Seattle University Collaborative Projects - International Academy of ...

and performance literature examines the character of Lavinia and the representation of herassault. Yet, the representation of rape, like rape itself, is socially and historically constructed.Using Titus Andronicus as a forum for analysis, this presentation will argue that the extent towhich advances in modern science and medicine have been accepted into the societal lexicon isreflected in art. This paper reviews societal, legal and medical views of rape from Shakespeare’slate 16th century London to the present. By applying a temporal lens to productions of TitusAndronicus, performance can be seen to illustrate stages in the understanding of rape victims andtheir subsequent trauma. By this means, the theatre offers insight in both of how rape ispresented to and perceived by the public consciousness. Thus, Titus Andronicus, a 400 year oldplay, continues to reflect modern lived reality by depicting a contemporary awareness of rapeand trauma, shaped by social mores, legal structures, and scientific knowledge.125. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and the Law: Civil andCriminal Aspects from a North American PerspectiveDiagnostic ConsiderationsPratap Narayan, University of California, San Francisco (prat65@hotmail.com)PTSD was first accepted as a diagnosis in the DSM-III (1980), though this condition had beendescribed by different names earlier. This is the only diagnosis that is etiologically linked totrauma. The definition of a traumatic event has been broadened from catastrophic trauma witheach successive revision of the DSM. DSM-IV TR (2000), which is in current use, specifies thatthe subject's response must include intense fear, helplessness or horror. PTSD is often used incivil as well as criminal arenas from workplace harassment to cases involving rape and murder.Forensic assessments have some innate problems. The diagnosis is mainly based on symptomsthat can be easily malingered. Symptoms such as flashbacks and blackouts often invoked as alegal defense do not lend themselves easily to assessment of the mental status at the time of thecrime. The contributory effect of associated substance or alcohol use may be hard to tease out.Additionally, the effects of trauma and PTSD symptoms may be on a continuum. The legalsystem however only recognizes the presence or absence of criteria, not symptoms on acontinuum. Civil as well as criminal case examples will be presented involving PTSD from theUnited States and Canada. Audience participation will be encouraged to stimulate discussion ofappropriate steps in forensic evaluations.Issues Involving US Military MembersAntony Fernandez, Virginia Commonwealth University (antony.Fernandez@va.gov)297