[Vwoolf] Trigger warnings

[Lorena Russell]

Hi Jim et al.,

I actually had a student triggered in my class last semester while teaching
Mrs. Dalloway. He was an Afghanistan war veteran with PTSD and became
distressed during a discussion of “Shell Shock” and WW I. He became
agitated had to leave the class abruptly and I made the mistake of asking
him to return and stay. It was only later in conversation I came to
understand the depth of his distress and the context of his actions. I will
of course continue to teach the text, but will (as I have done in the past
with literature that contains potentially disturbing sexual violence) make
a point of including a reminder for students of the potential for
triggering events on my syllabus, and work to find ways of minimizing
trauma and maximizing engagement. With a recent study noting 1 in 4 female
college students experiences sexual violence and an increasing number of
veterans, I think the issue of triggers in the classroom needs to be taken
seriously here in the US. I don’t think it calls for a drastic change in
curriculum or pedagogy, though.

Best,

Lorena



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Lorena Russell, Ph.D.

Director of UNC Asheville’s QEP, the Inquiry ARC

Associate Professor, Dept. Literature & Language

CPO #2130, Karpen Hall

University of North Carolina

One University Heights

Asheville, NC 28804

828-251-6594 | lrussell at unca.edu

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