Bobby - I know what you mean, and I guess everyone hits reply a bit too fast. Still, I guess all's well that ends well. This thread seems to have calmed a little

I was just reading through this thread and thinking of Tony Sewell's work and then I noticed that Goods has already referenced him. Anyway here is a recent article from the Voice titled 'Education System Failing Black Children'.

http://www.voice-online.co.uk/content.php?show=8830

There has also been some interesting work done at Bristol on the education experience of mixed heritage pupils.

http://www.bris.ac.uk/researchreview/2005/1120835082

Tony Cline has also published a study on 'Minority Ethnic Pupils in Mainly White Schools'.

Hope this is of some use Jenny

P.S. I realise this post is about PhD students but I imagine that the school system is important background context in any literature review etc. Also another issue is the small proportion of professors who are black. There is some literature on this but I think it's mainly from the US. There was a radio 4 programme about small number of black professors in England about a year or so ago.

This had a rather amusing ending. It seems that Bobby exposed you a little there Jenny.

I didnt think horses could get that high?!!!

I've followed this discussion from the distance. Some people ought to re-consider their own position and carefully ask themselves who is expressing the 'racist' statements and asking questions which exclude other people!

Jenny, sorry you went thro hell trying to make a point here. am an international student on here if you want a mature view on this issue.. jojospost @ hotmail.co.uk.

a few of my thoughts:

1) as much as people want to deny that being a minority makes a difference, it does. i see it everyday with professors in my department, my students (i do part time teaching .. etc). needless to say, we have to prove ourselves harder than the rest to get anywhere.

2)Being a minority doesn't in any way reflect on anyone's academic ability or how they are treated in academia - save for the usual, shock horror.. she is a minority. i think when it comes to quality of work etc, there is fairplay.

3) the issue of 'Black' people - a term i prefer not to use - coz i do not consider anyone to be black - like coal or white - like snow.. African students do very well in uni. the ones to don't make it are an exception. the issue seems to be the afro-carribbean students. they underperform. am compelled to think it is because they have a 'victim mentality..' which they shouldn't be blamed for. it comes from living in a society where being a minority, equal opportunity only exists in theory, to get that in practice is very hard. it takes an exceptional person to believe they can be a great achiever in anything when almost everyone they know isn't an achiever and is a victim of the society we live in.

these are my personal views.

Jojo.

JoJo, I'm sorry to read your views if they truly represent them.
Your statements are characterized by generalisations, not by facts.
You derive conclusions from generalisations and therefore I completely reject your entry.

Re-THINK!

JoJo said: "students do very well in uni. the ones to don't make it are an exception. the issue seems to be the afro-carribbean students. they underperform."

What an amazing and discriminating statement.

Who are you to make this statement? I doubt that you are in the position to make this statement, even if you have teaching experience at one particular university.

Apart from the fact that the Carribbean is a big area, comprising loads of countries and different cultures. You just make some ridiculuous statements which are testimony of a) a limited world view, b) no general knowledge and c) a tendency to generalise and simplify the world.

You also said "African students are good students". One of the biggest continents of the planet is for you suddenly comprised into one sentence, you ignore different educations systems, different cultures and different ethnic origins on that continent.

You and Jenny are both a joke and I say that as a BLACK person.

I am black and I call myself black and I generally dislike people who think they are nice in calling me "coloured" or whatever as that is discrimination, too. I would never call a white person, "colourless".

Hi everyone, this is generally a good natured forum so let's try and keep it that way eh?

I don't see how ULUG's post is insulting, I found it really interesting. By jojo saying that all african students are good students would be for a british person saying that all british students are good, which is a load of crap. There are some good students and some bad students and thats life.

I don't know much about the progression of "black" students in higher education, only what I read. I have come across articles in the news about school children, where afro-caribean boys are considered to be poor performing. I don't know if thats a cultural thing but I'd like to think that the ones that do well at school and go on to higher education want to do well and will do so.

i repeat 'personal views'.. an emotional outburst from people won't change them be they whatever they prefer to call themselves.

Hi - I am a black female who has been been heavily influenced by my family to do well and strive for the top.

When I did my Masters I was the only black female on my course, and now I am looking to do a Phd in Communications.

I am a lecturer at my local college and teach Media Studies. It has been hard, but it makes me want to strive for more.

Another large influence for me has been Stuart Hall and Bel Hooks. They also got me interested in Media studies while studying A- levels.

Welcome to the forum and good luck with your studies!