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We obtained Diversifying the Curriculum funding in 2024\/25 for expanding and revising the content\u00a0and accessibility of course materials for POLI72021 Borders, Identities, Citizenship. This is an elective\u00a0MA module designed to foster critical examination of political, social and cultural construction of\u00a0borders in international relations. Students gain theoretically and empirically informed\u00a0understanding of how political power works at borders and marginal sites through\u00a0exclusion\/inclusion along markers of ethnicity, gender, class, race, religion, and culture. Students\u00a0explore conceptual links between borders and identities, borders and citizenship, and concrete\u00a0processes of immigration, diasporic formations, border-crossing, and internal migration. The course\u00a0is taught through enquiry-based learning in workshops and assessed via a mid-term assessment and\u00a0a research essay.<\/p>\n
What was the rationale\/aim of the project?<\/strong><\/p>\n The subject matter of the course, its salience, and associated literature develop rapidly, as do the\u00a0demographics and bordering experiences of students taking the module. The general aim of the\u00a0project was to research and develop new teaching resources, with a particular focus on critical and\u00a0decolonial research methodologies in border studies, in order to broaden the curriculum and make\u00a0critical approaches to border studies more accessible to students. At the same time, all course\u00a0materials were revised for accessibility with considerations of good practice in general, dyslexic\u00a0students, neurodivergence and sensory impairments.<\/p>\n What was the output of the project? How was it delivered to students or included in the\u00a0curriculum\/syllabus?<\/strong><\/p>\n The reading list was updated to incorporate selected latest literature on decolonial and indigenous\u00a0approaches in critical border studies, along with new case studies and critical perspectives including\u00a0\u2018modern slavery\u2019, human trafficking and the intersection of disability and citizenship. These additions\u00a0provide both empirical contexts in which bordering and citizenship practices take place and\u00a0frameworks for distinct critical perspectives and intersection with wider critiques.<\/p>\n Examples of new content include works on disabled EU migrants in the UK (pre and post-Brexit),\u00a0intersectional research narratives, and the intersections between migration and disability, both as\u00a0lived experiences and as areas of academic focus. Core critical texts on human trafficking and the\u00a0biopolitics of migration were added for their substantive content and as entry points to wider\u00a0scholarship. Additional readings on performativity and ethics drawing on Derridean concept of\u00a0\u2018hospitality\u2019 were added as optional tools for critical engagement.\u00a0<\/p>\n Along with lecture slides, the course guide was substantially revised for accessibility and overall\u00a0quality, including all sans serif fonts, more spaced out and visibly structured\/screen reader-friendly\u00a0separation of content, alt-text where applicable, and consistent formatting, highlighting and making\u00a0live hyperlinks for all online material.<\/p>\n How was this received by students? Any evaluation? First impressions?<\/strong><\/p>\n The immediate noticeable effect of the above changes was a wider range of sources used in\u00a0assignments, including many of the newly introduced materials. This contributed to more complex\u00a0and nuanced analyses of bordering practices and a broader thematic and conceptual range of\u00a0student work. The assignments showed a deeper understanding of bordering practices and a Did you encounter any difficulties\/challenges?<\/strong><\/p>\n Although impressions shared by students in person and direct correspondence were positive, there\u00a0was limited volume and detail of formal student feedback. Course Unit Survey responses did not\u00a0meet the threshold for written feedback to be returned.<\/p>\n What are the next steps\/plans?<\/strong><\/p>\n The course is on hiatus for 2025\/2026 academic year, but these changes and resources remain\u00a0available for future delivery and as a foundation for further development. It would be ideal to\u00a0engage students directly in a future iteration of such revisions or co-production of course materials.\u00a0Conducting a focus group or anonymous free text survey could help assess the perceived value of\u00a0the changes. It would be especially helpful to identify patterns in which students find most benefit,\u00a0and how such decisions about course content feed into students\u2019 experiences, interests and degree\u00a0of engagement with topics.<\/p>\n Ultimately, this work contributes to creating a learning environment where all students can feel\u00a0recognised, represented and able to speak. 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