PRO/CON: Should higher education come with a warning label?

Transcription

1 PRO/CON: Should higher education come with a warning label? By McClatchy-Tribune, adapted by Newsela staff on Word Count 1,203 Stanford University law degree student Cassandra Kildow asks a question during Bob Gordon's law class, Sept. 24, 2013, in Stanford, California. Photo: Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group/MCT PRO: "Trigger warnings" won't interfere with learning NEW YORK The college classroom is properly the site of serious discussion of potentially traumatic topics. "Trigger warnings" don t interfere with that process in fact, they improve upon it. Trigger warnings beginnings lie in the Internet. Originally, they arose as a way to alert readers about online content that might be traumatic. Their premise is that a rape survivor, for instance, might legitimately prefer to have some warning before encountering a graphic description of sexual assault. Trigger warnings generally don t spark much hostility in online spaces. Some writers use them, but most don t. Earlier this year, though, college students started pushing for the use of trigger warnings in classes. Their demand provoked a massive and overwhelmingly negative response.

2 An Intriguing Idea Unlike most faculty, though, I found the idea intriguing. As a history professor I discuss some very difficult material in class, and I think it s important to give students a clear sense of their rights. So I came up with a trigger warning of my own and incorporated it into my syllabus this summer. In my trigger warning I warn students that some of them may find some of the material we cover disturbing. I let students know that I m open to discussing their personal reactions to historical topics during class or during my office hours, tell them that they re free to step outside briefly if they find any content overwhelming, and encourage them to talk to me privately if they have any specific concerns. A few weeks ago, I wrote a short essay on the subject for the online academic newspaper Inside Higher Ed and the response to it was starkly divided. Most of the opponents of trigger warnings who replied to my piece didn t find much to object to in my warning itself. Instead, they argued that what I d written wasn t a trigger warning at all that it was too reasonable, too simple to fit that description. Still In Its Early Stages With one mild exception, every trigger warning advocate who responded to my piece in comments, on Facebook and Twitter, on blogs, or by embraced it. Several said that they would be adopting a version of it in their own syllabi or suggesting it to their professors. More than one said that it would have made a major difference in classes that they had found hostile to them. What does this tell us? Think at least three things: First, that the discussion of trigger warnings in the classroom is still in its early stages, and that faculty should take calls for change as invitations to dialogue rather than a threat. Second, that despite the unfamiliar terminology, trigger warnings may not represent a huge departure from what we as professors are already doing. And third, that even minor adjustments to teaching practice can have a substantial positive impact on the classroom environment.

3 ABOUT THE WRITER: Angus Johnston teaches history at Hostos Community College in New York and maintains the website studentactivism.net. Readers may write him at Hostos, 500 Grand Concourse, Bronx, New York, This essay is available to McClatchy-Tribune News Service subscribers. McClatchy-Tribune did not subsidize the writing of this column; the opinions are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of McClatchy-Tribune or Newsela. CON: "Trigger warnings" impose censorship in the name of sensitivity MADISON, Wis. Free-speech controversy is gripping higher education. Many universities have begun formally to institute or consider instituting trigger warnings. Trigger warnings are verbal or written warnings. Instructors provide them about material that might trigger trauma in students who have experienced or witnessed traumatic events, including forms of assault and war. Having such painful experiences may leave them sensitive to topics like race, gender, sexual preference, and the acts of countries ruling over others during colonialism and imperialism to name a few. The humane case for trigger warnings is that they allegedly help protect students from re-experiencing the past trauma, which can emotionally harm the student and interfere with his or her ability to learn. What could be wrong with that? Warnings might make outright censorship less likely, much like the movie industry avoided government censorship by agreeing to use ratings labels for films. This could even boost the freedom to explore ideas in classrooms while protecting emotional well-being. Sending The Wrong Message Alas, many substantial problems lurk just beneath the surface. Let me touch on a few. First, as critics from a range of political views have asserted, it is impossible to determine in advance what material merits a warning. To avoid complaints, threats and possible lawsuits because they failed to warn of some potentially offensive material, many instructors would likely extend warnings to large amounts of material. Doing so would send the incorrect message that learning is traumatic in itself. Or they could censor the course material in the name of sensitivity. Small acts of censorship could lead to much larger ones.

4 Already, trigger warnings have been applied to such works as The Great Gatsby, The Merchant of Venice and other classics. Gatsby? Really?! What s next? And what if a student refuses to read the flagged material, however important it is to the class? Do not trigger warnings seem to allow students the right to refuse reading a text? Another danger waits: formalizing trigger warnings would further empower the higher-ed administrators who are often as aggressive in enforcing sensitivity as they are ignorant of basic academic freedom principles. Good And Evil, Life And Death Most important, the reasoning behind formal trigger warnings is contrary to the purposes of education. Education should expose students to the depths of the human condition, which unavoidably involves matters of good and evil, life and death what the German philosopher Nietzsche called uncomfortable truths. And education must prepare students to be mentally strong enough to handle the clash of ideas that is part of a free society. As the great educational philosopher Alexander Meiklejohn remarked, To be afraid of ideas, any idea, is to be unfit for self-government. Trigger warnings assume that many students are not capable of handling the responsibilities of adult citizenship. At the same time, they also foster the mentality of acting in the place of parents. Universities properly abandoned this idea decades ago. To deal with occasional cases of extreme material, leave the matter where it has always resided: to the judgment of instructors. If a formal trigger warning must be had, place these words atop a university s main webpage: Education necessarily exposes students to ideas and experiences that are new, challenging, and sometimes painful. To be properly educated, you must learn to handle and welcome such challenges.

5 ABOUT THE WRITER: Donald A. Downs, a research fellow at the Independent Institute, Oakland, California, is professor of political science, law and journalism at the University of Wisconsin and author of the book Restoring Free Speech and Liberty on Campus. Readers may write to him at 303 North Hall, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706; dadowns@wisc.edu. This essay is available to McClatchy-Tribune News Service subscribers. McClatchy-Tribune did not subsidize the writing of this column; the opinions are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of McClatchy-Tribune or Newsela.

6 Quiz 1 Why does the PRO author use the first person in his argument? because he wants to build support for trigger warnings because he wants to show that trigger warnings won't work because he wants to show that he cares about trigger warnings because he is showing that he has experience using trigger warnings 2 Why does the CON author use quotes from scholars like Nietzsche and Meiklejohn? to show that experiencing events like assault and war can make students sensitive about certain topics to show that famous thinkers believe that being exposed to tough information is important to show how important it is that trigger warnings be left to the judgment of instructors to show that it is impossible to determine in advance what material merits a warning 3 What argument from the CON article has the LEAST amount of support? Trigger warnings could somehow limit the free flow of ideas. It is impossible to determine in advance what material merits a warning. Trigger warnings could be used to block famous texts because they offend someone. Teachers or administrators would likely extend warnings to large amounts of material. 4 What sentence from the PRO article is LEAST relevant to his argument? Trigger warnings generally don't spark much hostility in online spaces. Earlier this year, though, college students started pushing for the use of trigger warnings in classes. Most of the opponents of trigger warnings who replied to my piece didn't object to how I'd written my trigger warning. Nearly every person favoring trigger warnings who responded to my piece - in comments, on Facebook and Twitter, on blogs, or by - supports it.

7 Answer Key 1 Why does the PRO author use the first person in his argument? because he wants to build support for trigger warnings because he wants to show that trigger warnings won't work because he wants to show that he cares about trigger warnings because he is showing that he has experience using trigger warnings 2 Why does the CON author use quotes from scholars like Nietzsche and Meiklejohn? to show that experiencing events like assault and war can make students sensitive about certain topics to show that famous thinkers believe that being exposed to tough information is important to show how important it is that trigger warnings be left to the judgment of instructors to show that it is impossible to determine in advance what material merits a warning 3 What argument from the CON article has the LEAST amount of support? Trigger warnings could somehow limit the free flow of ideas. It is impossible to determine in advance what material merits a warning. Trigger warnings could be used to block famous texts because they offend someone. Teachers or administrators would likely extend warnings to large amounts of material. 4 What sentence from the PRO article is LEAST relevant to his argument? Trigger warnings generally don't spark much hostility in online spaces. Earlier this year, though, college students started pushing for the use of trigger warnings in classes. Most of the opponents of trigger warnings who replied to my piece didn't object to how I'd written my trigger warning. Nearly every person favoring trigger warnings who responded to my piece - in comments, on Facebook and Twitter, on blogs, or by - supports it.