The entire department is pleased to congratulate Marcel Foerster, our third ABD in 2023-24!

Marcel Foerster successfully passed his candidacy exam on May 2, 2024! In his dissertation, he will investigate and compare how literature, film, and video games encourage the exploration of human-nature interactions by simulating the experience of being in nature. The project will combine approaches from the environmental humanities, media studies, and narrative theory to consider how different forms of art and media can foster productive human-nonhuman relationships, a crucial issue in our time. 

(Advisor: Katra Byram; Committee: May Mergenthaler, Matthew Birkhold, James Phelan)