Improving the Diversity of the History Curriculum

• Project Team: John SlightLuc-Andre Brunet
• Subject Discipline: Arts and Humanities
• Theme: Equality, diversity and inclusion
• Project Aim: Improves and enhance the learning experience of studentsPromotes equality diversity and inclusion including reduction of degree awarding gap
• Status: Complete
• Date: November 2019 to December 2020

The purpose of this scholarship project is to investigate student attitudes towards the racial and ethnic diversity of the existing History curriculum, gather information about this issue from experienced ALs who teach on History modules, and consult with academics at other universities on their HEIs efforts regarding diversity in their curriculum, in order to contribute to the UK-wide scholarship on racial and ethnic diversity in History curriculum. Setting the project in a broader context, the university history curriculum in the UK has a racial and ethnic diversity problem, starkly illustrated in the 2018 Royal Historical Society Race, Ethnicity and Equality Report. 

This scholarship project has three research questions: 

1. What is our students’ impressions of the current representation of racial and ethnic diversity in our History curriculum?
2. If our students perceive that there is a lack of racial and ethnic diversity in the History curriculum, how does this affect their learning experience? 
3. What would be the most effective ways of improving the racial and ethnic diversity of our history curriculum? 

We intend to investigate the attitudes of our students (that is Q01, History BA) who are currently studying their first or second Level 3 History module (who therefore will have studied Level 2 History modules, A223 and A225, and Level 1 Arts modules) towards the racial and ethnic diversity in our curriculum. The view of the project lead (A326 Module Chair) and co-lead (A327 Module Chair) is that there is a lack of racial and ethnic diversity in the curriculum, but we intend to test this by gathering evidence from our students. The ‘student-facing’ part of the project would gather data through a qualitative survey of 50 students from all racial and ethnic backgrounds. Furthermore, we will gather qualitative data from Associate Lecturers with extensive teaching experience on History modules, and gather qualitative data from History Departments at other UK institutions, in order to identify best practices within the OU and across the sector, that can be applied to our History curriculum. The findings from this project would inform the future content of the History curriculum (especially the remakes of A326 Empire 1492-1975 and A327 20th Century European History), the Level 1 interdisciplinary A113 (Revolutions), currently in production, which has a strong historical component alongside three other disciplines from FASS. The project intends to increase racial and ethnic diversity in our curriculum, for a number of reasons. First, in order to attract and engage a more diverse student cohort than is the case currently. For example, the numbers of BME students currently studying A327 is very small (2018 J: c.5% of students). Second, a more diverse curriculum offering will improve and enhance the learning experience of BME students by providing content that BME students can relate to and feel more represented by. Third, there is a strong case that a more racially and ethnically diverse curriculum will provide a better, broader and richer approach to the study of the past for non-BME students as well. Overall, improving the racial and ethnic diversity of the History curriculum will improve the overall quality of the History offering to students.