Decolonizing the Undergraduate Chemistry Curriculum: An Account of How to Start

Abstract

Discussions on decolonizing the curriculum are common in Humanities and Social Science Faculties but still rare in the Physical Sciences. In this commentary, we describe the work we have conducted to begin decolonizing and diversifying our undergraduate chemistry curriculum. We also discuss what it means to decolonize chemistry and reflect on why it is an important thing to do. Finally, we discuss a number of different strategic approaches that could be followed to decolonize an undergraduate chemistry curriculum.

A Cultural Impostor? Native American Experiences of Impostor Phenomenon in STEM

“…, 2016 ). Additionally, we need to decolonize STEM through our teaching ( Dessent et al. , 2021 ; Shahjahan et al.…”

Words Matter: On the Debate over Free Speech, Inclusivity, and Academic Excellence

“…Similar remarks can be made regarding equally problematic names in the chemical sciences, 1 − 4 including Nobel Prize winners Fritz Haber 1 (who spearheaded Germany’s World War I chemical weapons program) and Johannes Stark 3 (who led a Nazi campaign to eliminate “Jewish physics” from the German curriculum). Prominent scientists including William Shockley 1 and James Watson 3 have promoted eugenics and racist ideas about intelligence.…”

“…The same questions are also central to recent debate 1 − 4 regarding whether the scientific community should continue to retain “named” scientific phenomena in cases where the eponymous scientist has engaged in conduct that is inconsistent with contemporary values, even if that behavior is entirely separate from their scientific discoveries. Whether namesake buildings, lectures, and awards should be renamed is also under discussion, 5 and similar questions arise regarding a controversial personal essay that was retracted in 2020 by the journal Angewandte Chemie .…”

Uncovered faces: A Resource to Support Decolonization of the Undergraduate Chemistry Curriculum

“…Decolonization has simply been defined as identifying colonial systems, structures and relationships, and working to challenge them. 11 For Chemistry, this can mean that we should question our understanding of science as something that grew solely from the discoveries of a series of famous, western individuals, and instead work to develop a more complete scientific picture that includes much more widespread and diverse global voices. 11 Although colonialization could be seen as a historic problem, it is still believed to impact strongly on the experiences of students and scientists today.…”

“…11 For Chemistry, this can mean that we should question our understanding of science as something that grew solely from the discoveries of a series of famous, western individuals, and instead work to develop a more complete scientific picture that includes much more widespread and diverse global voices. 11 Although colonialization could be seen as a historic problem, it is still believed to impact strongly on the experiences of students and scientists today. Following from this premise it therefore becomes imperative that we work on how scientists are educated so that they develop a proper appreciation of global science, that is built on their understanding the historical perspective and inequalities that have long defined the development of science.…”