Kenneth Thompson

Kenneth Thompson

Kenneth Thompson

Professor

Literature and popular culture, history of technology and business.

Ken Thompson has been with BIS since 2012.  He has been with the English Department at Mason since 1993.  He received a Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Virginia in and a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy from Williams College.  He teaches literature through exploring processes of adaptation--how stories change as they are remade for new audiences using new technologies.  And he teaches writing partly through exploring with students the history of professional discourse. 

His interest in adult education comes from his own experience working for UPS during his graduate education and construction management after college.  Both experiences inspired his interest in the circulation of ideas as well as goods and services and led to his current focus on how different groups in society understand one another.  He teaches writing and literature in the Engineering/Computing, Business and Arts Learning Communities and interdisciplinary studies for BIS.