Embedding Justice in the creative curriculum
Co-developing and leading a strategy for embedding Climate, Racial and Social Justice in the creative curriculum at University of the Arts London
What we did
Starting in 2022, I began serving as the Co-Chair of the Academic Discourse and Action Learning Committee, one of the four committees leading the implementation of the UAL Climate Action Plan.
In this role, I lead a group of colleagues from across the institution towards:
embedding climate justice in all UAL courses through foundational science-based learning and teaching and discipline-specific critical exploration, contextualisation, and pedagogies;
developing opportunities for UAL staff to develop their knowledge and skills to contextualise their discipline and transform their teaching to advocate for and act on climate, social and racial justice;
creating flexible and collaborative conditions and actively support students and staff to live change and work together as advocates, partners, and activists to achieve the above.
In 2021, UAL Staff and Students co-created five Principles for Climate, Racial and Social Justice to frame and guide work across the institution. In 2022, I collaborated with my Co-Chair, Nina Stevenson, to develop a Curriculum Embedding Framework to support Aim #1.
Aligning with institutional Quality processes, it supports the incremental embedding of the Principles into UAL courses and enables institutional monitoring of progress towards that goal.
How we did it
The Framework builds on extensive, existing work by the Centre for Sustainable Fashion at UAL on Education for Sustainability. Specifically, FashionSEEDS (Fashion Societal, Economic & Environmental Design-led Sustainability); a 3-year, EU funded Erasmus + Strategic Partnership project that brought together a collaborative network of European fashion universities. The porject used design-led approaches to explore what a transformed education system in Fashion Design for Sustainability could look like.
My fellow Co-Chair Nina Stevenson, Head of Education at the Centre for Sustainable Fashion, worked on this project. We based the structure of the UAL Framework on the 'Scales of Transformation' developed through FashionSEEDS, adapting it to the specific context of UAL.
The original Scales of Transformarton, taken from The FashionSEEDS Reader
A fourth ‘baseline’ level was added. All four levels are further translated into the specific forms of tangible evidence courses should demonstrate within their Course Handbooks to align with their level.
Baseline: Principles are contextualised, clearly connecting them to the discipline in the Course Handbook
Awareness: Baseline has been met. Climate, Racial and Social Justice content is also taught in at least one unit but not currently visible in unit learning outcomes
Ideation: Levels 0 and 1 have been met. Climate, Racial and Social Justice content is taught in at least one unit and assessed.
Shift: Levels 0, 1 and 2 have been met Climate, Social & Racial Justice is also embedded into course aims and objectives and assessed in at least one unit at each level of study
Alignment with Quality Assurance
The Framework guidance support staff to progressively integrate these principles into teaching practices and course experiences using QA processes. A baseline audit of Course Handbooks in 2021 was used to establish a picture of embedding levels in all courses. This data allows for focussed an targeted support and funding for course teams to work with student Climate Advocates to move up the framework incrementally each year; co-designing, piloting and evaluating interventions before modifying them into the course.
In 2023, four new staff members were recruited to support Course Teams in this work and the Framework was ratified by the UAL Academic Board, endorsing it as a key institutional process for curriculum enhancement.
Why we did it
In recent years, academic discourse has shifted from a focus on climate change to climate justice. Climate justice acknowledges that while climate change is a shared responsibility, its impacts and burdens are not distributed equally. Those communities contributing the least to climate emissions are often the most harmed with existing social injustice likely to be further entrenched by climate change (Davis & Todd, 2017; Pettit, 2004; Schlosberg & Collins, 2014).
Climate justice therefore reframes debates about sustainability and 'solutions', directing critical attention towards social impacts, outcomes, and justice concerns (Sultana, 2021). Higher education institutions often treat anti-racism, social justice, and climate change as separate issues. However, in response to the UAL Climate Action plan — with its goal to 'change the way we teach' — this work aims to integrate climate justice and its intersectionality into all UAL courses through discipline-specific critical exploration, contextualisation, and pedagogies.
The framework addresses the increasing need for Higher Education institutions to address climate change, racial injustice, and social inequity in and through their curricula. However, it stops short of mandating specific content or telling Courses what and how they should teach. By developing a clear structured for embedding principles into the curriculum, Course Teams have agency to develop teaching and engagment that is discpline-approporiate, preparing UAL graduates to engage with and contribute to these issues within and through their creative practices.
Impact
The framework has been widely utilised in the institution to create new courses and improve existing ones. It offers staff a clear structure and resources for designing and planning learning activities integrating Climate, Racial, and Social Justice principles. This includes guidance for on developing course aims, objectives and learning outcomes aligned with the principles.
In 2022, staff at the Creative Computing Institute (CCI) used the framework to structure and validate six new undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
The Framework for embedding UAL's Climate, Social and Racial Justice principles into the curriculum is excellent. It is clear, navigable and makes the process not only manageable, but also meaningful. It's rare that a framework can be taken 'off the shelf' and put into practice, but that has been achieved here and it will be of great value to the University
— Dr. Charlotte Webb, Senior Lecturer, Creative Computing Institute, UAL
The framework gives staff a clear foundation for curriculum innovation and emphasises the brilliant and innovative practice happening across the institution. Consequently, the university has a better understanding of how climate, social, and racial justice are being incorporated into the curriculum, and to what extent. This allows for a more precise understanding of where support and resources should be allocated to further develop knowledge and practice in this area.
Laura's leadership and oversight over the development of the Framework is evidence of her research informed, collaborative approach. Working strategically at scale across teams and Colleges, Laura has brought together staff and student communities to help drive progress for educational priorities. The framework helps plait together key curriculum themes in an accessible and practical way, strengthened by student led audits and connected to university quality processes. The work expertly acknowledges both operational and strategic considerations to help implement positive change. Staff and students have fed back positively on the framework as a coherent, relevant, and practical vehicle for change. External feedback was also gained from Jonathan Grant who commented that he doesn't recall seeing such an explicit framework for bringing together these curriculum themes
— Dr. Danielle Tran, Director of Education, UAL
Reflections and Future Directions
This work chair informs and continues into my PhD research, which focuses on building institutional capabilities for Interdisciplinary Climate Education. Through ADAL, I lead a cross-university action research group that is exploring ways to apply a Capabilities Perspective to institutional transformation and change. I have recently written a paper on this that proposes a set of core capabilities for climate change education (CCE) and outlines an evaluation framework that HEIs can use to develop holistic strategies to support CCE.
I remain the co-chair of the ADAL committee and have also joined the Social Purpose Advisory Group for the university. Here, I bring a curriculum perspective to the broader discussion on Social Purpose in university practice.
The more I learn about what Laura has achieved in influencing the practice of those who teach in UAL, the more impressed I am. She has successfully progressed a critically important agenda - that of embedding principles of climate, racial and social justice in the curriculum - by rallying a diverse, cross-sectional group of practitioners from every part of our workforce. And she has done so by elevating this agenda amid a dizzying array of competing organisational imperatives, without having any direct authority over the relevant procedural levers. Her achievements are a model of collaborative leadership at its (rare) best, and other members of the HEA who are promoting excellence in teaching practice have a lot to learn from her experience.
— Nigel Ball, Director of Social Purpose Lab, University of the Arts London
This case study illustrates my leadership role and impact on teaching and learning practices across the university. I co-developed and implemented a framework to incorporate Climate, Racial, and Social Justice into the curriculum. This contribution has effectively influenced practices beyond my direct teaching. The integration of this framework into the institution's quality procedures, along with positive feedback from colleagues within and outside the institution, underscores its impact and value. This work has propelled educational priorities and fostered excellence in teaching practices.