This session consisted of a series of presentation by the cohort explaining who they are, what they do and what they are interested in both within their practice and for this course. This was an insightful session as some themes started to clarify in terms of things that different people were curious about. This triggered some interesting discussion. A lot of us raised concerns about the possibility of making a difference within a dominant institution like UAL which is governed by finance, credit systems and assessments. However we also tried to consider how despite this framework, we had all experienced moments of ‘joy’ and ‘freedom’. Other teachers discussed inclusivity and diversity and considered ways in which teaching can take into account students from diverse backgrounds. I think that these two topics intersect in many ways as they both consider teaching from a student perspective and challenge the standard hierarchies often found in institutional teaching. I am looking forward to seeing how these themes are dealt with as the course goes on. 

It was also interesting to see the types of reading offered by the course for this session and how this might intersect with things that I might be interested in. I chose to put forward a’Education at 400bpm’ – Hannah Ellis (featured in Radical Pedagogy – Modes of Criticism). The essay explores teaching on UK-based courses in art and design. It opens up a debate about dominant structures like universities but also critically examining alternative and smaller educational projects and community initiatives. It explores the limitation different educational models might come up against when trying to produce the kind of radical change that we often encourage, especially in a time with so much social and environmental inequality.

This text highlights the main question that I am interested in exploring and developing throughout this course: Is it possible to encourage the radical change needed to tackle social and environmental injustice within a dominant structure such as a university?