Why trigger warnings are beneficial, perhaps even necessary. Issue 2 (2nd July 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lockhart, Eleanor Amaranth
• Is Part Of: First amendment studies. Volume 50:Issue 2(2016)
• Page Start: 59
• Page End: 69
• Publication Date: 2016-07-02
• Subjects: Trigger warnings -- censorship -- psychology -- rhetoric -- trauma; Freedom of speech -- United States -- Periodicals; Freedom of speech -- Periodicals; 323.44
• DOI: 10.1080/21689725.2016.1232623
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2168-1430

Abstract

Abstract: In response to a panel discussion from the Eastern Communication Association (ECA) and the article written by Dr. Robert Vatz in this issue, I make a case for the usefulness and benefit of the practice of trigger warnings in the classroom. I draw on my own experience as a transsexual woman teaching at a conservative school, as well as contemporary psychological theory and ethics. I argue that trigger warnings are not detrimental to freedom of speech (as others, such as Dr. Vatz here, contend) and that they are in fact necessary for the well-being of some students. Moreover, judicial use of warnings can enhance classroom participation and discussion, and the intellectual development of students and faculty.