Jottings
News from the UK and around the World
. . . the wild , the wacky , the wonderful , the weird and the downright infuriating
Woke Warnings
This column has not been slow to highlight “ trigger warnings ” issued to students to advise them that they could be seriously traumatised by the content which they may be about to experience . For example , Salford University last year warned snowflakes that scenes in Jane Eyre and Great Expectations could be distressing for readers , while the University of Chester was concerned that the first book in the Harry Potter saga could lead to , “ difficult conversations about gender , race , sexuality , class and identity .”
But the latest addition to our Library of Academic Wokery took our collective breath away . It has come from the University of Exeter where students of forensic science have been warned that they may be faced with , “ images , depictions and descriptions of murder , sexual assault , self-harm , violence and death that some students may find offensive and / or traumatising .” Anyone watched “ Silent Witness ” recently ?
Exeter ’ s trigger warning now takes first place on our list of academics stating the bleeding obvious . In second place this month comes York University which has warned students of archaeology that they might be faced with examples of human remains .
And an honourable mention for the University of East Anglia where it has been seen fit to slap a warning on the tale of St George and The Dragon , as related by 15th century monk John Lydgate . English Literature students have been alerted to descriptions of violence and torture in the story of how George saved a princess with his brave action during which ( trigger warning ahead !) the dragon dies .
Further submissions are welcome .
The Spoken Word
Words and phrases of non-British origin have been outlawed by the UK ’ s Information Commissioner ’ s Office . The independent authority says that French and Latin expressions used de rigueur in official documents can be alienating because their meaning is unclear .
These are not problematic per se , it
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