[Insert image here]: a reflection on the ethics of imagery in a critical pedagogy for the humanities

Abstract

Queensland, where she teaches courses on ethics, the history of ideas, and global migration. Broadly, her research is concerned with questions of cultural representation in Australian and global society, with a particular focus on themes of gender and ethnicity.[Insert image here]: a reflection on the ethics of imagery in a critical pedagogy for the humanities Using the controversial image of Syrian toddler Alan Kurdi as its provocation, this paper reflects upon the ethics of images used in teaching in a time of high-volume image circulation via social media, as well as a time when debates about content and trigger warnings are starting to gain more traction in the Australian tertiary sector. It integrates personal reflection upon a variety of choices made by the author in teaching with a consideration of the related pedagogical and ethical issues, drawing particularly on theories of the pedagogy of discomfort and visual ethics. It is argued that the discursive space of trigger warnings per se remains problematic as this immediately places the students into a negative and possibly traumatic relationship with the material rather than empowering them to use their affective responses and experiences productively. Educators are instead encouraged to develop reflexive critical pedagogies that acknowledge the ethical relationship between student and teacher, while also still fulfilling the prosocial impetus of the humanistic education.

Pedagogies of discomfort in the world language classroom: Ethical tensions and considerations for educators

“…Hence, pedagogies of discomfort strive to find a balance between providing safe spaces and responding to students' discomforting feelings (e.g., anger, confusion, sadness, and guilt) in the classroom. Boler (1999) as well as other scholars over the years (Carniel, 2018;Lanas & Huuki, 2017;Walker & Palacios, 2016;Zembylas, 2015;Zembylas & McGlynn, 2012) have raised concerns about the risks of pedagogies of discomfort. For example, Boler talked about the danger for educators to think erroneously that they fully understand students' emotions and they can navigate those emotions in particular trajectories.…”

“…Inevitably, then, there is suffering in both instances, but more important is directing attention toward what is gained pedagogically from raising than from not raising discomfort. Carniel (2018) reflected specifically on the ethics of images in discussions of emotion-focused pedagogies in classrooms and argued that the dominant discourse for dealing with discomfort emerging from this issue is to provide trigger warnings. However, this is problematic, according to her, because trigger warnings can be co-opted and so any kind of discomfort in the classroom is perceived in the context of protecting students from trauma and protecting teachers from traumatizing students.…”

Valoración de la formación recibida por estudiantes del Título de Grado de Maestro en Educación Primaria

“…Es destacable que los estudiantes refieran que el profesorado no atiende a la relación de conceptos nuevos con los conocimientos previos, de modo habitual (significatividad lógica). Aspecto de vital importancia para el aprendizaje significativo y poder trabajar posteriormente con métodos inductivos (Carniel, 2018;González-Maura y González-Tirados, 2008;González y Wagenaar, 2005 También otorgan valoración discreta al nivel de desempeño docente para adecuar contenidos y métodos a las demandas sociales que urgen a la Universidad (Zermeño y Zúñiga, 2017;León, Felipe, Iglesias y Latas, 2011). Del mismo modo, consideran que no favorecen decididamente el trabajo autónomo de los estudiantes ni los procesos interdisciplinares desde sus respectivas materias (Márquez, Reinoso, Pérez y Urbano, 2017).…”

On the Verge of Tears: The Ambivalent Spaces of Emotions and Testimonies

“…On the other hand, other scholars, such as Zembylas (2015) or Carniel (2018) problematize the demand of crises or discomfort in teaching. For example, Zembylas argue that students who face such challenging education that includes being exposed to difficult stories, presupposes equality.…”

“…In relation to teaching, however, and as Carniel writes, many images become materials on an ad hoc basis as lecture slides or tutorial materials, with little attention to what they actually do or contribute to. As such, many images become unexpected (Carniel 2018, p. 141f, see also Hållander 2017. Something that does not have to be wrong, per se, rather it is a part of the beautiful risk of teaching and something to maintain.…”