Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning for Student Success

Many of us incorporate visual materials of various kinds into the classroom, from 'art' in the most traditional definition, to images from advertisements, popular culture and film. These can be useful teaching tools, and indeed for some disciplines, images are an essential part of class engagement. However, certain images -- especially ones that invite discussions of sexuality or race relations -- can also invite controversy. This can impact faculty in various ways, from complaints on teaching evaluations to self-censorship of some materials and avoidance of certain topics of discussion. This brown bag discussion will be an opportunity for faculty to share and learn with one another regarding their experiences with visual materials in the classrooms. We will address issues that faculty might consider before introducing images that might be controversial into their class discussions, when to issue trigger warnings and how to address the varied responses such images might elicit.

Facilitator: Dr. Heather Waldroup, Art Department