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Antique sepia world map against a mottled dark background

To celebrate Black History month, we’re taking steps towards decolonising and diversifying our curriculum.

For the second-year courses in Cognition and Behavioural Neuroscience, we’re asking students to consider reading and citing in their essays research studies conducted on participants from different cultural backgrounds and /or performed by women or people from under-represented groups. 

The resources below provide a very useful starting point.

RESOURCES AT UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD 

The Bodleian Libraries webpage, “Anti-Racism in Academia.” Includes materials on decolonising the curriculum and additional reading suggestions. 

The Bodleian Libraries webpage, “Changing the narrative: championing inclusive collection development.” A guide produced as part of the "Changing the narrative: championing diversity in collection development" project, running January 2020 to December 2021.  

Worcester College Decolonisation Course. An introductory course that aims to equip all members of our community to engage productively and equitably in conversations around decolonising. 

The Race and Resistance group, a community of staff, students and activists engaging with the rise of, and resistance to racial hierarchies in Oxford and beyond.   

Anti-Racism Ally Networkpart of the BME Staff Network (BMESN). The Network aims to inform and support our community to tackle systemic racism at the University of Oxford  

BIPOC STEM Network. This Network aims to provide a safe environment and enhance the representation and experiences of People of Colour within the University of Oxford and beyond.   

BIPOC STEM Network Allies Book club. The Book Club is for those who want to be allies, to unpick their inherited racial biases, and interrogate their own relationship with white supremacy. Texts cover race, ethnicity, and religion. 

University of Oxford Black History Month. Scroll down the webpage to see a list of useful resources. 

 

OTHER RESOURCES 

BME Psychology. Collection of resources aiming to move psychology away from its white and Western bias.

Uncomfortable Oxford. An academic-led organisation dedicated to raising awareness about the 'uncomfortable' aspects of history through tours, talks and other events:  

BIPOC Authored Psychology Papers. For use by instructors of undergraduate/graduate psychology courses to help diversity their syllabus. Can search by tab/topic.  

 

ACADEMIC PAPERS 

Charles, E. (2019). Decolonizing the curriculumInsights32(1), 24.  

This paper provides history and context for why decolonising the curriculum is vital for academic institutions and what role libraries and the scholarly communication sector can play in this movement.  

 

Birhane, A., & Guest, O. (2020). Towards decolonising computational sciencesarXiv preprint arXiv:2009.14258.  

This paper discusses how to begin the journey to decolonise computational fields, such as data and cognitive science, “that grappling with our fields' histories and heritage holds the key to avoiding mistakes of the past.”