IMC 2020: Sessions

As scholars, we are allowed to determine whether or not we wish to engage with emotionally challenging material. Such is not the case for our students, who generally have no input as to what materials they are required to study, and what topics they are asked to engage with in class. Though the conversation surrounding how we contend with sexual violence as medievalists has grown significantly in the last few years, there is still much work to be done on how we can best teach this demanding material to our students, who are often survivors of sexual violence themselves, or perpetrators. The medieval period is fraught with instances of sexual violence, making the need for ethical teaching practices all the more important. The purpose of this round table discussion is to propose methods for how we can most sensitively teach histories of sexual violence while both challenging our students and caring for their mental wellbeing.

Participants include Cordelia Beattie (University of Edinburgh), Emily Hutchison (Mount Royal University), Ruth Mazo Karras (Trinity College Dublin), and Alice Raw (University of Oxford).