In-Class Reading and Discussion

Dear All,

I'm sorry that I cannot be with you again today... I've been struck with a terrible fever which has, thankfully, slowly been going down throughout the day. I'm hoping to return to school tomorrow!

For today's class, I would like for you to engage three articles about PTSD and the recent wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Each of you can take a turn reading one of the articles. Then, open up a discussion among yourselves. What are your general reactions upon reading these articles? Can you connect these readings from NPR to any of the texts which we have engaged previously?

• Ahmed, Beenish. "In Pakistan, It's Not Just Soldiers with PTSD." NPR.org. 8 November 2013. Web.
• Hensley, Scott. "PTSD And Depression Common In Returning Combat Soldiers." NPR.org. 7 June 2010. Web. 
• Talk of the Nation. "For Soldiers With PTSD, A Profound Daily Struggle." NPR.org 2 June 2011. Web.

Thank you all so much! I hope you find these articles interesting and meaningful to the course.

Sincerely,

s.

JR#9 - Truth and Testimony

Moving to the root argument and central premise of ts course—i.e., witness and testimony—let us comment upon, respond to, and analyze the reading assignment due today.

In an ACE'd paragraph, first briefly summarize Parts I-II of the article titled "Trauma and Testimony: The Process and the Struggle" (Laub 1991). Then in a second paragraph look deeper into the text, analyzing it for figurative lang., rhetorical devices, and any latent, socially-dominant messages—i.e., hegemony—which are suggested by Laub's writing, those which may be either upheld or vaporized..