English Department Gains New Faculty
Dr. Rich Cooper, an LSU graduate and Louisiana native, will join the Centenary English Department this upcoming semester.
In the fall semester, Cooper will be replacing Dr. Linstrom as the professor in Literature & Culture II: African American Women’s Writers as well as teaching two TREK courses for incoming Centenary students. Literature & Culture II will feature lessons on Afrofuturism, including Janelle Monáe’s “Dirty Computer.”
New English professor Dr. Rich Cooper in the Jackson’s third floor reading room on Aug. 12, 2026. Dr. Cooper talks about how different Centenary’s size will be from his former positions.
Starting in the spring semester, Cooper plans on introducing science fiction and fantasy-based English courses into the curriculum. His prospective classes on fantasy would revolve around high fantasy, similar to the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. He describes sci-fi, however, as a “world literature” compared to the nature of fantasy. These courses would be available for students of any department to take as an elective despite their major.
Cooper previously taught English at Texas A&M, LSU, and Tulane. After working at Texas A&M for the majority of his career, he looks forward to the familiarity between professors and students at Centenary alongside the ability to provide hands-on learning opportunities. Cooper’s key belief towards learning is based on constructionism. Constructionists believe that the best way to learn is “to do” or create, and he plans on heavily incorporating hands-on and self-made learning opportunities in his classes.
One way that Cooper implements constructionism into his courses is by creating a class-wide campaign similar to Dungeons and Dragons where students create their own stories, races, and sci-fi/fantasy worlds to explore. Cooper describes his own role as the “DM” or Dungeon Master, a role similar to the guide or storyteller of the game. Cooper’s goal with incorporating this hands-on game into his courses is to help grow a personal connection and understanding with science fiction or fantasy, stating that “you don’t just learn sci-fi, you do sci-fi, you make sci-fi.”
Alongside sci-fi and fantasy, Cooper expresses interest in teaching multi- or trans-lingual courses in French, Spanish, and English. His fantasy novel “Le Drac du Meschacébé” is the first novel in over a century to be written in Louisiana French and one of the many novels published within the French Revival in South Louisiana. He suggests courses where students would be able to read and write in French or Spanish and hold discussions about these works in English.
Cooper hopes to foster an interest in the study of sci-fi and fantasy as well as the growth of French, particularly Cajun, within the Centenary community. He also anticipates forming connections and watching Centenary students grow as learners, researchers, and creators.