Call for chapters to contribute to a book

Title: Reimagining curriculum: spaces for disruption

Editor: Lynn Quinn

Target audience: Academic developers and academic leaders (possibly some ‘mainstream’ lecturers).

Purpose: The purpose of the book is for academic developers whose work includes curriculum development to share theoretical perspectives and practical ideas for ways in which academic developers (and academic leaders) can work in partnership with lecturers (and maybe students) to respond to the urgent calls for curriculum transformation and decolonisation.  The book is intended to make a scholarly contribution to the theory and practice of curriculum development.

Chapters can focus predominantly on curriculum theory or on curriculum practice (or both). However, even those that focus on practice need to be informed by scholarly thinking.

Although many of the chapters may focus on a specific context (institutional or national), it is important for authors to point out how the ideas in the chapter could be applied in other contexts.

Themes/ideas that could be examined in each chapter:

• The idea of thinking differently – re-imagining ways of doing things
• The idea of academic developers creating ‘spaces for disruption’ of common-sense, taken for granted ways of designing curricula.
• Broad definition of curriculum (includes pedagogy, assessment, who is taught and by whom they are taught)
• The centrality of context for curriculum decisions[1].

Some of these themes come from a previous volume which I edited entitled: Reimagining academic staff development: Spaces for disruption http://www.africansunmedia.co.za/Sun-e-Shop/Product-Details/tabid/78/ProductID/313/Default.aspx which seems to be being read and cited quite widely.

As soon as the book has been properly conceptualised (after abstracts have been submitted) I will start looking for a publisher. I am hoping to find an international publisher, but failing that a reputable South African publisher will be found.

Book Contribution Deadlines:

• 500 word abstract by 16 April 2018 (submit to quinn@ru.ac.za)
• Book chapters due by end of July 2018 (6000 to 8000 words)

All authors will be asked to undertake peer reviews of colleagues’ chapters.

Please contact me if you have any questions.  I look forward to hearing from you.

Lynn (l.quinn@ru.ac.za)

[1] ‘the curriculum as a legitimising tool [that] must be acknowledged as […] profoundly cultural, social and political’ (Boughey, 2016 p. 1).