me to do here’ or ‘the tutor liked this part so I went ahead with this’. I agree with the report’s emphasis on the power of the tutor for supporting students to have confidence in developing their own practice. It is, however, not always simple as some students must first unlearn expectations of the tutor-student relationship from previous education to be able to take on a more active role in their exploration of their work and identity.
To White Academia: Does this affect you?
In this article, Aisha Richards interviews a senior anonymous staff member at UAL. It brings to life an example from UAL on a lot of the terms and data that we have discussed in the unit such as the lack of representation in senior roles, the general whiteness of the academic staff and the discomfort of discussing it. There were also several shocking stats on the lack of representation in Design and Arts education such as 95.3% identify as white (p. 31) to accompany the interview. The conversation progressed with the interviewee feeling uncomfortable about the situation, but they tried to be open. I wonder what change there might be if all senior staff members had these types of conversations?
I enjoyed reading your post Jeanne! The statistics of highlighting how white arts education is is something that I also found very shocking. It made me think about why that could be the case. For me as an Ethnic Minority from an immigrant family, part of the reason I think is due to the arts not being seen as a “real career” but more of a hobby, and not something someone from an immigrant family should do (a doctor or lawyer makes much more sense). This is how I was raised, but I am also sure people of all identities have experienced this as well, and I’m sure that the reasons are much more layered and complicated than what I have mentioned.
Hi Houman, thank you for sharing your thoughts! I agree and your reflection supports my conversations with students from various backgrounds. There is often a lack of support from the family to study a design-related course. Or they might have a Finance or Law undergraduate degree and then they come to my course to change their path to the fashion industry as that was what they always wanted.