MDHM 2320 Introduction to Trauma Studies
In contemporary life, adverse events and their effects are increasingly recognized as traumatic. In popular discourse, war, rape, immigration, and even relatively minor events such as divorce can be considered “traumatic.” The frequent and varied (ab)use of this concept invites a serious philosophical question: “What is trauma?” This course will look at some ways in which philosophy, psychology, literature, and other disciplines can help us answer this question as well as related ones.