Environmental ethics made explicit through situated narrative: implications for agriculture and environmental education

摘要

This dissertation is about the meaning, relevancy, and effectiveness of situated narrative in contemporary Western culture, and particularly about how this mode of message transmission might expand environmentally sustainable behaviors. In-depth interviews with environmental educators and storytellers yielded descriptions of what constitutes ethical behavior and guidelines for how to conduct effective storytelling;Bioregionalism, deep ecology, and ecological feminism were studied to learn salient points and normative behaviors associated with each perspective. Similarities and differences among the three philosophical traditions were explained. Classic and contemporary narratives that promote one or more of these ethics were identified in the literature review;This study explains why stories are an effective way to transmit technical and cultural information, techniques storytellers employ to engage their audience, how mainstream educators can adapt techniques perfected by storytellers, and why humans seem to be predisposed to learning in this manner;Implications for learners are drawn. Conclusions are reached and recommendations made for including this educational mode within the curricula of institutions offering agriculture, agricultural education, agricultural science, environmental studies, environmental science, forestry, and natural resources management courses.