Abstract

This thesis is written with the hope of addressing the systemic issue and long-term effects of bullying in youth and young adults, and attempts to illustrate the incalculable ways that the Arts and Arts environments are responsible for the alleviation of these effects and the restoration of self-confidence in the victims of various forms of unwarranted aggression. It is my assertion that teachers (ideally, Arts teachers) need to better understand the lived experiences surrounding bullying so that they will no longer be unaware of how to identify and respond to it in their own classrooms and school communities. The thesis in itself is a didactic research-based social fiction that explores key empathic elements of my lived experiences as a student and teacher, informed by the adoption of elements including fictional settings, characters and plotlines, which will allow an interpretative portrayal of bullying within a creative and literary framework. It is my intention to both provoke conversation and empathy, and inspire other teachers to embrace the possibilities of the intersection of the Arts and anti-bullying in their classrooms. By choosing the vehicle of social fiction, I will demonstrate that there is tremendous value in creating work that is informative, entertaining and thus more easily accessible to a wider audience, including students, parents and the general public beyond the academy.