I recently had a professor apologize to the class for not adding a warning to the assigned reading. I was shocked, as the material’s assertions were a little strange, but not problematic enough to warrant a warning. This was not the first time that this professor had made comments about adding trigger warnings, and it got me wondering about the use of trigger warnings in the university classroom and the extent to which we should be utilizing them.
There are some things that probably should have some sort of warning on them, or at least a heads-up. You never know the background of all the students in your class, so being aware of extremely difficult topics is a good thing. As Kate Manne with the New York Times puts it, triggers “temporarily render people unable to focus, regardless of their desire or determination to do so. Trigger warnings can work to prevent or counteract this.” Some people are concerned that trigger warnings are just another way we are being too soft on people. But it’s not about babying college students; it’s about reducing distractions and potential roadblocks to being able to fully engage with their education.
I actually agree with Manne’s point of view. Think about it. What do college students complain about most (other than homework and exams)? Not having the time or energy to do their homework and exams. We pump ourselves full of coffee and energy drinks to try and get through that next class or assignment, to make it through that day. But all the caffeine in the world will do nothing in the face of a wrecked and distracted emotional state. And one way to help this is to try and mitigate unpleasant surprises. We cannot guess all the things that will upset people or trigger unpleasant memories. But for the obvious things, it is easy to slap a notice on there so they can mentally prepare themselves for the content they are about to read. By all means, I don’t think we should shy away from those topics completely and label them as taboo. I think they are still fair game in higher education discussions. However, we certainly need to be conscious of how we handle them. They are only merited in a productive academic and intellectual setting if they are handled tastefully and with awareness of how it might affect some of the students.
I once had a bad experience in a class where heavy subject matter was handled very flippantly, almost dismissively. It had a ripple effect on the class, with people skipping the reading, assignment or class altogether. In hindsight, the reading didn’t necessarily have to be changed. It would have been fine, as long as it was approached in the right way. But in this case, it was not. The problem was the lack of controlled discussion.
Now, this can be taken too far. In the example I opened with, the material was not about some traumatic topic. It was simply something we might find a little uncomfortable or even just disagree with. We’re in college. Shouldn’t we be able to read things that we disagree with? Only ever being exposed to our own point of view will never challenge us, and we will never learn. There is a difference between feeling intellectually uncomfortable and feeling emotionally and mentally unwell. The first is a sign that there is an idea to grapple with; the second is a sign that something is wrong. In higher education, we need to learn to distinguish between the two.
I don’t think we need to take trigger warnings out of universities. We just need to be aware of how we are using them so that when we do, they still have meaning. If we start using them too freely and give every mildly uncomfortable topic or idea a trigger warning, that label will become altogether obsolete. Instead, we need to use them sparingly, so that when we do use them, they carry weight and serve their intended purpose.
Photo courtesy of Book Devotions.
