Tag Archives: trigger warnings

Shakespeare now requires trigger warnings

Shakespeare now requires trigger warnings

Ah the fragile college “snowflake.” These precious students are so delicate that they must be protected from shock at all times, must be provided safe spaces filled with puppies and Play-Doh. If you check alternative news, you can find endless videos of these creatures, as well as campuses eager to protect their genteel sensibilities from […] … learn more→

Why I won’t be issuing trigger warnings to students

Why I won’t be issuing trigger warnings to students

When it comes to the debate around the use of trigger warnings on university courses, my feelings are mixed. While I applaud students’ political investment and concerns with issues of equality and well-being, I also have my own concerns about what the roll-out of trigger warnings could do to teaching – both for students and […] … learn more→

Trigger warnings: The real threat

More on trigger warnings. Here\’s a good piece from The New Republic. If you take away the media hysteria surrounding trigger warnings, you’re left with a mode of conversational priming that we all use: “You might want to sit down for this”; “I’m not sure how to say this, but…” It’s hardly anti-intellectual or emotionally […] … learn more→

In defense of Trigger Warnings

Trigger warnings are in the news. College students—mostly young women—are requesting pre-emptive warnings about material that might upset them, that might, in some cases, cause symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. It’s no surprise, then, that the backlash has begun. Writers and commenters—the majority appear to be male—are decrying this latest surrender to political correctness. Many […] … learn more→

Treatment, not trigger warnings

As an assistant professor of German literature at Princeton University, I once taught a class about how Germans understood World War II and the Holocaust in the postwar period. Several weeks into the course, an Orthodox Jewish student came to my office hours to tell me how troubled she was by the material, which she […] … learn more→

My syllabus, with trigger warnings

Introduction to United States History Tu-Th, 2:15-3:45 pm J. Zimmerman This course will explore the main themes, trends, and dilemmas in the history of the United States. In accord with our college’s new policy on trigger warnings, I have affixed a cautionary note to each week’s topic. If the topic threatens to provoke feelings of trauma […] … learn more→