College Student Shares The Highly Concerning Assignment She Received From Her Professor
She explained that the assignment was extremely "triggering," even for her.
Bo1982 / Shutterstock A college student revealed that the assignment she was given by her professor rubbed her the wrong way.
In a TikTok video, Peyton Gualtieri, a pre-law student at the University of Pittsburgh, explained that in one of her law-based classes, her professor had given out an assignment to her and the rest of the class, which she accused of being incredibly "triggering."
Her college professor asked all of the students to come up with a sexual assault scenario.
"Typically, I don't get triggered by a lot of things but this assignment that I just got is so insane," a flabbergasted Gualtieri began, simply reading off the assignment from the screen of her computer instead of trying to summarize it.
For the class, her professor had asked her and the rest of the students to "create your own encounter between a man and woman that ends in a rape." Unfortunately, the assignment didn't stop there. The professor wanted the students to include as many details about this fake scenario as possible.
"You need to describe the following: provide descriptive details of her and him, personal traits, appearances, etc., and state whether others were present, where did they meet, [and] what were they doing," Gualtieri continued. The students were also asked to describe where this faux sexual assault took place and describe their interaction leading up to it.
They were told to answer certain questions in detail, including how the woman was treated and why the man believed it was okay to have sex with her without her consent. "If you thought that wasn't bad enough, it gets worse," Gualtieri warned.
"There are essentially four questions after you make that scenario up. The top three are normal, but the last one says, 'Part of rape culture surrounds teaching women how not to be raped, rather than for men to be taught not to rape. Suggest two ways on how men should be taught not to rape.'"
Gualtieri expressed her disbelief that she was being asked to write about something as heavy as sexual assault, and not only that but to provide as many details about a fake scenario as possible, which could be extremely triggering for survivors.
She emailed the dean of her school to express her feelings about the assignment.
In a follow-up video, Gualtieri explained what she decided to do after sharing the details of her college assignment. She assured viewers that she immediately sent out an email to the dean of her school with the concerns she had.
"I did end up reaching out to the dean, and she got back to me super quickly," she revealed.
Opting not to share the contents of the initial email, Gualtieri added that the dean was open about scheduling a time for the two to meet and discuss the problem in more detail. On top of that, her professor ended up reaching out to the class as well.
Gualtieri's professor appeared apologetic as she acknowledged that the content of the assignment was "unsettling" to many of the students in their Law and Deviance course.
"While this topic is undoubtedly challenging and difficult to engage on, my intention with the video and course reading was to bring rape culture and the pervasiveness of victim blaming and shaming to the class so we could have a constructive dialogue," the professor insisted.
She ended up updating the overall assignment and gave students the option to complete the updated version or to work on an alternative assignment that she would help them create.
"I am satisfied with the response she gave, but I think the whole thing could have been avoided if she proceeded [with] the assignment with what she said in the email," Gualtieri added. "I've taken multiple law classes at the University of Pittsburgh, and I'm very capable of talking about sensitive topics."
Gualtieri remarked that even though she was fine with most sensitive topics, she knew not everyone in the class probably was, and wanted to be an advocate for those who may be sexual assault survivors and are unable to speak up for themselves.
While Gualtieri's professor was right in the stigma surrounding rape culture, especially for women, it's the job of educators to be able to create a safe space where these difficult conversations can be had without imposing on someone's own experience or making anyone feel uncomfortable, especially survivors.
In this country, 1 out of every 6 American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime (14.8% completed, 2.8% attempted). It's important that we have nuanced conversations about both the societal and cultural factors surrounding sexual violence, especially when looking at the disappointing statistics and fear that many women live in every single day.
However, any dialogue surrounding sexual assault has to be conducted with empathy, awareness, and respect. The incident with Gualtieri and her professor highlights the importance and need for being more mindful when trying to create a safe environment for these difficult conversations.
If you or someone you know is a victim of sexual harassment, assault and/or abuse, you are not alone. Visit RAINN.org for resources or call 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.