Your Department and Student Experience
This page will aim to highlight the importance of inclusivity and awareness of other cultures and how this may influence students' experience at Warwick.
Why should we consider BAME students' experience?
University is a time when people from different regions and/or counties come together and interact with different cultures, possibly for the first time in their lives, so making sure all cultures and communities are shown and celebrated is important.
Diversity and Inclusion
BAME student experience allows for the promotion and inclusion of not just representation but it's about creating an environment where all individuals feel valued, respected and included. By understanding and addressing the unique experiences of BAME students, educational institutions can work together towards creating a more diverse and inclusive atmosphere. Recognising the different lived experiences students have faced allows for open conversations and helps educate other students. The psychology department aims to decolonise the curriculum and create a space where minority groups feel represented.
Equality in Education
BAME students may face unique challenges, including systemic barriers, stereotypes, and biases. Research by Kauser et al., (2021) explores a plethora of reasons why the majority of students from a BAME background withdraw from their undergraduate degree. Students in this study often felt overlooked and unnoticed. When asking Warwick psychology students how they thought the department could increase the representation of BAME individuals, some students suggested "learning about non-white, non-middle class psychologists and their theories"; by doing so, hopefully, this will help BAME students feel recognised, alongside providing adequate support for the individuals needs and struggles. Addressing these challenges is essential for ensuring all students have equitable access to educational opportunities, resources, and support services.
Cultural Relevance
Acknowledging and incorporating diverse perspectives in the curriculum can enhance the educational experience for all students. Some students at Warwick have acknowledged that sometimes it feels as though some LGBTQ+ or BAME representation was added on almost as 'ticking a box for inclusivity'. Providing a more comprehensive understanding of various cultural, historical, and societal contexts and fostering a richer learning environment. One way in which the psychology department has gone about introducing this within the curriculum is by highlighting cultural understanding and critiques, bringing in alternative perspectives and research papers by non-white male researchers. The Department of Psychology hosts Wellbeing Hour most weeks. Some of the ways they've embraced other cultures are by introducing other cultural foods during elaborate holidays such as Diwali. The department has also introduced various cultures through crafts and food, which allows students to connect, learn and talk about different cultures.
Mental Health and Well-being
BAME students may experience stressors related to cultural identity, discrimination, and a sense of belonging (Guerrero, 2022). By recognising and addressing these factors, educational institutions can better support all students' mental health and well-being. See the Employability section to read about the importance of representation within the healthcare system and workforce.
Promoting Social Justice
Acknowledging and addressing BAME students' experiences aligns with broader social justice goals. Looking at the George Floyd and BLM movement, we can see how important it is to listen to minority groups and see their struggles in the world. By addressing these challenges within the educational system, not only BAME students but all students can make a collective effort to help tackle and hopefully make a positive change in the right direction to create a safer and welcoming environment not only in an academic setting but also when going into the workforce. It challenges and seeks to dismantle systemic inequalities within educational institutions.
What are we doing about it?
One of the things the Psychology Department is trying to do is make the department and student experience more inclusive. This has been done by developing an EDI team; you can access the EDI page on the 'Psychology EDI page' link on the right. A newspaper with the EDI reps will be published soon and added to this page soon so students are able to feel as though they have a voice and talk to other students about issues they may be facing and how the department as a whole can work on it.
The EDI team also hosts conferences in order to help raise awareness towards issues. Last year, they hosted a 'Human Library' where Professors and others came along and were willing to answer questions students may be having.
Jagjeet Jutley-Neilson is also aiming to help decolonise psychology by raising awareness of the prejudice within psychology and by co-creating the BAME toolkit among students. You can look at the Research MethodsLink opens in a new window section and the Decolonising Wellbeing in PsychologyLink opens in a new window, along with the other tabs, for more information on this.
References
Guerrero, E. (2022). Effective Elimination of Structural Racism. BoD – Books on Demand, 2022.
Kauser, S., Yaqoob, S., Cook, A., O’Hara, M., Mantzios, M., & Egan, H. (2021). Learning from the experiences of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) university students who withdraw from their undergraduate degree. SN Social Sciences, 1(5). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-021-00115-8
Created by Filipa Azevedo
Psychology EDI pageLink opens in a new window
The image below is of the samosas and spring rolls given to students during well-being hour in order to celebrate Diwali 2023
Some YouTube videos of other student experiences
TOP TIPS ON SURVIVING FIRST YEAR || WARWICK UNILink opens in a new window
University of Warwick Vlog | A DAY IN WARWICK UNI | 英國留學生活 | 華威大學Link opens in a new window
UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK: MY HONEST REVIEW!Link opens in a new window