Bryan B Rasmussen

Bryan B Rasmussen is Professor of English at California Lutheran University and faculty in the Environmental Studies program. His expertise centers on Environmental Humanities and Academic Research Writing, with courses emphasizing environmental justice approaches across Environmental Literature, Climate Storytelling, and Literature of California.

His educational journey began at a Chicago-area community college before transferring to the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana for undergraduate studies in English and Philosophy. He earned his PhD from Indiana University in 2008, completing dissertation research on 19th-century women writer-activists through the Charlotte Newcombe Fellowship in Religion and Ethics.

Rasmussen's research investigates environmental storytelling in ecologically critical places—defined as high-conservation-value zones where human and nonhuman communities collide and experience acute vulnerability. His fieldwork spans the Sierra San Pedro Mártir National Park in Baja California, Simi Hills, and Los Angeles River, published in journals like Landscape Research and Journal of the Southwest, plus the volume Rewilding the Urban Frontier.

His notable recognition includes the Charlotte Newcombe Fellowship in Religion and Ethics.

As a first-generation college student from a low-income background, Rasmussen champions culturally inclusive curriculum development through CLU's Title V initiatives like CHESS (Collaborative for Hispanics in Higher Education and Student Success), leveraging personal experience to support student navigation of academic systems.

He serves as a certified California Naturalist and volunteer educator for Friends of the Los Angeles River, documenting environmental work through photography on Instagram @oxbornbee.