Anger at University of Leicester's 'decolonised curriculum' plans

A university is facing growing anger over its plans to drop English language and medieval literature modules and introduce a "decolonised curriculum".

The University of Leicester said it was considering cutting subjects after a "drop in demand", and instead focusing on ethnicity, sexuality and diversity.

But the idea has been met with dismay by a number of academics and students.

Since the plans were announced, some university staff have also received abusive messages online.

Among those opposed to the changes is Professor Isobel Armstrong, a fellow of the British Academy, who has returned her honorary doctorate from the university in protest.

The Leicester branch of the University and College Union (UCU) said Prof Armstrong made her decision "in protest at the egregious attack on the integrity of English at Leicester and the attempt to eradicate 1,000+ years of language and literature from the curriculum".

An examiner for the university's English Studies MA, Professor Catherine Clarke, has also resigned.

Prof Clarke said: "This [is] either a cynical exploitation of the language of 'decolonisation', or genuine (and appalling) ignorance of the work medieval and early modern subjects can contribute to this endeavour."

She urged the university to "reconsider these proposals" as they "will diminish the experience of students at Leicester and limit their future opportunities".

In January, the University of Leicester announced a consultation over proposals across a number of departments. It also plans to cut 60 posts, putting 145 staff at risk of redundancy.

Under the restructuring, the English department would no longer teach medieval literature due to "a drop in demand from undergraduate and postgraduate students in recent years".

If adopted, the changes would also mean the university discontinuing BA English with English language, and MA English Language and Linguistics.

The university said it planned to introduce "a range of modules which are excitingly innovative", focusing on subjects such as race, ethnicity, sexuality and diversity.

Its spokeswoman said "decolonising the curriculum" meant "reconsidering how the subject is taught "to make it more inclusive and reflect emerging developments".

"For example, many reading lists are dominated by white authors," she said.

"This ignores many great BAME scholars and also means that BAME students do not see themselves reflected in what they are being taught."

But she said the work was unconnected to the proposed redundancies and removal of courses.

A total of 56% of last year's undergraduate students at the university classed themselves as BAME, the university added.

Dr Shazia Jagot, who studied at the University of Leicester, said the changes could directly impact the education of students from black and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds.

In an article for Times Higher Education Dr Jagot, who describes herself as working class and "of South Asian heritage", wrote: "What happens when you remove the opportunity for students, particularly black and ethnic minority students, to read Beowulf, Chaucer and Milton?

"They are robbed of the chance to read texts foundational to the history of English literature and to engage in the rich, energetic work that is tackling racism, white supremacy and sexism in the discipline."

Final year English student Rhiannon Jenkins said: "We want decolonisation, the student body does want decolonisation.

"But we disagree that decolonisation is synonymous with redundancies, and we disagree that it's synonymous with getting rid of medievalism and early modern English literature."

The 21-year-old, who is the course representative for final year English students, said: "We think that [the university has] used this rhetoric of decolonisation to suggest that the English department haven't done any work towards it, and suggest that medievalism and early modern literature has no place for decolonisation in it."

Ms Jenkins also said the university would not allow the English department to poll first year students to find out what modules they were interested in.

A University of Leicester spokesperson said: "This is not the case - the university's module selection process for next year's English course has not yet commenced."

The English Association, an organisation devoted to studying and teaching the English language, is based at the university. It said it was "shocked to hear of the proposed closure of English Language and Medieval Studies at the university".

Leicester academic David Clark, who shared an extract of the proposals on Twitter said he was "bemused by the implication none of us already teaches/writes about... decolonising the curriculum."

A university spokeswoman stressed English would still be offered as a course subject, and said: "We will continue to offer a wide chronological range, covering hundreds of years of English literature - enabling students to experience the scope of literature they tell us they want to see in an English curriculum today."

But she said the university could not "continue to offer modules that consistently attract small and ever-declining numbers".

"We are now in an extensive, 90-day consultation period and are engaging closely with unions, staff, students and external stakeholders," she said.

Since the plans were announced, the university said several staff had been harassed online.

The spokeswoman added: "Some staff have received abusive messages following some inaccurate reports in the media and we are providing the necessary support for them.

"We also had some staff receiving abuse for doing research in related areas."

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