On Scyborgian Syllabus-Writing: Reimagining Anti-Colonial Curricula Through the University Syllabus

• In Event: K-16 Decolonial Possibilities in the Works

Abstract

The syllabus constitutes a narrative genre that structures university curriculum; yet, the syllabus has rarely been centered as a locus of advocacy work. This conceptual study examines the syllabus as a world-building narrative through an intersectional, anti-colonial framework. Specifically building upon la paperson’s (2017) construction of a scyborg, I name three core considerations for a scyborgian syllabus-writing, each with an exemplar from outside of academia, including: engaging with intersectional, anti-ableist pedagogies; relating syllabi to Land and community; and nurturing radical imagination. In conclusion, I invite interdisciplinary scholarship to continue to consider how the syllabus genre might be subverted toward more anti-colonial, liberatory world-building.

Author

• Nicole K. Weinberg, Texas Christian University