Royal Holloway, University of London - Inclusive and diverse curriculum

Programmes in Drama, Theatre and Dance have, for many years, included race equality issues in curricula, with further steps taken. In 2017, the institutions' English Department hosted an event on ‘Inclusivity and the Curriculum’, seeking student opinion on current curricular content with respect to BAME authors. This resulted in the approval of several new courses with a World Literature theme or relevant content. More undergraduate modules foregrounding race-equality content have also been added, including World Dance Histories and Race Relations on Film, Theatre, and Television. At Postgraduate level, over the past two years the Department has invited a minimum of three BAME artists to participate. The Playwriting programme includes many plays by Black and Asian writers, with an eminent British writer of Bengali descent delivering some content. In Research Methodologies, students curate seminars/workshops addressing diversity questions through postcolonial studies and critical race studies. Media Arts deconstruct the inherent racial bias of the film and TV industry by integrating new material within existing modules e.g. introducing a week on Black American Cinema in a module. Recent staff hires with the relevant research profiles have improved the staff-base diversity, providing influential role models of BAME success, expertise and authority.