Cultural Crash Course: Dr. Chris Cooper

In our March Cultural Crash Course, Dr. Chris Cooper from Western Carolina University discusses "Election 2020".

The 2020 election is already being billed as perhaps the most consequential election of the new century. Dr. Cooper will preview the 2020 election with an eye towards what to expect, what to pay attention to, and what to ignore. The lecture will pay particular attention to issues and elections relevant to North Carolinians.

Cooper, professor and head of the Department of Political Science and Public Affairs at Western Carolina University, provides expert commentary on matters involving politics and political science in (and beyond) North Carolina.

Cooper’s research focuses on state politics and policy, political communication, political psychology and southern politics. He publishes that research frequently and is commonly seen and heard on media in Western North Carolina during political seasons.

He was named the 2013 “Professor of the Year” in North Carolina by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. That year, he also was honored as one of the top professors in the University of North Carolina system by its Board of Governors.

Among his innovative teaching techniques has been the publication of student research in Wikipedia and exchanging teaching duties via Skype with a professor at another university in a different state.

Earning his bachelor’s at Winthrop University, Cooper received his master’s and doctoral degrees at the University of Tennessee.

Cultural Crash Courses are sponsored by VisitNCSmokies.com, The Mountaineer, Vicinitus Haywood, and Town of Waynesville. Tickets are $10. Doors open at 5:30pm and the lecture begins at 6:00pm.