Session 58: Decolonising maths for a globalised world

Abstract

"Applying Mathematics to the things that matter to you" - with this motto, a group of students and lecturers have set out on a journey to decolonise the maths curriculum. The group has been transforming LJMU’s mathematics programme by...

1. ... researching the life of mathematicians from various backgrounds.
2. ... integrating interesting applications of mathematics to important current problems such as climate
change, racial bias in machine learning algorithms, and healthcare inequalities for minority groups.
3. ... exploring the different roles that mathematics plays in different cultures.

The students will showcase work carried out during a curriculum enhancement project. They will touch on topics such as mathematical modelling of climate change, assessment of credit risk in traditional Somalian culture, and the Arabic roots of algebra, as well as identifying the relationship between economic indicators and the crime rates in different suburbs of a city.

This work is student-focused and inclusive, underpinned by LJMU’s core values. It supports the LJMU strategy by a) promoting excellent Education and Student Experience for our mathematics students, b) promoting curiosity and creativity to develop impactful examples inspired by Research and Knowledge Exchange and to infuse them in the mathematics curriculum, and c) embedding views from different cultures, and increasing awareness and visibility with a wider community of students, enabling Place and Partnership.

Our students will present steps towards a curriculum that better reflects how mathematics…

1. … is practised in different cultures
2. … can be applied to address the challenges of a globalised world.

After this talk, delegates will...

1. ... know how a student-centred effort for decolonisation can be implemented.
2. ... be aware of topics that can be included in a curriculum towards the goal of decolonisation.

We expect that our student-led decolonisation effort can be easily transferred to other disciplines.

Decolonising maths for a globalised world PowerPoint. Only LJMU staff and students have access to this resource.