Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH)
Department of Psychology, Sociology and Politics (PSP)
The project had four main strands:
1.cultural/diversity critical awareness and reflection for staff (delivered through pilot workshops);
2. decolonising pedagogical practice (through upcoming curriculum review of reading lists, teaching methods etc);
3.review of marketing materials and practices (to increase BAME recruitment; centre a commitment to equality;
4. inclusiveness and representation); placement experiences (review of practice guidelines and student feedback forms).
The project raised staff awareness of issues facing BAME students. It has highlighted how staff need to review and, where necessary, revise their approach to the curriculum in the interests of making it more inclusive and to capture diverse voices. The Department has made a commitment to a thorough critical review of practice over the medium to long term.
It is hoped that the approach to curriculum development work in PSP will be transferable. Although the content of the curricula differs across subject groups, it should still be possible to identify the process, approach and key questions raised in reviewing curricula.
For further information contact the project lead Dr Anjana Raghavan, a.raghavan@shu.ac.uk
Status: ongoing
Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH)
Department of Law and Criminology (DLC)
The aim of this project is to overcome barriers in relation to students experiencing a sense of ‘belonging’ at university, via a programme of activities including: Bespoke ‘meet and greet’/networking event for all students who identify as BAME; recruitment session for ambassadors/reps/buddies/ mentors to embed and enhance BAME student voice; monthly events/talks showcasing success run in collaboration with the Student Union; improved links with city events and student union events to better communicate activities. The project has led to a number of resources and events being put into place including an interactive map of outlets within Sheffield for BAME students e.g. places of worship, halal restaurants & African-Caribbean barbers/hairdressers; pre-enrolment blogs including screencasts by HOD from BAME background; more detailed induction packs including information on how they aim to reduce the gap; improving Academic Advisors allocations; morale boosting talks by current/past SHU BAME students, staff or professionals in induction week; and an Inspirational Week held in the first week of November 2018, including input from BAME roles models.
The interactive map along with better coordinated links with the Students Union is something that is transferable across the university. Depending on whether or not the feedback is positive the programme could be a model for any area/department to develop their own offer.
For further information contact the project lead Farrah Ali
farrahali260798@gmail.com
Status: ongoing
Faculty of Science, Technology and Arts (STA)
Department of Media Arts & Communication (MAC)
The aim of this project was to support young people to access filmmaking courses in order to diversify the student body – which in turn can impact on retention and success. A short film documentary was made which portrays Sheffield based BAME filmmaker Juliet Ellis as a positive and accessible role model for young, BAME female filmmakers in a way that is informative and educational to all. The aim is to work with SHU feeder colleges’ media courses to show the documentary to their students and assess their aspirations before and after the screening. MA Filmmaking students in the Department of Media Arts & Communication have been involved in the production of the documentary. A version of the documentary was screened and discussed and shared with the members of the NAHEMI (http://nahemi.org/) Talking Shop symposium at Lincoln University in June 2018. Participants will be followed up at the start of the new academic year to obtain specific feedback. Other media projects where the project lead is from a BAME background have the potential to be similarly adapted into ‘role model’ initiatives. The scalability of the model is unlimited as long as there are inspirational BAME individuals to lead projects and provided there are the facilities and resources to film them.
For further information contact the project lead Colin Pons, c.pons@shu.ac.uk
Status: completed
