Archaeology students given ‘dead bodies’ trigger warning
‘Infantilisation of universities’ continues as lecture participants notified about images of ‘human remains’ amid fears they could be upset
rchaeology students have been warned they will be exposed to images of “human remains” and funeral rituals during their lectures, amid fears it could cause them upset.
The University of York has included several “content warnings” to prepare students on courses where they will be shown the remnants of our ancient ancestors.
Those embarking on the university’s “mummification” module, for example, have been told that lectures will contain images of dead bodies and human skeletal material.
It is unclear whether undergraduates opting to study the ancient Egyptian practice of preserving the body after death – by drying or embalming the flesh – had been surprised by the course content.
Although the university’s website said that in past years, “students have said they really enjoyed the in-depth discussions of Egyptian mummification”.
‘Infantilisation of British universities’
Alan Sked, emeritus professor for the department of international history at LSE, said it was yet another example of the “infantilisation of British universities”, which he added “clearly continues apace”.
“Not so long ago
Glasgow University warned its theology students that a course on Christ ended with a very violent episode called the crucifixion,” he said.
“Its archaeology students were warned in advance that digs might reveal human remains.”
The notion that mummification was exclusively the preserve of Ancient Egyptians is also eschewed in the course description at the University of York, which challenges misinformed undergraduates to “think again”.
“Artificial and natural ways of preserving human bodies have been used throughout the past and around the world,” it said, adding that the course teaches “different methodologies” in preserving the dead “employed in Ancient Egypt and South America”.
In the course of studying the “methodologies” of mummification, budding archaeologists were also alerted to the potential for “frequent discussion of funerary treatments for the dead”.
‘Frequent discussion of extreme violence’
While students who enrolled to study another module on “themes of violence and conflict within world archaeology” were told their lectures would contain images of dead bodies and “frequent discussion of extreme and ritualised violence”.
Ancient cadavers and violence were not the only things signposted to potentially vulnerable students.
A first-year course in archaeological theory warned that lectures would include the discussion of “political discourse”, while third-year modules on death and DNA included discussion of treating deceased people and disease symptoms.
Curiously, a module on “human bones” did not include any warnings about the potential for upsetting content.
Prof Sked said: “At this rate, all history students should be warned that most history books are likely to include bloody episodes of war or revolution.
“Indeed, all students should be warned when arriving at university that books and lectures may – alas only may in today’s intellectual climate – contain dangerous things called ideas, although, for their own protection, controversial ones will be banned.
“We should pray to Cardinal Newman to intercede.”
The Telegraph has contacted the University of York for comment.
Harry Potter and Jane Austen
Universities have come under fire in recent years for issuing trigger warnings on a series of topics, including Harry Potter and Jane Austen.
JK Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is among the texts studied in the “Approaches to Literature” module offered by the University of Chester’s English department, where undergraduates were asked to
“get in touch” if they have “any issues with the content” of the course.
The warning said: “Although we are studying a selection of young adult texts on this module, the nature of the theories we apply to them can lead to some difficult conversations about gender, race, sexuality, class, and identity.”
Similarly, English literature undergraduates at the
University of Salford, where Jane Austen is on the reading list, were furnished with the following disclaimer: “There are scenes and discussions of violence and sexual violence in several of the primary texts studied on this module.
“Some students may find the content of the following texts distressing.”
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