Sit through any of Chuck Hunt’s classes, and you’ll find the adjunct professor of sociology casually interweaving his personal life story with a laser-beam examination of society. His directness and conviction can startle newcomers, but those qualities have made students take notice during Hunt’s 17 years at the UO.

“I don’t really understand it,” Hunt said of students’ interest. “I’m not sure I can explain my style, because what I do is not innovative. I just talk and show films and try to speak from my experiences.”

His enthusiasm in his work is evident, and part of why he thinks he is able to connect with students. “I realized the other day that I’ve never gone into a class when I wasn’t excited about what I was going to present,” he mused. The other part is his respect for students.

That respect stems from his experience as a student in one of the most politically charged periods in United States history. Hunt graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1968, and his involvement in the student movement there opened his eyes to the scope of what students can accomplish. He was introduced to the teachings of Karl Marx, and found himself fascinated with his ideals.

“Sociology is willing to deal more with a Marxian approach than probably any other social science, so I thought it looked attractive,” Hunt said. “It allows more elbow room than fields like political science and philosophy.”

After six active years in the student movement, Hunt noticed it growing increasingly violent. Feeling the need to do something with his life, upon graduation he moved to Canada and became a farmer and beekeeper. In the remote community where he was living, he realized he was the only person with a college degree.

“Farmers have to work in the winter to make money. They’re not making much money on the farm, and they’re not getting great jobs because they never graduated from high school. So we started a community high school in my area and I started to teach there.”

Hunt’s introduction to teaching got him enthused about the profession. “I always was excited about the larger presentation of issues, thanks to the '60s student movement,” he said. “You don’t keep your candle under a hat – you try to have it seen by other people.”

Imbued with a new passion, Hunt applied to teach in the sociology department at the University of Utah, and spent six years there before arriving at the UO. In looking for work after Utah, Hunt saw that the University of Oregon “had a really progressive, exciting sociology department. So I applied here and by God they let me in!”

In class, you can hear him talk about being an anti-technology Luddite, and he often singles out students he catches scrolling through Twitter feeds.

“It is the most unpleasant part of my job right now,” he said. “I was reluctant to say anything about electronics and cell phones in the classroom to students for a while. Then I started hearing from colleagues and learned that everyone was having the same problem. You just gotta step up and do what you think has to be done.”

Beyond disrupting class, cell phones present an existential crisis to Hunt. As a Quaker, he follows the concept that, “five minutes ago is gone. This afternoon isn’t here yet. This is all I’ve got. Right in this moment, this is what I live in. And if I decide to not be here…” He pauses for a second. “I can get extreme. If I don’t live in the moment, I start thinking: Have I even been alive? That’s what scares me about these phones. I feel like people aren’t there, that they’re somewhere else.”

Despite this, Hunt doesn’t view himself as a true Luddite. He loves Blackboard, the online collaborative teaching tool, and enjoys perks such as eliminating the need for printed copies of assignments and the ability to grade papers anywhere there’s an Internet connection. He is even looking into getting a cell phone for a trip to Colorado next September with his son, where he will spend a week alone camping before his son meets up with him at the camp for a hunting trip.

“There’s aspects where technology works well, so I kind of kid around about being a Luddite. The truth be told, if the technology works, if it provides a better result, why not use it?”

This is Hunt’s last year teaching at the UO. In thinking about his retirement, Hunt says he can see himself in the role of an activist, and expressed a desire to work with the Occupy movement in Eugene. He also mentioned being content with the lighter side of life.

“The other thing is, I play a lot,” he said. “I go hunting and fishing, visit my two sons and grandchildren, spend time on my boat and travel up to Canada. That’s really all you need.”

- by Taylor Robertson, UO Office of Strategic Communications intern