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University of Chester puts trigger warning on Harry Potter module over 'difficult conversations'


itsnotoutthere

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A university has given a content warning to students reading JK Rowling's first Harry Potter book over 'difficult conversations about gender, race, sexuality, class, and identity'.

The University of Chester's English Department sounded the klaxon to freshers on its Approaches to Literature module, led by Dr Richard Leahy.

It even told them they could raise concerns with him if they had 'any issues' with the topics discussed. 

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is one of the course's three set literary texts alongside Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games and Philip Pullman's Northern Lights.

https://twnews.co.uk/gb-news/harry-potter-book-given-trigger-warning-over-difficult-conversations

:lol:

Good god, where is this world heading.

Edited by itsnotoutthere
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17 minutes ago, itsnotoutthere said:

Good god, where is this world heading.

I’d be more concerned that Harry Potter is one of the texts for a degree level qualification.

Unless it’s a legal segment about how to plagiarise without getting caught.

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3 minutes ago, Grey Area said:

I’d be more concerned that Harry Potter is one of the texts for a degree level qualification.

Unless it’s a legal segment about how to plagiarise without getting caught.

I'm more concerned about calibre of student universities are turning out these days.

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Actually, if you read the story (also covered in slightly more detail in the Daily Fail) none of the books themselves - let alone Harry Potter - have a "trigger warning".

Rather, students are warned that  “Although we are studying a selection of Young Adult texts, the nature of the theories we apply to them can lead to some difficult conversations" (per above report, my emphasis) - in other words, it's discussions within the tutorial group which some may find slightly uncomfortable, as they discuss subjects like social class structure, sexuality etc.   The books themselves are irrelevant in that respect.  



 

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6 hours ago, itsnotoutthere said:

I'm more concerned about calibre of student universities are turning out these days.

You know what?  I can’t disagree there.

I have spent the last 2 weeks as part of a panel interviewing newly degree qualified staff.  The standard is shocking.  I mean who goes to an interview and gives one sentence answers?  A 7 question interview lasting 5 minutes.

Astounding.

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13 minutes ago, Grey Area said:

You know what?  I can’t disagree there.

I have spent the last 2 weeks as part of a panel interviewing newly degree qualified staff.  The standard is shocking.  I mean who goes to an interview and gives one sentence answers?  A 7 question interview lasting 5 minutes.

Astounding.

We've had similar issues recruiting in our office.

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7 hours ago, itsnotoutthere said:

Good god, where is this world heading.

If it were the WHOLE world, I'd say atleast we're in it together.  The real problem is that China and Russia are still rearing their kids to be strong and believe in their country.  The west is on its way down, apparently.

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1 minute ago, and then said:

If it were the WHOLE world, I'd say atleast we're in it together.  The real problem is that China and Russia are still rearing their kids to be strong and believe in their country.  The west is on its way down, apparently.

I saw a youtube video a few days ago of a 20 year old guy (although I think he believed he was a girl) literally having a full on crying fit because somebody 'got his pronouns wrong'. I swear if Russia does start a war they'll just be able to walk in unhindered.

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3 hours ago, itsnotoutthere said:

I saw a youtube video a few days ago of a 20 year old guy (although I think he believed he was a girl) literally having a full on crying fit because somebody 'got his pronouns wrong'. I swear if Russia does start a war they'll just be able to walk in unhindered.

Guess you're off to join up tomorrow then?

I'm sure the army sorely needs your manly strength right now.

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30 minutes ago, Setton said:

Guess you're off to join up tomorrow then?

I'm sure the army sorely needs your manly strength right now.

They certainly don't need yours.

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17 hours ago, Grey Area said:

I’d be more concerned that Harry Potter is one of the texts for a degree level qualification.

Unless it’s a legal segment about how to plagiarise without getting caught.

Agreed, my first thought was "what is Harry Potter doing on a degree course?" But as @Essan says, the books are an intro to a wider discussion. That makes sense. HP is accessible to a lot of people (not me, I find the books offensive garbage). I guess the experience of Prof Stock and others make the warning advisable.

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3 hours ago, The Silver Shroud said:

Agreed, my first thought was "what is Harry Potter doing on a degree course?" But as @Essan says, the books are an intro to a wider discussion. That makes sense. HP is accessible to a lot of people (not me, I find the books offensive garbage). I guess the experience of Prof Stock and others make the warning advisable.

I get really hung up on Harry Potter.  And it annoys me that even the polarisation aspect of this series keeps it going.

I can see how it may prompt wider discussion, but I find much of the discussion comes from the poor writing and plot development and world building.  Which I can only see as proof of JK Rowling’s abject lack of imagination.

Sorry, Harry Potter triggers me.  Most of the most developed things in Harry Potter are borrowed heavily from other works.  Dumbledore = Gandalf, magical Artifacts that can only be destroyed in a particular way that will be the death of the main antagonist = the one ring, the dark forest = any forest segment from LOTR, the old forest, fangorn etc, Hogwarts = The Unseen university, the name Hogwarts ripped directly from Labyrinth (Hogwart is what Sarah calls Hoggle when they first meet).

Sorry, p***es me off.

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21 hours ago, Grey Area said:

I’d be more concerned that Harry Potter is one of the texts for a degree level qualification.

Why? The only thing differentiating Potter from (say) Hamlet is 400 years. Why not deconstruct the text of Potter using the same tools one does Dostoyevsky or Shakespeare?

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5 hours ago, Sir Wearer of Hats said:

Why? The only thing differentiating Potter from (say) Hamlet is 400 years. Why not deconstruct the text of Potter using the same tools one does Dostoyevsky or Shakespeare?

If you had a course exporing the underlying moral conflicts in say, the Enid Blyton "Noddy" stories (I would not be surprised if such a course exists, or at least a paper) there would be the usual criticisms that the university were dumbing down or offering Micky Mouse degrees. Plus the HP stories are just so badly written they are painful to read.

This is a good critique of a poor author:Don’t make fun of renowned Dan Brown – A Useful Fiction (wordpress.com)

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