Overview
Trigger Warnings have been the topic of much debate lately on college campuses and in the media, producing multiple viewpoints (for more information, see the links below this message). However, the questions surrounding trigger warnings are substantial and the responses by faculty quite varied. Some of us here at K have been asked by students to provide them for our course material. We weigh in on all sides, and believe the more we talk about this issue, the closer we can come to making the best choices for our classes. For many of us our choices have lead us to new discoveries, and new opportunities to refine those decisions. The WGS affinity group led a teaching commons discussion about this tricky issue that affects all of our classrooms. The WGS affinity group graciously thanks Dr. Ryan Fong for sharing many of these links. The conversation about Trigger Warnings has been ongoing, nationwide, and has deep resonance for K faculty in light of the #unsafe@K in use last year. Together we culled the readings and offer these for our brown bag discussion.
Essential Reading
Roxane Gay, “The Illusion of Safety/The Safety of Illusion” The Rumpus.net. 8/28/12
Seven Humanities Professors, “Trigger Warnings are Flawed,” InsideHigherEd.com. 5/29/14
Alison Kafer, “Un/Safe Disclosures: Scenes of Disability and Trauma” Presentation. 4/23/15 . Password: disability
Julie Winterich, “Trigger or Not, Warnings Matter,” InsideHigherEd.com. 10/9/15
Suggested Reading (Chronological)
Meghan Daum, “Why ‘trigger warnings?’ We already live in a hair-trigger world.” LA Times. 4/3/14
Jack Halberstam, “You Are Triggering Me! The Neo-Liberal Rhetoric of Harm, Danger and Trauma,” BullyBloggers WordPress. 5/5/14
Angus Johnson, “Why I’ll Add a Trigger Warning,” InsideHigherEd.com. 5/29/14
Roxane Gay, “The Illusion of Safety/The Safety of Illusion” The Rumpus.net. 8/28/12
Seven Humanities Professors, “Trigger Warnings are Flawed,” InsideHigherEd.com. 5/29/14
Alison Kafer, “Un/Safe Disclosures: Scenes of Disability and Trauma” Presentation. 4/23/15
Jenny Jarvie, “Trigger Happy,” The New Republic. 3/3/14.
American Association of University Professors, “On Trigger Warnings,” 8/14.
Eric Posner, “Universities are Right—and within their rights—to crack down on speech and behavior”, slate.com 2/12/15
Jerry Coyne, “Life is ‘Triggering.’ The best literature should be too.” The New Republic. 5/14/15
Sam Dylan Finch, “When You Oppose Trigger Warnings, You’re Really Saying These 8 Things,” Everyday Feminism.com. 5/15/15
Lori Horvitz, “Life doesn’t come with trigger warnings, Why should books?” The Guardian. 5/18/15.
Edward Schlosser, “I’m a Liberal Professor, and Liberal Students Terrify Me,” Vox.com. 6/3/15 Colleen Flaherty, “Not So ‘Fun Home’,” InsideHigherEd.com. 8/25/15
Scott A. Bass and Mary L. Clark, “The Gravest Threat to College Comes From Within,” The Chronicle of Higher Education. 9/28/15.
Laura Kipnis, “Sexual Paranoia Strikes Academe,” The Chronicle of Higher Education. 2/27/15
Judith Shulevitz, “In College and Hiding from Scary Ideas,” NY Times. 3/21/15.
Aaron Hanlon, “My Students Need Trigger Warnings, and Professors Do Too” The New Republic. 5/17/15.
Microsoft Word – TLC Trigger or Not Warnings Matter
Lori Horvitz, “Life doesn’t come with trigger warnings, Why should books?” The Guardian. 5/18/15.
Edward Schlosser, “I’m a Liberal Professor, and Liberal Students Terrify Me,” Vox.com. 6/3/15 Colleen Flaherty, “Not So ‘Fun Home’,” InsideHigherEd.com. 8/25/15
Scott A. Bass and Mary L. Clark, “The Gravest Threat to College Comes From Within,” The Chronicle of Higher Education. 9/28/15.
Rani Neutill, “How Trigger Warnings Broke My Back,” WordPress Blog. 10/18/15