Content warnings on University course materials have been in the headlines a lot recently, with ‘woke’ Universities accused of helping to create “a generation of snowflakes unable to cope with the complexities of life”. Outrage makes for great clickbait, but is it justified?

A University of Aberdeen podcast, in this episode of ‘Inside the Headlines’ Laura talks to Professor Chris Collins, head of the School of Language, Literature, Music and Visual Culture, Professor Tim Baker, who teaches the English programme in the School and whose courses have been targeted in the press for using content warnings; and student Helen Whalley, president of Debater, the University’s debating society to find out why content warnings make the media so angry.

Explored in this episode: 

·       What content warnings are and what they are not

·       What purpose they serve

·       How students use them

Mentioned in this episode: 

·       Play: Sophocles - Oedipus Rex

·       Novel: Robert Louis Stevenson - Kidnapped

·       Institution: British Board of Film Classification

This podcast reflects the views and opinions of contributors, not necessarily the institutional position of the University of Aberdeen.