Norwich: UEA students discuss 'woke' university ranking

The Radical Progressive University Guide, compiled by think tank Civitas, placed the UEA seventh out of 137 universities based on the extent of ‘radical progressive’ policies, including their curbs on free speech.

A UEA spokesman said the Norwich institution is "proud to be recognised as a university that works hard to combat all forms of harassment" in response.

So what do students think? We asked Lily-Mae Hedley and Emily Goodwin, who are studying towards their masters degree in journalism.

‘Woke universities’ are a good thing, writes Emily Goodwin

In the battle to become the best academic institutions in the UK, not only are universities pitted against each other in student satisfaction, research quality and graduate outcomes but also in how ‘radically progressive’ they are.

The 'Radical Progressive University Guide’ by Dr Richard Norrie suggests that the focus at key universities has shifted; from education settings promoting academic prowess to institutions overzealously advertising how inclusive they are.

Why has promoting a safe environment become something separate to academic excellence?

I agree that sometimes higher education institutions take it too far - perhaps a reason for the negative connotations of being ‘woke’. It is important, for example, for universities to tackle issues such as white privilege and racism, and issue trigger warnings when necessary.

However, universities do not need to be giving trigger warnings before studying the legend of St George and the Dragon (UEA), or for the Peter Pan cartoon (Aberdeen) or for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Chester).

‘Woke’ was a term coined in the 1940s by African Americans to describe people with a growing awareness to issues of social justice. Inevitably, the word has evolved. People now use ‘woke’ as an insult, like the teenager who levelled the term at me for discussing (as a heterosexual female) a poem about a lesbian couple at university.

The extremes of political correctness have led to a divide: those who choose to remain silent about issues of justice from fear that they are silenced or ‘cancelled’ and those who aggressively push their own agenda on others.

It is not ‘radically progressive’ to promote equality and awareness of issues of social justice.

It is radical (meaning ‘far-reaching’) to give intelligent adults, capable of managing their emotions and making their own decisions, a trigger warning when studying children’s stories.

Being sensitive to the lived experiences of other people and ensuring that your actions and language are kind and inclusive is a good thing. Universities making changes to guard against issues such as cultural bias and white privilege should be encouraged.

Cancelling trivialities such as children’s stories should not.

UEA journalism student Emily Goodwin (Image: Newsquest)

Empathy for social issues must be protected, writes Lily-Mae Hedley

I was intrigued to see that the UEA has ranked as the seventh most ‘radically progressive’ university in the UK.

The article defined radically progressive as “heightened political sensitivity to questions of race, sex, sexuality, and history”.

Dr Norrie attempted to scientifically measure political sensitivity by examining several factors. A: number of times trigger warnings are used in teaching material; B: the university’s acknowledgment of the existence of white privilege; C: the offering of anti-racism guidance.

In a Daily Mail article, I read Tory MP Sir John Hayes’ response to the report. He called it “woke nonsense” that such high proportions of universities used trigger warnings and offered training on racism and prejudice.

According to Merriam-Webster ‘woke’ is defined as awareness of prejudice and social justice issues. But it is increasingly used as a criticism, alongside words like “snowflake” in discussions around race, gender and sexuality.

Although, lecturers in Europe are more likely to be left-wing than other professions. This article adds fuel to the fire for those who believe that universities are “pushing the woke agenda”.

It is my opinion that the word “woke” is used to dismiss any discussion around sensitive topics and that universities have always been more progressive, as it forms a microcosm of left-wing academics and young minds that are seeking to innovate and challenge the status quo.

This report condemns radically progressive universities as being “in a sorry state”, but I fail to see how an awareness of racism and sensitive subject matters is a bad thing. Surely it is simply being human?

If empathy is now being branded as “woke” by pseudo-researchers who are pushing their own political agenda, then they are just as bad as those who they claim ‘spell the end of free speech’.

By slapping a catchall label on those who disagree with you, you fail to facilitate that which you wish to protect.

UEA journalism student Lily-Mae Hedley (Image: Newsquest)

The UEA's response in full

UEA has carried out a lot of work over the past few years to champion diversity, promote inclusion and provide a platform for voices in underrepresented groups to be heard.

We aim to prepare our students to have a robust debate about a variety of materials and we regularly review our curriculum to ensure they are accessing a range of socially inclusive and diverse materials and viewpoints, as well as giving them the freedom to discuss and challenge what they read and hear.

UEA’s Report and Support platform allows students and staff to report anonymously on incidents including sexual harassment, assault, hate and discrimination.

We’re proud to be recognised as a university that works hard to combat all forms of harassment and ensures that students can report concerns and be supported. We will continue to put measures in place to provide an inclusive and welcoming environment in which all of our students and staff can work and learn together.

The famous ziggurats at the University of East Anglia (Image: Newsquest)