Supporting cultural and religious diversity in higher education: pedagogy and beyond

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to present and interpret the findings of a recent questionnaire-based survey amongst staff working in higher education, which was concerned to explore the impact of cultural and religious diversity upon their working practices. We were also interested to find out in which areas staff felt that they required support. Many staff are concerned that they cannot work effectively because they do not have sufficient knowledge about different cultures and religions. Others are worried that they may unwittingly discriminate against a student on cultural or religious grounds from a position of ignorance. The paper argues that HEIs have a responsibility towards both students and staff to couple the financial and policy driven requirements of widening participation and internationalisation with adequate training and institutional support.

Notes

1. While this paper relates to the UK context, it reflects a series of concerns that have a resonance internationally, within countries such as Australia and the US, where HE has a diverse intake of nationals as well as an emphasis upon international recruitment.

2. See http://www.prs-ltsn.leeds.ac.uk/about_us/reportjul01.html (accessed 29 December 2006). The questionnaire was designed and administered by Dr Simon Smith, the Director of the PRS Subject Centre, in May/June 2004. Analysis of the data was undertaken by Dr Emma Tomalin, Department of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Leeds.

3. See http://www.unison.org.uk/acrobat/B986.pdf (accessed 29 December 2006).

4. For instance, Curtis (2003) discusses the impact of Shar'iah law upon Muslim students’ choice of university through prohibiting the uptake of student loans.

5. This suspicion of any initiative that uses the labels ‘religion’ or ‘faith’ was also experienced by an academic from the University of Wolverhampton, Deidre Burke, who is involved in an entrepreneurial consultancy scheme on ‘Faith Literacy’, designed to help organisations develop an awareness of issues surrounding faith in Britain today thereby improving their effectiveness. She writes that ‘whilst running a stand at the Enterprisefest at the University of Wolverhampton we noted that many people rushed past our stand. Was this due to the bold Faith Literacy title to our display? Did people think we had another agenda and were there with an ulterior, possibly evangelical, motive?’ (Burke, 2005, p. 1).

6. On the basis of this initial study, the PRS Subject Centre has begun to develop resources, including a searchable on-line database that is linked to websites providing information on different cultural and religious traditions.

7. The Higher Education Academy performs much of its work via discipline-based ‘Subject Centres’ that are located within different HE establishments in the UK.

8. Respondents were asked if they were prepared to submit a case study at a later date. We have received around 20 offers of case studies: these are to be requested during the next phase of the project and will be posted on the project website as examples of ‘good practice’.

9. See the website of UKCOSA (Council for International Education) http://www.ukcosa.org.uk/ (accessed 29 December 2006).

10. Leeds Metropolitan University has recently initiated a innovative project entitled ‘Cross Cultural Capability in the Curriculum’. This aims to facilitate the review of courses across the institution (to be completed by 2008), in terms of the extent to which they enable students to develop ‘cross cultural capability’. See http://www.leedsmet.ac.uk/ALTre-source/DD3F6F0A73AB42E78292C88C44311C6F.htm (accessed 29 December 2006). See also Killick and Parry, 1997, and Ottewill and Laughton, 2000.