Global Initiatives Grant Report – Decanonization: The Global Anthropology Syllabus Project

The Global Anthropology Syllabus Project, led by Dr. Heather O’Leary and funded by The Wenner-Gren Global Initiatives Grant, built a multi-year open online forum to interface anthropology instructors around the world in all 6 of the United Nations languages. AntroRadikoj, or the “roots” of anthropology, leveraged AI and an international network of graduate student assistants to translate global, user-generated insights to anthropology curricula.

In practice, this meant that our field’s keenest questions about the ways we train the next generation of anthropologists could be met with international best practices, assignment designs, and most engaging readings—all sourced from our collaborative and open-access global community of practice.  This project re-energized faculty and students, who throughout their careers will rely on the subject material of their foundational anthropology coursework and increasingly on networks of international anthropology practitioners in our globalized world.

What resulted was an online discussion that could be searched by topic or by region, showing both questions and answers provided by colleagues across every continent where anthropology is taught.  Designed as both a global community of practice to strengthen international partnerships and pluralize intellectual sources, the project was crucially a cost-effective method of curriculum redevelopment, allowing the world’s best pedagogies and academic sources to be discussed and implemented. An unexpected, yet timely, outcome of the project was how it enlivened and reinforced classrooms during 2021-2024 as many returned to in-person instruction after Covid-19.  At this time of global syllabus reevaluation, educators relied on AntroRadikoj for their active network of discussions about redesigned core assignments and peer-to-peer activities.

Through this, The Wenner-Gren Foundation contributed to advancing leadership and innovation in higher education by promoting academic excellence, global collaboration, and workforce preparedness. The initiative opened new fora of anthropology curricula to reflect advanced perspectives, to confront new technologies while maintaining rigorous standards, and to ensure students gain skills relevant to a globalized world.

AntroRadikoj strengthened the workforce readiness of its instructors and students.  Instructors enhanced the quality of their syllabi and pedagogy through peer-to-peer substantive interactions.  Likewise, students were given a globally-informed education.  Through closing assignments, they were able to reflect on how syllabus modifications and exercises may work in domestic or international contexts, and how future leaders they can design internationally-collaborative methods of innovation.

While some students will go on to teach their own foundational anthropology courses, many will move into anthropology’s allied applied fields.  By being exposed to this virtual open-access global community of practice, students have a model and career readiness to bring these skills to fields like public service, policy development, international relations, global health, and economic resilience.  AntroRadikoj modeled how to negotiate culturally-specific requirements in the context of international systems, allowing the community of practice to build intellectual and applied skills in how to operate effectively in international and multicultural contexts.