An Open Letter // Why is my syllabus so white?

An open letter to all lecturers, principals, prime ministers, programme conveners and education ministers...

Why is my syllabus so white? And not only white, but nigh on exclusively male?

I can't comprehend how you have failed to neglect such a large proportion of the global demographic, instead choosing only to teach works from white men with privileged upbringings. Has no woman, Chinese, transgender, working class, African or homosexual person ever written an academic source worthy of teaching? For this is  the sentiment your current syllabus exudes and I implore you to think about the impact this is having on the future generations of our world.

I can't help but feel my heart sink, when I walk past the "Women's representation display" outside my lecture theatre, showing only a row of white faces to look back at me. And, as I look at my module options for next year, note the high percentage of white male lectures - a contradiction as I come to university, taking modules in Geography, Literature and Film, desperately trying to grasp as many perspectives on the world as I can, yet being limited by those in charge to do so. Alas, no wonder that so many students cannot recognise their own white privilege, when we are only shown the world through the same eyes.

Disregarding the importance of diversity breeds naivety and segregation, rather than the understanding and acceptance our world craves. Please help make the concept of a diverse and equal world a more tangible reality.

Yours sincerely,

A very bemused student. 

From my perspective - KCL.

Thoughts on // "Enoughness"

Whilst I was perusing the international relations section in the library today, a most curious book grabbed my attention. Entitled Enough [John Naish], the book centred on ideas of consumerism, necessity vs. excess and the need for a re-evolution of the human race. And so this fortunate [or unfortunate in terms of my coursework...] sidetracking led me to have a little ponder about this in relation to our world; on the one hand, we have nations living in luxurious excessive, when there are simultaneously around one billion people living in absolute poverty, with next to nothing. So as much is this is a case of reducing what we consume for the sake of our world and its resources, distribution of these is a big area that needs to be confronted. A few examples:

1. The richest 85 people in the world have a combined wealth of £1trillion - equal to the wealth of the poorest 3.5 billion of the world's population. [Oxfam]
2. If all food was re-distributed evenly, there would be enough wheat, rice and other grains to provide every human being with 3,200 calories a day. [Rehydration project]
3. Less than one per cent of what the world spent every year on weapons was needed to put every child into school by the year 2000 and yet it didn’t happen. [New Internationalist]

Glasto '10

How is this fair that in the "western world" we are finally waking up to the fact that we consume more than we need, when so many cannot even meet their basic needs? Furthermore, does having more stuff really make us happier? I'm not saying I have a totally clean conscience and I know that I shouldn't have ordered that dress on-line that I didn't really need last night, and I could have quite easily gone without that medium americano at lunch today; but taking the issue of over consumption on-board is something I want to try and build into my daily mentality. Less sometimes really is more I suppose!

To summarise, I nabbed this rather well-written quote from the book [who nabbed it from somewhere else]....

"It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more who is poor" 

Seneca, Epistulae Morales

What do you think?