Date of Award
Spring 5-10-2024
Document Type
Thesis
First Advisor
Chris Heuer
Second Advisor
Kristen Harmon
Third Advisor
Kirk VanGilder
Abstract
The climate crisis has grown into a dangerous global threat, pushing our planet to the point of ecological no return. We face the certainty of increasingly destructive climate disasters and social upheaval, threatening our societal and biological survival. The next few years will prove critical to the future welfare of our species and our planet. However, we are not without our defenses. Through the lens of fictional short stories, this capstone concentrates on community and storytelling, two deeply human behaviors that could be two of our greatest tools in the struggle against climate change. Human beings are social creatures at heart. We seek out communities to fulfill social and biological needs. We share information about ourselves, our experiences, and our environments, and often that sharing takes place in the form of stories. This sharing teaches lessons and creates bonds that pull people together and keep them alive. This capstone is a collection of four stories that draw from the genres of speculative and eco-fiction, as well as literary and scientific discussions of climate change, to explore the communities we might form and the stories we might tell as we live through the climate crisis.
Recommended Citation
Summers, Jonathan, "Anthropaean Storytelling, Community, and the Ripples of the Climate Crisis" (2024). Undergraduate University Honors Capstones. 101.
https://ida.gallaudet.edu/honors_capstones/101
