In this class students will learn about the impact of natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, and wildfires on human memories, culture, and society. These disasters not only cause damage to human and non-human life and infrastructure, but also to a human’s ability to connect to themselves and others through materialized stories like those documented in historic and contemporary records.
Students will identify, explore and create these stories captured through records like board games, video, photographs, artwork, zines, and comics resulting in a crucial source of information about one's history and local environments. Using storytelling, art and place based learning, students will encounter and engage with the stories of Washington and the Pacific Northwest and its people to understand how humans can better navigate future disasters by remembering important past practices, strategies, and realities. Students will engage in daily hands-on activities like poster making, online research, role playing, storytelling, and group chats alongside instructor presentations covering key concepts, ideas, and examples of disasters. As the final project students will create their own “disaster preparedness plan” in the form of a cooperative card game.