Ben Bunting

Ben has been teaching Literature and Humanities courses as part of Oregon Tech's Humanities and Social Sciences department since 2013. His courses cover a wide variety of subjects under the larger umbrella of "The Humanities," but recently his focus has been on the environmental humanities in particular: he currently offers courses in American Nature Writing and Climate Fiction Literature and Film (among all the others). He was promoted to full Professor in 2023 and went on a research sabbatical during the 2023-2024 academic year to begin work on a new book project, which combines personal nonfiction and academic argumentation to advocate for a more holistic conception of the natural world's place in our lives. These days, he is continuing work on the book in hopes of turning it into a formal proposal to publishers. He is also collaborating with the AIRE Center to introduce a humanistic perspective to what is already an interdisciplinary endeavor.

Outside of work, Ben spends as much time hiking and sleeping on the ground as possible. He also loves going on lots of hikes, walks, and road trips throughout the West with his wife and two heelers. When he's recovering from all of the outdoor activities, he loves reading fiction and non-fiction, playing pretentious, artsy video games, writing songs, playing the guitar, and listening to jam bands. Somewhere in there, he occasionally sleeps.