Decolonizing Area Studies
Towards Intercultural Citizenship and Social Justice
Department of Literatures, Cultures and Languages at the University of Connecticut
"This effort seeks to de-center whiteness in language education by developing and implementing curricula, learning materials and teaching methods that truly reflect the diversity and cultural variety of modern-day societies and help uncover the oppression that minoritized students often suffer and that dominant groups perpetuate. This initiative will involve a series of lectures, a symposium, and a graduate student working group, along with developing a plan to implement theories, approaches, practices, and assessments towards decolonized curricula."
"This effort seeks to de-center whiteness in language education by developing and implementing curricula, learning materials and teaching methods that truly reflect the diversity and cultural variety of modern-day societies and help uncover the oppression that minoritized students often suffer and that dominant groups perpetuate. This initiative will involve a series of lectures, a symposium, and a graduate student working group, along with developing a plan to implement theories, approaches, practices, and assessments towards decolonized curricula."
UConn Today, "New CLAS Programs Support Anti-Racist Teaching, Research and Community Engagement," September 28, 2020
decolonize + de-center whiteness
decolonize + de-center whiteness
The project is intended to facilitate discussion and dialog by inviting experts in order to learn collaboratively about these complex topics from a variety of perspectives. The team positions itself as co-learners and co-facilitators to collectively aim for change in area studies curricula. Each phase includes experts from within and without UConn to participate in the conversation and the collaboration.
The project is intended to facilitate discussion and dialog by inviting experts in order to learn collaboratively about these complex topics from a variety of perspectives. The team positions itself as co-learners and co-facilitators to collectively aim for change in area studies curricula. Each phase includes experts from within and without UConn to participate in the conversation and the collaboration.
Timeline
Timeline
Fall and Spring 2020-2021: a launch event and 5 lectures on a different topics related to decolonizing the curriculum
Fall and Spring 2020-2021: a launch event and 5 lectures on a different topics related to decolonizing the curriculum
Spring 2021: Graduate Student Working Group holds monthly meetings to discuss the lectures and accompanying readings and co-create the symposium
Spring 2021: Graduate Student Working Group holds monthly meetings to discuss the lectures and accompanying readings and co-create the symposium
May 2021: a 1-day symposium that brings together experts, teachers, faculty, and graduate students to explore, examine and disseminate best practices. The goal is to build, collaboratively, a plan to implement theories, approaches, practices and assessments towards decolonized curricula
May 2021: a 1-day symposium that brings together experts, teachers, faculty, and graduate students to explore, examine and disseminate best practices. The goal is to build, collaboratively, a plan to implement theories, approaches, practices and assessments towards decolonized curricula
Fall and Spring 2021-2022: pilot the implementation of a curriculum that integrates lessons learned and to form collaborative teams to publish the findings of all three phases to share results and approaches with yet larger teaching and research communities
Fall and Spring 2021-2022: pilot the implementation of a curriculum that integrates lessons learned and to form collaborative teams to publish the findings of all three phases to share results and approaches with yet larger teaching and research communities
Project Launch Event
Project Launch Event
A Discussion with
A Discussion with
joined by
Anke Finger, Isabell Sluka and Manuela Wagner
Anke Finger, Isabell Sluka and Manuela Wagner
November 19, 2020 / 6:30pm
November 19, 2020 / 6:30pm