The course starts with a broad discussion of trauma studies across neural, somatic and socio-political domains. It pays particular attention to how writers, philosophers, neuroscientists and psychologists shifted away from thinking of trauma as individual experiences of exception disaster to seeing it as a generalized, everyday condition of modern society. Set texts will be drawn mainly from modern literature, all of which engages with disturbing material. In place of the standard trigger warning, the course offers an opportunity to practice trauma-informed somatic experiencing techniques.

Week 1: What is trauma? An interdisciplinary perspective
Week 2: Exploring Triggers through Somatic Embodiment
Week 3: Understanding Violence
Week 4: Connecting Anger, Control and Entitlement
Week 5: Coercion and Consent
Week 6: Trauma Bond
Week 7: Victim Blaming and Institutional Betrayal
Week 8: Psychopathology and Deception
Week 9: Adaptive Dissociation
Week 10: Justice and Resilience