Traditional universities are often interrogated on their pedagogic underpinnings, while universities of technology are often left unchallenged on knowledge production. Universities of technology are often assumed to be transformed because they are a post-apartheid creation, with a mainly black, working-class student body. This assumption has led to little interrogation of the university of technology and its relationship with knowledge production. This paper explores the nature of curriculum contestation and reform at a university of technology. It outlines the historical context of a university of technology and its approach to curriculum development, which has implications for current curriculum transformation efforts. Using autoethnographic research methodology, the paper tracks a multi-year journey towards the development of a transformative, socially just curriculum intervention in the extended curriculum programme for the Architecture and Interior Design programme at a university of technology. The paper concludes that curriculum change does not happen in a vacuum, that it is political, difficult and emotionally taxing, and that it is best done in collaboration with different education stakeholders.

传统大学经常受到其教学基础的质疑，而技术大学通常在知识生产方面则不受挑战。人们通常认为理工大学是经过改造的，因为它们是种族隔离之后的产物，主要是黑人，工人阶级的学生团体。这种假设几乎没有引起对技术大学及其与知识生产的关系的质疑。本文探讨了理工大学课程竞赛和改革的本质。它概述了技术大学的历史背景及其课程开发方法，这对当前的课程改革工作具有影响。本文使用民族志研究方法，追踪了多年的变革性发展历程，在技​​术大学的建筑和室内设计课程的扩展课程计划中，从社会角度考虑课程干预。本文的结论是，课程改革并非凭空发生的，它是政治，困难和情感上的负担，最好是与不同的教育利益相关者合作完成。