Speech and Rhetorical Studies Commons^™

Conceal And Carry: Communicating About Trauma, Triggers, And Second Assaults In The Classroom, Amy Arellano

Department of Communication Studies: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Challenging the predominance of rape culture within academia, this dissertation focuses on the intersection of academic conversations regarding the inclusion of trigger warnings. This project examines the academic trigger warning debate from its inception in January 2014 through its peak in May 2015. I argue that the implementation of trigger warnings serves as a visible adaptation within pedagogy to respond to the role trauma from sexual assaults may influence the classroom. To achieve this, I offer a careful examination of the trigger warning debate informed by an approach that puts Kenneth Burke’s indexing in conversation with Michael McGee’s ideographic analysis. …