Submitted by Lillian Ghorbani, Undergraduate Academic Assistant, Department of Political Science, Faculty of Arts, UBC Vancouver.
Materials:
Attribution and Use:
This use case is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0
Purpose
Emphasizes who we are and how our lived experiences, values, identities, and social contexts shape how we interpret, contribute to, and engage with academic work. This reflective practice recognizes students as knowledge holders and encourages critical self-awareness. This assignment creates space for students to critically engage with the structures, assumptions, and power dynamics that shape research and academic spaces.
By reflecting on their positionality, students can question dominant narratives about what counts as knowledge, who gets to speak or be heard, and how norms around “good” writing, participation, or authority are often racialized, classed, gendered, and otherwise shaped by systems of privilege and marginalization. Rather than treating reflection as a personal disclosure, this activity frames it as a critical method. It invites students to think not just about how they fit into academia, but how they might challenge, reshape, or reimagine it.
Learning Objectives
By completing this activity, students will be able to:
- Critically assess how norms, standards, or expectations may privilege certain voices or experiences while marginalizing others.
- Explore how their position as a student intersects with broader institutional structures (e.g., colonial histories, neoliberal values in education, or language and academic norms).
- Practice reflexivity as a scholarly tool, understanding that writing from a position is a strength that fosters accountability, clarity, and authenticity.
- Develop language to situate themselves in relation to texts, disciplines, and communities, fostering ethical engagement with others’ ideas and knowledge systems.
- Interrogate the myth of neutrality or objectivity in academic work, understanding that all knowledge is produced from somewhere.
Instructions
Students are not expected to disclose personal information. Rather, this is an opportunity to critically position themselves in relation to institutional norms, power structures, and dominant narratives in education. They may complete this reflection in one of several modalities listed below. Regardless of format, the work should be intentional, reflective, and clearly connected to the core themes of positionality, power, knowledge, and critical awareness.
Option 1: Written Reflection (150-300 words)
Write a short reflective piece that explores your social location and how it shapes your experience in academic spaces. You may use paragraphs, lists, or hybrid formats, as long as they are in full sentences. Choose 2–3 of the following prompts to guide your response:
- How do aspects of your identity (race, gender, class, ability, citizenship, language, etc.) shape how you participate in or experience academic work?
- What messages—explicit or implicit—have you received about what counts as valid knowledge, good writing, or credible sources?
- In what ways do your lived experiences conflict with or support the norms of academic institutions?
- What tensions, privileges, or barriers have shaped your access to education?
How might your perspective challenge dominant narratives in your discipline or classroom?
What does it mean to you to write or speak “from somewhere” rather than from a neutral or objective stance?
Option 2: Video/Podcast Reflection (3-5 minutes)
What it could look like: Record a reflection where you speak candidly about your experiences and how they relate to your academic identity. This is a good option if you express yourself more fluently through speech or want to capture tone, pauses, and emotion.
Optional Scaffold / Script Outline:
- Start with: “I come to this classroom as someone who…”
- Reflect on: “One experience that shaped how I think about learning is…”
- Consider: “When I think about what counts as knowledge, I feel…”
- End with: “What I want to carry forward or challenge is…”
You can record using your phone, Zoom, or free online tools like Vocaroo or Loom.
Option 3: Photo Essay or Annotated Image series:
What it could look like: Select 3–5 images that symbolize aspects of your identity, experiences, or relationship to learning. These could be personal photos, drawings, symbolic images, or objects. For each image, include a 2–3 sentence annotation explaining what it represents and how it relates to your positionality.
Variation:
You can stage your own photos to represent ideas (e.g., a backpack, a location, a family object, a classroom) or use metaphors (e.g., a wall, a bridge, a mirror).
Option 4: Creative Writing (Letter, Poem, Short Narrative, Script)
What it could look like:
- A letter to your past or future self about what you’ve learned from your academic journey
- A poem about navigating education as someone with your background or identity
- A short narrative about a moment that shifted how you saw yourself as a learner, writer, or knowledge-maker
- A script or monologue that reflects on your role in the classroom or society
Barriers and Solutions
Barrier:
Some students may feel restricted or uninspired by standard written (full sentences and paragraphs) reflection formats and would prefer more options.
Solution:
Provide optional multimodal reflection formats.
Benefit:
All students have more choice in how they can express themselves and share their ideas. This approach supports diverse learners who prefer engaging with images, sounds, and storytelling rather than strictly formatted words.
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