At the intersection of the worlds of humanities, film, and literature, you’ll find Professor Adam Kaiserman, an avid reader and writer who also happens to know an impressive amount of Wes Anderson film trivia. Kaiserman is someone who enjoys all that the world of fine arts has to offer, and it’s been this passion that brought him to COC to share his knowledge with his students.

Kaiserman is currently the chair of the Humanities department, but he also teaches his fair share of English and more specific literature courses. He holds Bachelor’s degrees in English and Religious Studies, and his graduate work led him to a P.h.D. in English with a specialization in 20th Century American Literature. Needless to say, he’s a man who enjoys the written word to the fullest extent.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Kaiserman’s career is the specialty he’s chosen to pursue -- he pays special attention to the ways in which literature and media connect with one another, and the more unique the connection, the more fascinated he is.

Of course, after 15 years of teaching at COC, he’s also developed a love for what he does on campus as well as in his personal writings. Despite having taught a myriad of classes in the fields of Humanities and English, at the end of the day, it all comes down to the influence he extends to his students.

“I want my students to be able to think analytically and logically, and to think through problems in a number of disciplines,” he says. “My hope is for them to find a love of learning and see where it takes them.”

Off campus, he splits his time between his family and various literary pursuits and film pursuits, which means it’s almost impossible to narrow down one single favorite book or movie he’s seen. It all comes down to what’s most thought-provoking and what helps structure his own worldviews -- after all, that’s what the most powerful media is capable of.

These days, when he’s not reading, writing or listening to music, Kaiserman is working on ways to better elevate his instructional abilities as well as further the narrative of appreciating all that literature and film have to offer. In a lot of ways, he’s a lucky man -- he was able to combine his interests with his professional goals, which allowed him to get to where he is now.

And, of course, his students have him as the most solid example of what it looks like when you follow your passion all the way through to the end.

“It’s so important that students find what they love doing and follow it through,” he says. “They’ll be much happier once they figure out what it is that makes them happiest.”