In 2011 Aisha Richards and Terry Finnigan developed the Inclusive Teaching & Learning unit within the University of the Arts London (UAL) positioning it within the PgCert (Post Graduate Certificate) in Academic Practice. The unit was initially developed for practicing lecturers and student facing staff but increasingly requests are being made by senior management from internal and external institutions for staff to receive support in this area. The units early development was supported by Ellen Sims, former Programme Leader and Hilaire Graham, former Head of Centre for Learning and Teaching in Art and Design (CLTAD), part of UAL, which is now named Teaching and Learning Exchange.
This unit was created to support staff in developing strategies through reflection and practice to embed intersectional (Crenshaw, 1989) cultural competence (Ladson-Billings, 2001). As well as support development in pedagogies of social justice in art, design and related higher education environments to meet the expectations of the ever-evolving, socially conscious and politically aware student body.
The Inclusive Practice Unit (Finnigan and Richards, 2016) has been described by its many graduates as ‘transformational’ as it presents intersectional theories impacting academic practice within higher education through its participant’s evolution. Now after many years of delivery Shades of Noir seeks to disseminate these narratives with the support of its creators, we hope to share the units legacies around social justice pedagogy through this Terms of Reference which will be peer-reviewed.
This year the Unit is celebrating being the highest self-selecting unit on the Pg Cert (Post Graduate Certificate in Education) and honouring its many graduates who have successfully completed the unit, embedding all that they have learnt into their respective teaching specialisms.
As such this ToR is an opportunity to share practice, offer reflection and discuss opportunities in the areas of social justice pedagogy.