Date Wednesday 03 December 2025
Overview
A decolonial lens is not just about making reading lists more diverse. For Course Reps, it’s about creating space to recognise and celebrate learning alongside people from all kinds of backgrounds and circumstances, including gender and sexuality, race and class, neurodiversity, disability, and emotional or personal experiences.
This discussion-based workshop will help you explore what decolonial means in the context of your role as a Course Rep. You’ll learn how it connects with equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), and with social and climate justice.
You’ll have the chance to:
- Identify feedback from students that highlights barriers to inclusion (for example, course materials that reflect limited perspectives or examples).
- Encourage broader representation in learning resources or assessment formats by raising suggestions with staff.
- Support respectful dialogue between students and staff when sensitive issues arise in class discussions or teaching content.
- Work collaboratively with other Reps and staff to make practical changes that help all students feel valued and heard.
By the end of the session, you’ll have a clearer understanding of how to bring a decolonial mindset into your feedback and conversations, helping make your course a place where everyone’s experiences and contributions are recognised and respected.
This session will be facilitated by Dr Amita Nijhawan, Senior Educational Developer at UAL. She mentors staff and students in using creative writing techniques to develop a writing voice. She has a PhD in Dance Studies and as an author, she publishes novels and short stories, and has been writer-in-residence with Spread the Word, Leverhulme, UCL, Literature Works, the British Council and others.