BUZZ
University of British Columbia professor’s curriculum tells instructors to include ‘land acknowledgement‘ on syllabi
A workshop called “Decolonizing the Engineering Curriculum,” scheduled for Monday at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, will explain how the field of “engineering has promoted colonial mindsets and anti-indigenous concepts.”
The featured speaker is University of British Columbia engineering Professor Pamela Wolf who developed a curriculum on the topic, the event description states. The University of Waterloo Engineering Society is the hosting group.
“Decolonizing the engineering curriculum is an event to learn about how engineering has promoted colonial mindsets and anti-indigenous concepts,” the event signup page states.
“There will be hands-on activities and discussions about how we can see this in our classes and wider curriculum and how students can advocate for the removal of harmful concepts, as well as improving our mindset, ethics and curriculum,” it states.
Professor Wolf’s work involves encouraging scholars across the world to incorporate her “decolonizing” curriculum into their engineering classes, according to her university bio.
Published in 2022, Wolf’s “Decolonizing the Engineering Curriculum is an Open educational resource with curriculum from her courses, direction on how to adapt it to your course, and faculty training to implement this curriculum,” her bio states.
The curriculum teaches engineering students about the “rights of Indigenous people,” and encourages them to form relationships with tribes.
It also directs professors to “learning resources” that don’t “perpetuate colonialism, colonial myths, or stereotypes,” and urges them to include a “land acknowledgement” on their syllabi.
Professor Gad Saad, an evolutionary behavioral scientist and critic of identity politics, drew attention to the event on X this week.
“Yes! Engineering should be organized around Lesbian Indigenous Dance Theory. Enough with White Engineering!” Saad wrote sarcastically.
MORE: Meet the universities working to ‘decolonize Thanksgiving’
