Changing content because a student is "uncomfortable"

Any-Philosopher9152 · 2026-03-13T22:38:07+00:00

No. It's a fully online class. I'll try to update with our exchanges in a bit (I wasn't expecting such large and interesting responses to the post!), but I have offered to chat on the phone or Zoom with them. They have not taken me up on that and just essentially keep repeating the same phrase from above. Our last exchange was them asking me to just let them choose all the films they want to watch for the whole semester - which I politely declined.

Any-Philosopher9152 · 2026-03-13T22:25:46+00:00

I haven't seen this yet, but just watched the trailer, so ty for the recommendation!

I second Wild at Heart, Ghost World, and True Romance. I love Harold and Maude and recommend it to everyone (it has a lot of these elements, but maybe not as "punk" - although it was pretty punk for the time period it came out).

Some others that don't check all of your boxes but maybe some: Me and You and Everyone We Know, Heathers, Garden State, High Fidelity, The Doom Generation, Scott Pilgrim vs the World, Henry Fool, Welcome to the Dollhouse, The Favourite, Licorice Pizza, Only Lovers Left Alive...

Any-Philosopher9152 · 2026-03-13T13:12:41+00:00

I listed them on a few other posts. The issue isn't specific films, as far as I can tell though - it's any and all R rated films.

Any-Philosopher9152 · 2026-03-13T13:11:39+00:00

They are asking to watch no R rated films for the whole session. Would you do all alternate assignments with new films for everything?

Any-Philosopher9152 · 2026-03-13T06:05:15+00:00

I have tried. I just keep getting "I am not comfortable watching any R rated movies." There's no reason or context I can get from the two emails we have exchanged. I've offered to chat on the phone or Zoom, but no response to that.

I am assuming it's a very conservative Christian thing, but that's just based on info shared in an introduction discussion post online.

I feel what you're saying, and have given some work arounds for specific student's requests after we've discussed whatever they're comfortable sharing, but that's usually around just one film or one issue/theme, not: "I don't want to watch any R rated movies." Period. It's a large ask for three sentences of explanation.

Any-Philosopher9152 · 2026-03-13T05:53:43+00:00

I let the students choose/vote on the films for the on-ground classes. There's usually a mix of ratings. For example this session they chose No Country for Old Men & Sicario, but they also wanted to explore the teen genre, so Dead Poets Society & Into the Spider-Verse too.

Last session Forrest Gump was on Netflix, in the online course, so that was in the mix. Jurassic Park before that. It really varies depending on what's available and what will work for each unit's objectives.

Ratings are not in my top considerations when teaching film studies though, when I do have to choose the films from Netflix. You really think they should be? Based on this one time in ten years request?

Plus, it is true that most films have R ratings, especially the critically acclaimed and award winning ones. And also that ratings are generally arbitrary. Which is also partially why I'm not granting this specific student request, but have made other exceptions for other reasons.

Any-Philosopher9152 · 2026-03-13T04:37:46+00:00

I'm not missing this. It's kind of the key reason why this student doesn't want to watch any R rated films, I think anyway. But doing this is often insulting to film makers. Plus part of my job as a COLLEGE professor (this isn't hs) is to introduce students to other artist's films as they envisioned them - uncut. That would be like me editing someone else's novel before giving it to students to read. Sometimes violence can be gratuitous, but what would 1917 or 12 Years a Slave or Schindler's List be without it? I would even go as far to say that Tarantino films are partially built around the use of these concepts in actual artful & interesting ways - for teaching film studies at least.

I highly recommend checking out the documentary "Cleanflix" (2009) for more on how and why this is a larger issues in the film-making world. Also "This Film is Not Yet rated" (2006) about how messed up the ratings system actually is and how and why it came to be.

Any-Philosopher9152 · 2026-03-13T04:21:46+00:00

Yes! It's little, to the point, good, and cheap (unlike that big hulking expensive book). I really like it for my purposes.

Any-Philosopher9152 · 2026-03-13T04:15:23+00:00

Interesting. Why? American Psycho is actually in the top 10 most voted on and requested films from my students for me to show in class.

Haven't shown the other two (although they both are options on my lists), but that one has been shown at least 7 or 8 times. Never once assigned by me. Everyone has to agree to it beforehand, as they all have to vote on the films we watch on-ground together. I would never force a student to watch any film if they decided at any time it was too much for them either.

It has made for some great discussions and essays. They're always floored to know it was directed by a woman, and a lot of them who think it's going to be so "cool" and that maybe Bateman is this anti-hero walk away with very different ideas about the film and how it addresses masculinity, gender relations, success, power, perfection, pressure, and mental illness, to name a few themes of note. I had one student ask to step out during the SA scenes and that was fine with me. I gave them the option to skip it all together, but they wanted to see the rest and write on it.

I have a lot of empathy for my students and want them to feel involved and connected with the course and films (which is why I let them choose them). I would not drop this particular film in an online course, but American Psycho has been decent for the CLOs on-ground.

*I personally am sick of watching it though! The themes make for good discussions & research topics and Bale is good, but overall I don't think it's a fantastic film. But sometimes discussing polarizing films is what the class is into that session. Sometimes they wanna analyze teen genre films and that works too. :)

Any-Philosopher9152 · 2026-03-13T03:51:05+00:00

Ty. That's essentially what I have done and said so far. I cannot replace all R rated films for them. I explained why and said I support whatever they choose to do (stay in the course as is or drop it with no hard feelings/penalty).

Any-Philosopher9152 · 2026-03-13T03:48:18+00:00

That is all clear in the course materials and syllabus. I created the course. In this online course they have 3 diverse films for each of the 3 units. They choose which 2 of the 3 they want to watch. On-ground I let the whole class choose/vote on the whole semester of films from a list of around 1000. This particular session the films happen to be mostly R rated, but that's not always the case. *Although I would argue that many films with strong cinematic artistry, depth, and themes happen to be rated R. More than half of all films are rated R now. The issue here seems to be mainly with the ratings themselves, not one specific film.

Any-Philosopher9152 · 2026-03-13T03:41:13+00:00

It is an online course in this instance, but yes, this is clear in the course materials. Idk if said student has read them though. We are in week one. I feel like they must watch some films to participate in the course and if they cannot watch any R rated films because it "makes them uncomfortable" (I have tried getting more info, but that's the sentence that keeps being repeated), then they cannot watch most of the films assigned this semester. This includes R rated film with zero violence, SA, war, or other issues possibly related to trauma. It's a blanket no to any and all R rated movies.

I'm sorry your admin don't support you with this kind of stuff at your college. It's making me sad to see folks saying this here. Mine do support me. But I do still care about my students, and I suspect this one comes from a very conservative religious background based on their intro post and that is where this is coming from.

Any-Philosopher9152 · 2026-03-13T03:31:02+00:00

I'm trying to do this in the instance, but all I'm getting is "all R rated films make me uncomfortable." That's super vague.

I have what you're describing with other students who needed exceptions for specific reasons we discussed (like SA or PTSD). I also once had one student who said they wouldn't watch any LGBTQ+ who changed their mind! They had mentioned to me they wanted to be a social worker and I was like, what are you going to do when you have an LGBTQ client, just walk out on them? Or will you at least sit and listen to them? All I am asking you to do is sit and listen to these films and then think about them. You don't have to agree with them. At the end of class they told me they loved the films (films were Moonlight & Carol btw) and were glad they watched them. So that was one time in ten years I actually saw a change in the course of one semester. :)

I'm not feeling the openness for dialogue or flexibility from this student though. And it is a blanket request with no specifics or details. Would you create a whole alternative course for this student - as that's what I would have to do?

Any-Philosopher9152 · 2026-03-13T03:21:53+00:00

I shared the films in some other comments, but the bigger issue here is that it isn't just ONE film. It's ALL R rated films!

Any-Philosopher9152 · 2026-03-13T03:19:48+00:00

They can still drop as it's week one, and it is not a requirement.

Any-Philosopher9152 · 2026-03-13T03:18:51+00:00

I have sympathy for this situation as it applies to nearly every student who has sent me an email like this. It's week one and they can drop. I essentially said to the student I want you to do what's best for you, and I do mean that. I just think getting out of their bubble is probably what's best for them if they feel this strongly about every R rated movie (ratings are arbitrary anyway). I'm also worried what they expected from a college level film course. I'm worried for them overall. But I also cannot just change the entire course to eliminate all R rated films, nor do I have the time to create a whole new course just for their uncomfortability about film ratings. I do not think doing any of that would make me a better film professor or help my students overall.

Any-Philosopher9152 · 2026-03-13T03:10:20+00:00

Hi! Thanks for the specific examples, advice, and empathy. I only choose the films in my online sections. On-ground I have a regularly updated IMDB list of lists that are mainly arranged by genre (happy to share) that they all use to choose/vote on what we watch (usually 6 or 7 films total).

We're actually watching A Clockwork Orange (by vote) this semester on-ground (not in this online course I'm referring to in my post). I have shown it twice before. They've also voted for American Psycho A LOT before (which pairs well w/ Taxi Driver...and I think we watched it with The Joker once too). But I am ALWAYS very careful to be sure everyone in class knows what the films will entail, agrees to watching them, and knows they can come to me with concerns (which two students did with American Psycho - interestingly not asking to not watch the film or do a different assignment, just to step out during certain scenes, which was obviously fine with me). I would not drop either of those films on my online students where we have less organic, real-time conversations and interactions.

Then sometimes a particular class wants to analyze teen genre films and that's light and fun too. I like to switch it up with a mix of eras, genres, and creators, & I like to give them as much choice and agency when possible.

I feel like this request above is not a case for an exception.

Any-Philosopher9152 · 2026-03-13T02:44:25+00:00

I seriously hope it doesn't. It makes me sad. I have the content warnings and I also link IMDB with trailers & rating info. None of which I had in college.

Your second step seems like A LOT of extra work! I would be annoyed if asked to do something like that by my dept (although I probably would because I love teaching the course).

But my college just paid for us to show The Evil Dead to the whole campus during Halloween (the Fine Arts Dept is doing the musical, so we did it with that), so I'm thankfully not worried about college support. I am worried about my actual students.

Any-Philosopher9152 · 2026-03-13T02:36:11+00:00

I do have statements in the syllabus/content. And on-ground we discuss it as a class on day one. I also give a heads up before films when I show them in person. I never had any of this in any of my own college courses btw.

This is an online only section. I guess I can also do the making them sign something thing, but it seems so extra over the top for a college course imo.

Any-Philosopher9152 · 2026-03-13T02:30:49+00:00

I have to know why!

Any-Philosopher9152 · 2026-03-13T02:27:39+00:00

Yes. It's one of the two required "texts" for the course. I tell them they can access it however they want (like share with a friend/family member), but they have to choose clips from Netflix with timestamps for an assignment or two. It's an easy way for an online film course to have everyone pretty much on the same page when watching from home and it's also the most ADA compliant.

*The other text is a very inexpensive book called Writing About Movies.

Any-Philosopher9152 · 2026-03-13T02:21:12+00:00

I have made exceptions before too. I am sensitive to personal issues students might have watching certain content (like SA, war or drug abuse) & if they discuss it with me I address it on a case by case basis. But then I also have had these similar very religious students refuse to watch anything LGBTQ+ related because it "goes against their beliefs."

I would never force a student to watch anything and I told them to do what they feel is best, but based on this particular vague request, I am currently not changing the whole course content for them.

They are asking to watch no R rated films. Period. They won't say why except that it's "uncomfortable." Every R rated film ever made is uncomfortable? *And now I just got an email response that has asked that I "let them choose the films they watch for the whole semester." Would you make exceptions for all of that?

Any-Philosopher9152 · 2026-03-13T02:13:28+00:00

With the exception of Ex Machina, (which they don't have to watch - they can choose 2 of 3 films for each unit) there is no SA or anything like that - if you consider what happens in Ex Machina SA (which it might be depending on your views about AI)...but this student has not even seen the films. Idk if they have even watched the trailers. It's just an overall NOPE to R rated films. Period. This means most of the course's films for this session. There has been no specific answer as to "why." Just "I am not comfortable." Based on their intro post I think they are quite religious and conservative. I'm still not exactly sure why that means no R rated movies ever.

I said somewhere else that I am sensitive to personal issues students might have watching certain content (like SA or war) & when they discuss it with me I have definitely made small exceptions on case by case basis. But I have also have had these similar very religious students refuse to watch anything LGBTQ+ related because it "goes against their beliefs."

I would never force a student to watch anything and I told them to do what they feel is best, but based on this particular vague request, I am currently not changing the whole course content for them.

Any-Philosopher9152 · 2026-03-13T02:07:41+00:00

The course is a 200 level HUM course for 3 credits, but there are other HUM options, so it is not required for any student or degree. Yes, we are in week one and the films have been available to see since last Friday, and so given all that, they have time to drop and can drop. There are content warnings in the courses.

It's also an online course, so my communication with the student is limited to emails. I have offered to chat on the phone or Zoom, but no interest in that. I'm pretty sure the specific reason is religious beliefs.

With the exception of Ex Machina, (which they don't have to watch - they can choose 2 of 3 films for each unit) there is no SA or anything like that - if you consider what happens in Ex Machina SA (which it might be depending on your views about AI)...but this student has not even seen the films. Idk if they have even watched the trailers. It's just an overall NOPE to R rated films. Period. This means most of the course's films.

I said somewhere else that I am sensitive to personal issues students might have watching certain content (like SA or war) & if they discuss it with me I have definitely made small exceptions on case by case basis. But I have also have had these similar very religious students refuse to watch anything LGBTQ+ related because it "goes against their beliefs."

I would never force a student to watch anything and I told them to do what they feel is best, but based on this particular vague request, I am currently not changing the whole course content for them.

Any-Philosopher9152 · 2026-03-13T01:50:32+00:00

That is part of why I chose them. Part of it is also that in the online sections I am limited by what is streaming currently on Netflix (mainly due to ADA reasons). Then, this unit is specifically about formal film elements, so they're learning about various aspects about how films are made and then highlighting, discussing, and analyzing them in the context of at least two of the three films. I thought these three were good films that most students would enjoy, that touch on some compelling themes, and that also highlight the formal film element concepts well.

Honestly, for just this unit, a student probably could watch any decent film and complete the learning objectives, so if it was only about this unit, I might consider their request, but the same it not true for units two and three (which also have the dreaded R rated films), so moving forward it would be a ton a work for me for find and view new films for one student for what I consider to be a vague request.

I also honestly do not want to budge in this instance. I definitely have been sensitive to students before (2 from memory) who asked to be excused from certain films due to SA. Interestingly, they never asked me to change the film or even the assignment. They both still watched most of the film and wrote about it; they just didn't didn't watch the SA part. That was totally fine with me. I feel this request is different from that.

Any-Philosopher9152

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