Class Acts - Jim Keese

Specialty Area: Geography and Latin American Studies / Years at Cal Poly: 18

What is/has been your favorite class to teach?
WLC 310 Humanities in World Cultures. I’ve taught a version of this course on study abroad programs in Peru, Mexico, Spain, and Australia. Going abroad with students allows me to be a part of a transformative experience.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could bring one book, what would it be?
Turn Right at Machu Picchu

How/why did you choose to work at Cal Poly?
I am originally from San Luis Obispo. When we had our daughter, we wanted this beautiful place to be her home. I was really fortunate to get a job at Cal Poly.

What are your research/scholarly pursuits?
My long-term research focus is on NGOs working in indigenous communities in Peru and Ecuador. I have also published on study abroad and volunteering abroad.

What is your favorite class/student moment?
While on a class field trip in Peru, we jumped off the top of a boat in the middle of Lake Titicaca (50-degree water at 12,500 feet).

What is one thing you wish your students knew about you?
My family had a cattle ranch for 60 years. Also, I really like cats.

What are your hobbies/extracurricular activities?
I play the piano. I like golf because it’s a thinking game that requires focus, strategy, and problem solving. I also like hiking. My daughter and I hiked Mt. Whitney and Mt. Fuji.

Do you have a favorite getaway location?
Anywhere in the Sierras of California.

What is a fact about you that few know?
I was a professional motocross rider in the early 1980s and raced in two nationals.

What is/are your guilty pleasure(s)?
Cuban rum.