Ken Cooper received his Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University and has been a member of the Geneseo faculty since 1993. His research is interested in the meeting point of 1970s culture and ecology. He frequently teaches the courses Filming the Seventies, Renewable Futures, Contemporary American Literature, and Bioregional Literature. He teaches a digital course through the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges called Storied Landscapes: 21st-Century Nature Writing. In collaboration with Geneseo Milne library archivist Liz Argentieri, Cooper and Argentieri have introduced the Open Valley course, a digital humanities project interested in ecology. In the course, students examine local history and culture through a bioregional lens, often pairing with local societies like nearby Genesee Country Village. The Open Valley course responds to growing student anxieties concerning the application of the English major, suggesting that writing skills can be useful in partnering with various organizations. He has also collaborated with Professors Garrity and Hannam for an interdepartmental course on Geographic Information System (GIS).
Cooper is currently a member of the Geneseo Sustainability Commission and was co-director of the Geneseo Food Project which inspired his courses on bioregional literature
Classes
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ENGL 329: Lit: Filming the Seventies
A critical study of a theme, movement, or special subject matter of some consequence in the cultural tradition of the United States. Representative offerings might include The Environmental Spirit, Women Writers and Social Reform, Film Heroes, The Puritan Legacy, and The Graphic Novel.
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WRTG 105: Wrtg: Nature Writing
This course lays the foundation for students to participate insightfully in both written and oral academic conversations. The course focuses on three modes of written and oral communication: communication as an ongoing persuasive dialogue with multiple audiences, communication with a reflective self, and communication with a dynamic evolving text. The course also introduces elements of information literacy and critical thinking needed to develop and evaluate academic conversation. Writing Seminar is typically taken by new students in their first two semesters, often as the introduction to general education, to our library, and to academic support services as sites of collaboration rather than remediation. As many new students' only seminar-style class, Writing Seminar can help lay the foundations of not only academic but also social success.