I think the main theme in the given resources was about challenging our perceptions and assumptions about people outside of our immediate community.
There are Intersectional issues, highlighted in the article, Islam, Women and Sport. The author highlights issues in sports surrounding our clothing requirements. They do not align with the wearing of Hijab. She advocates for greater awareness of faith-based principles, more representation in sports. I think the arguments she uses to address the issues within sports could also be extended to a HE setting. Are we providing spaces that are accessible to all?
Challenging race, religion and stereotypes in the classroom, the author describes the correlation between discrimination + racism. There are often assumptions that all communities are the same, we should actively challenge stereotypes. He talks about Argumentation – how people mobilise arguments, uses of speech, media as tools to create fear mongering and power. This perhaps highlights the importance of giving students the tools to look at others with empathy with the context of HE.
Reflection:
In my own teaching experience, I have noticed students have missed teaching sessions because they clash with important religious celebrations. In our current outlook calendar we have key Christian religious dates included (I imagine by the software itself rather than the university), could this be extended by the university to include other religious calendars so that we can make considerations when creating the timetables.
In addition to this, I have had Muslim students ask for help to find a quiet space for prayer during Ramadan. Our studio is open plan with no private rooms available. We checked the facilities at Camberwell college and the only facility available to students is one Multi-faith and wellbeing room (A1020), which you cannot pre-book and is suggested to be for single person use only.
‘Everyone can make use of the facilities and we are pleased to say that every College has at least 1 Quiet Space available.’[1]
The Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Annual Report 2021/22, highlights that 28% of all UAL students and 18.7% of all UAL staff have identified as being religious. Within CCW, 26% of students have identified as religious, 4% of those students identifying as Muslim. [2]
There are approximately 2200 students at CCW[3], which means that we have 88 Muslim students in our college.
Based on information from Islamic Relief.org the prayer timetable for Ramadan 2024 required 2 prayers (Dhuhr and Asr) to take place within the UAL teaching day (10-4pm) from 11th March – 10th April. [4]
How can UAL expect 88 students to have access to one room at these specific times and dates. The allocation of Multi-Faith rooms within the university does not reflect the religious diversity within our student population, and most likely results in those students affected having to make a choice between their religious duties or their education. This to me is not an inclusive environment.
[1] https://www.arts.ac.uk/students/stories/using-quiet-spaces-at-ual2
[2] https://www.arts.ac.uk/?a=389423
[3] https://www.arts.ac.uk/colleges/camberwell-college-of-arts/student-life-at-camberwell
[4] https://www.islamic-relief.org.uk/giving/islamic-giving/ramadan/ramadan-timetable/
3 replies on “Blog 2# – Faith”
Hi Lucy, this is a really important reflection that highlights the disjunction between the principles of racial and social justice we set out as a university, and everyday practice. Structural issues (space, rigid academic calendars, etc.) are so clearly evidenced in your analysis here, also highlighting the limits of what individual tutors are able to do to address such issues.
This year, we held a symposium with our 3rd year students to present the research done on their dissertations. All of their work, in some way, reflected their personal identity and history – highlighting the diverse voices in our classrooms. One student said they had to miss sessions during Eid as there was no consideration for the festival in our academic calendar, and the fact that there was no recognition of it in university communications more broadly, made them feel excluded, compared to other religious events (Christmas, Easter).
As a result of this, I would like to now create a calendar for my team to share the religious or cultural events relevant to our student body as a small step towards addressing some of these bigger structural inequalities. I wonder if you are also planning on taking some action within your remit or if there is scope to try to address these issues more broadly, bringing them up at committees, board of studies meetings or similar?
Thank you for your insightful comment, and for sharing your experiences and actions taken within your department. The disjunction between our principles of racial and social justice and everyday practice is indeed a significant challenge, and your example poignantly illustrates the impact of structural issues on our students.
It’s fantastic to hear about the symposium with your 3rd year students. Providing a platform for diverse voices to share their research and personal experiences is crucial in fostering an inclusive academic environment. The example of the student missing sessions during Eid underscores the need for a more inclusive academic calendar and greater recognition of diverse cultural and religious events.
Hi Lucy,
I met you on PGCERT last year, but took a break and I am now just finishing off the IP unit. I hope you don’t mind an extra comment from me on your blog.
You have highlighted some really key points above, and really flagged for me how un-inclusive our buildings within UAL can be… I haven’t ever come across any of my students asking for a space to pray during Ramadan, which, on reflection, is really quite surprising as I have been aware of having Muslim students within my classes. I have however been aware of students finding corners around the building, whether that’s in a random empty classroom, the library or quiet corridor praying – you have highlighted my ignorance in why these students are praying in these not-so-quiet spaces, and the need for there to be more quiet spaces for prayer within the CSM building. This blog post is going to stay with me, and as a result I will try to be much more aware of the individual needs of students in my classes, particularly with regards to other religious calendars.