Abstract
When I first set up my 12th grade dystopian fiction class at La Jolla Country Day School, it simply seemed like an exciting way to transition from the rarefied science-fiction course I had been teaching and create a class that would be appealing to a wider group of students. With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, I had to change both my methods for teaching and reconsider pandemic-themed literature. Now, I wonder when it will be time to include pandemic texts and if there a statute of limitations on COVID-19 triggers. From the start, I wanted the course to do more than talk about classic dystopias. I sought to create a forum where students could use texts to expand how they perceive the private angst of others and themselves. While this study began as an exploration of pandemic teaching and triggers, it ultimately became a starting point for working with students and teachers so that we are all better prepared to prepare for the harsh realities that emerge in class discussion. So many of the topics we address—from human rights violations to family dysfunction to questionable legal realities—all pose potential triggers. Reflection about how I teach dystopian realities in the midst of a pandemic has helped me and my colleagues to give more careful consideration to how we can prepare both students and teachers to be more compassionate in such conversations.
Presenters
Deborah ShaulUpper School Educator, Humanities, La Jolla Country Day School, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Humanities, Literary forms, Dystopia, Interdisciplinary, Belonging, Literary Analysis, Conceptual Framework
