[Vwoolf] Trigger warnings

[Neverow, Vara S.]

Thank you, Lorena, for weighing in. I think it is reasonable to alert one's students when difficult topics will be under scrutiny in a course, even if the topics are merely unsettling, not outright traumatic. Doing so is not a form of coddling delicate minds that somehow should be immune to disturbing material. Instead, it is an appropriate pedagogical strategy that informs students about the texts and their content.

I think of it a  "Mind the Gap" type of warning—take care, be aware, be cautious. In my experience, such guidance generally makes the class discussion more productive.

All best,

Vara

Vara Neverow
Professor, English and Women's Studies
Southern Connecticut State University
501 Crescent Street
New Haven, CT 06515
Phone: 203-392-6717
Fax:    203-392-6731
email:  neverowv1 at southernct.edu



From: Lorena Russell <lrussell at unca.edu<mailto:lrussell at unca.edu>>
Date: Monday, May 19, 2014 10:03 AM
To: VWOOLF listserv <vwoolf at lists.service.ohio-state.edu<mailto:vwoolf at lists.service.ohio-state.edu>>
Subject: [Vwoolf] Trigger warnings

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

=======================================
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<mailto:lrussell at unca.edu>
========================================


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.osu.edu/pipermail/vwoolf/attachments/20140519/2756a9ed/attachment.html>