[Xmca-l] Re: Fwd: Things Fall Apart listed as "trigger warning"

[Glassman, Michael]

Hi Peter,

You may not run into this with your subject matter but what do you do when belief systems feel threatened by the topics you actually teach.  For instance should a professor teach evolution?  And should that professor be willing to say that Intelligent Design is not really a scientific theory?  There are many I think who would consider that an implicit critique of their beliefs (actually I have had that experience).  One of issues I have run into in class is many students have only minimal contact with Darwin or Freud or some of the other really interesting, important thinkers because fear of offending belief systems.  But there are real dangers to that as well.

Michael
________________________________________
From: xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu [xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu] on behalf of Peter Smagorinsky [smago@uga.edu]
Sent: Thursday, April 03, 2014 3:09 PM
To: lchcmike@gmail.com; eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity; communication@ucsd.edu
Subject: [Xmca-l] Re: Fwd: Things Fall Apart listed as "trigger warning"

Interesting, such rules have been in place in public schools forever, so I'm not as shocked as those who haven't been schoolteachers might be (14 years as a high school English teacher). I also teach in a Red State (conservative, for non-Americans) where I have to be sensitive about certain things, especially offending Christians by making implicit or explicit critiques of their beliefs--something I do conscientiously, given my respect for their belief systems. It can get tricky when religion becomes discriminatory, but I've managed to stay out of trouble, mostly.

Peter Smagorinsky
Distinguished Research Professor of English Education
Department of Language and Literacy Education
The University of Georgia
315 Aderhold Hall
Athens, GA 30602

Advisor, Journal of Language and Literacy Education
Follow JoLLE on twitter @Jolle_uga


-----Original Message-----
From: xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu [mailto:xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu] On Behalf Of mike cole
Sent: Thursday, April 03, 2014 12:41 PM
To: eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity; communication@ucsd.edu
Subject: [Xmca-l] Fwd: Things Fall Apart listed as "trigger warning"

Subject: Things Fall Apart listed as "trigger warning"

I hope the story below does not upset you, so if you are concerned, I hereby excuse you from reading it. On the other hand, if you teach at an institution of higher learning, you might brave the text.

take care
mike


http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-trigger-warnings-20140331,0,6700908.story#ixzz2xkhRnkSo

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