Vic Thasiah, Ph.D.

About

Vic Thasiah teaches in the environmental studies, religious studies, and honors programs. He's also the founder and president of Runners for Public Lands, a national advocacy organization that empowers runners to protect public lands and expand access to nature; and serves as a board member of Los Padres ForestWatch.

He's currently writing a book titled Deep Conservation: Poetry for Public Lands, which explores ways classical Chinese rivers-and-mountains poetry (shan-shui), often considered the earliest and most extensive literary engagement with wilderness in human history, can contribute to a renewed vision of conservation, recreation, and valuation of public lands today.

New Courses

Zen and the Art of Leadership (Fall, 2026) This course critically analyzes leadership applications of Zen (historical and contemporary) in areas such as business, military, sports, and civics.

Conservation of the Route of Parks of Patagonia (Travel Seminar, Chile, TBD)

Education

Certified California Naturalist

Ph.D., University of Oxford 

B.A., UC Santa Cruz

Expertise

Selected Course Topics

Environmental Justice (Honors)

Intro to Environmental Studies

Religion and Political Thought

Violence, Religion, and Politics

Religion, Identity, and Vocation

Zen Buddhism in the West

Publications

Current Work

Deep Conservation: Poetry for Public Lands (sabbatical book project, Fall 2025)

Selected Book Chapters

"Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh's Ecological Imagination," in Views of Nature and Dualism: Rethinking Philosophical, Theological, and Religious Assumptions in the Anthropocene (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024).

"Race and Climate: Decolonizing Liberal Arts Education," in So That All May Flourish, eds. Marcia J. Bunge, Jason A. Mahn, and Martha E. Stortz (Fortress Press, 2023).

"Religion, Forestry, and Democracy in Rwanda after Genocide," in Eco-Reformation: Grace and Hope for a Planet in Peril, eds. Lisa E. Dahill and Jim Martin-Schramm (Wipf & Stock, 2016). Review.

"The Right to Freedom of Association: Organizing in Rwanda after Genocide," in On Secular Governance: Lutheran Perspectives on Contemporary Legal Issues, eds. Marie A. Failinger and Ronald W. Duty (William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2016).

"Reconfiguring Rwandan Church-State Relations," in Lutheran Identity and Political Theology, eds. Carl Henric-Grenholm and Goran Gunner (Wipf & Stock, 2014).

Selected Journal Articles

"Equitable Access to Nature and Transformational Politics," Buddhist-Christian Studies, 44:1 (2024), 169-173.

"Collapsing Space and Time: Thich Nhat Hanh's Ecological Humanism," Journal of Buddhist Ethics, Vol. 29, 2022.

"Critically Engaging Public Officials in Rwanda," Studies in World Christianity 23:3 (2017), 257-280.

Selected Presentations

"Thich Nhat Hanh, a Mountain Forest, and Equitable Access to Nature," American Academy of Religion, San Antonio, Texas, November 18, 2023.

"Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh on Environmental Justice," American Academy of Religion, Denver, Colorado, November 20, 2022.

"Toward an Asian-American Philosophy of Nature: Thich Nhat Hanh on Wildness and Wellness," American Academy of Religion (Western Region), March 20, 2021.

"Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh on Decolonizing Your Mind," American Academy of Religion, Denver, Colorado, November 19, 2018.

"Incubating Democracy in Development in Rwanda," Religion and Power: New Directions in Social Ethics Conference, Princeton University, March 12, 2015. Invited presentation.

"'Things Are Not Okay in Rwanda If You Shut Up': Community Organizing Practices and Human Rights Advocacy after Genocide," Society of Christian Ethics, Chicago, January 11, 2015.

"Countering Complicity: Rwandan Political Theology after Genocide," American Academy of Religion, San Diego, California, November 23, 2014.

"The Right to Freedom of Association: Organizing in Rwanda after Genocide," Lutheran Perspectives on Contemporary Legal Issues, Valparaiso University Law School, Chicago, March 27, 2014.

"Toward a Rwandan Political Theology," Remembering the Past, Living the Future: Lutheran Tradition in Transition Conference, University of Uppsala, Sweden, October 9, 2013.

"On Religious Anarchism," Third International Conference on Religion and Spirituality in Society, March 9, 2013.

"Second Realities: Karl Barth's Ethics and Socially-Engaged Art," Society of Christian Ethics (Pacific Meeting), February 10, 2012.

"On Comprehensive Immigration Reform," Society of Christian Ethics Annual Meeting, January 8, 2010.

"Faith and Immigration Reform," Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service Briefing, Washington, D.C., October 14, 2009. 

Selected Public Writing

"What 'Public Lands' Are, and Why We're For Them," Runners for Public Lands Blog, April 2, 2025.

"Reimagining Conservation through Outdoor Recreation: A Latinx Example," Runners for Public Lands Blog, October 9, 2024.

"Runners Should Protect Public Lands. Here's How," The Trailhead, August 20, 2024.

"Layer Cake: Place-based Environmental Advocacy," Runners for Public Lands Blog, July 22, 2024.

"Dragon Sun, Tiger Moon: Fastpacking the Backbone Trail," iRunFar, May 22, 2024.

"The 4 R's of Running the Earth," Outside Magazine, April 22, 2024.

"Runners Celebrating Black History Month," Runners for Public Lands Blog, February 22, 2024.

"Make Regeneration Irresistible: Runners Taking Climate Action," Freetrail, November 2, 2023.

"Running According to a Trail's 'Original Instructions'," Trail Runner Magazine, October 26, 2023.

"10 Things I've Learned from Runners for Public Lands," Freetrail, July 20, 2023.

"Belonging to Land and Sea: The Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary," Santa Barbara Independent, March 22, 2023.

"Vic Thasiah on Trail Running, Public Lands, and Environmental Advocacy, with Poetry by Leigh Scarber," Medium, January 15, 2023.

"Equitable Access to Wonder: Congress Should Pass the Public Lands Act," Ventura County Reporter, December 21, 2022.

"Transgender Athletes' Rights and Support from the Running Community," Social Sport, June 14, 2021.

Grant Funding

$1,250 CLU Sabbatical Grant, 2024

$5,000 CLU Faculty Research and Creative Work Grant, 2023

$1,250 Hewlett Faculty Research Grant, 2023

$40,000 Sabbatical Research Grant, Louisville Institute, 2017-2018

$5,000 CLU Faculty Research and Creative Work Grant, 2014

$5,000 Wabash Summer Research Grant, 2013

$1,250 Hewlett Faculty Research Grant, 2013