In order to create mutual respect and awareness in the classroom, professors should prepare their class for possible trigger warnings in the syllabus or throughout class.
There is a stigma surrounding trigger warnings; you don’t necessarily have to speak of rape, murder or racial topics for something to be triggering.
Long Beach City College has classes such as pilates and yoga which involve physical activity and proper alignment of the body.
At the beginning of each Pilates 101 class this semester, Professor Stephanie Powell advised the class of this and asked to be informed if anyone didn’t want to be touched.
During the class, if she was going to adjust a student’s pose, she let them know where she was going to touch them and how.
History 10, the study of early American history involves a lot of violence, some of which may be a wake-up call to students who know only what they are taught from their high school textbooks, most of which include a revisionist history written with kid gloves.
If the violence that surrounds the subject matter was brought up in the syllabus to warn students, it would give them time to understand they may need to unlearn a lot from their high school classrooms, instead of becoming shocked at new information they were told was something else.
Some professors may believe that college is meant to prepare students for the real world and this is very true. During discussion, sensitive subjects must be broached upon, some professors may think “You should know what you are getting into,” when it comes to the subject matter of their class.
Despite this belief, there are circumstances where a trigger warning could be presented, such as your communications professor letting you know that your speeches will be video recorded or a music professor warning their students of sexual or explicit lyrics.
Students in Professor Curtis’ Psych 10 class this semester had the option to watch an abortion video but everyone recieved the lesson through notes prior, allowing for a leveled playing field during class discussions and exams.
As long as there is enough understanding and mutual respect between the instructor and student to understand that particular content during a course topic may elicit negative feelings within some people, then it would be beneficial to take the time to prepare students for tough material.
Not everyone can be protected all the time, but allowing the space for trigger warnings creates an awareness in the classroom that can yield open communication and trust.