Project Leader: Dr Elena Minelli, PoLIS

This project, which was awarded funding by the Teaching Development Fund (TDF) Seed, contributes to three major areas of innovative practice within the University: fostering diversity and inclusion in Modern Languages (undergraduate students, PoLIS); raising awareness and ‘uncovering blackness’ in artifacts (postgraduate students, Deconolise Architecture); training and effective networking on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (students and staff).

UG Italian language students (PoLIS, yrs 1-4) will participate in learning activities tailored to the different levels and facilitated by the Afro-Italian film producer Fred Kuwornu. The tasks will foster key academic skills, eg. effective teamwork, interview techniques and making promotional podcast, posters and websites.

PG students will participate in a workshop facilitated by Fred Kuwornu on digital film making and the uncovering of blackness in artifacts and society.

Staff and students will attend a talk with film viewing followed by discussions run by Fred on his documentaries on European Afro-descendants in Art (Renaissance in Italy and Portugal), History (colonialism and post-colonialism) and contemporary Cinema. In line with the EDI objectives 2019-23, this project seeks to raise awareness of the presence of Afro-descendants in Europe in support of the University Curriculum Transformation and networking between existing pockets of practice.

Dr Minelli produced an evaluation report in September 2023