Practicing Community Geography with Students in The Flooded Afterlives Project

Keywords: community geography, pedagogy, flooding, climate justice
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Friday
Session Start / End Time: 2/25/2022 09:40 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/25/2022 11:00 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 52

Abstract

Flooding in Horry County, South Carolina has become an increasingly regular occurrence over the past five years. Since 2015, residents in some areas of the county have experienced five major flood events despite having no prior history of severe flooding. As part of “The Flooded Afterlives Project,” which focuses on what life is like after flood waters recede and attentions move on, undergraduate students conducted community-driven interviews to understand how people experience and react to repetitive floods and to communicate the community’s experiences with flooding to a broader audience. The idea for the project originated through conversations and observations with flooded communities who voiced a need to document and share their experiences. The results from the project are publicly available and shared locally. The students also worked on ways to creatively communicate the stories of people they interviewed in accessible formats that community flood activists can utilize to advocate for fair compensation and solutions. The students conducting the research were part of an interdisciplinary course on water and culture and did not have prior experience with Community Geography. This talk focuses on considerations and pedagogical techniques to prepare students to engage with communities in responsible and ethical ways.