Joseph N. Cooper

Assistant Professor

Educational Leadership

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Joseph N. Cooper Vita

Titles:

Assistant Professor

Academic Degrees:

Ph.D., Kinesiology, Sport Management and Policy, University of Georgia
M.A., Exercise and Sport Science, Sport Administration, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 
B.A., Sociology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 
B.A., Recreation Administration, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 

Areas of Expertise:

Sport Management

Gender and Race in Sport

Racism and Other Forms of Oppression

Higher Education

Qualitative Research

Biography:

Dr. Cooper joined the Sport Management program at the University of Connecticut in August 2013. Prior to joining the faculty at UConn, Dr. Cooper served as an instructor and graduate teaching assistant at the University of Georgia while completing his doctorate. Dr. Cooper’s research agenda focuses on the nexus between sport, education, race, and culture with an emphasis on sport as a catalyst for holistic development and positive changes in society. He is a member of the North American Society for the Sociology of Sport (NASSS), North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM), and the American Educational Research Association (AERA). Dr. Cooper is also the founder of Collective Uplift (CU), an organization designed to educate, empower, and inspire students across racial and ethnic backgrounds at UConn (and the world) to maximize their full potential as holistic individuals both within and beyond athletic contexts (CU Video Link: http://youtu.be/gIj9N_M_URI).

Selected Media Content:

Video 1: https://youtu.be/Vs_8XQJKtjU

Video 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgYb-PvrGiY

Video 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10hXihre2Vk o (2:33:17-2:36:00 and 2:40:00-2:50:00)

URL 1: http://education.uconn.edu/2015/11/20/university-of-missouri-athlete-activism-dispels-the-myth-of-a-post-racial-u-s-society/

URL 2: http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/17138092/dr-harry-edwards-civil-rights-activist-athletes-wield-real-power-action-need e

URL 3: https://theundefeated.com/features/unc-symposium-complexity-and-comfort-of-black-athlete-philanthropy/

Audio 1: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=h4_usgZzZ1E

URL 4: https://today.uconn.edu/school-stories/takeaknee-symbolic-economic-activism-real-black-power-salute/

URL 5: https://theconversation.com/dangerous-stereotypes-stalk-black-college-athletes-101655

Selected Publications/Presentations:

Cooper, J. N. (2017). Strategic navigation: A comparative study of Black male scholar athletes’ experiences at a historically Black college/university (HBCU) and historically White university (HWU). International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education. DOI: 10.1080/09518398.2017.1379617

Cooper, J. N., Macaulay, C., & Rodriguez, S. (2017). Race and resistance: A typology of African American sport activism. International Review for the Sociology of Sport. p. 1-31. DOI: 10.177/1012690217718170

Cooper, J. N. (2016). “Focus on the bigger picture:” An anti-deficit achievement examination of Black male scholar athletes in science and engineering at a Division I historically White university (HWU). Whiteness & Education, 1(2), 109-124. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23793406.2016.1272627

Cooper, J. N. (2016). Excellence beyond athletics: Best practices for enhancing Black male student athletes’ educational experiences and outcomes. Equity & Excellence in Education, 49(3), 267-283. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10665684.2016.1194097

Cooper, J. N., & Cooper, J. E. (2015). “I’m running so you can be happy and I can keep my scholarship:” A comparative study of Black male college athletes’ experiences with role conflict. Journal of Intercollegiate Sport, 8, 131-152.

Cooper, J. N., & Dougherty, S. (2015). Does race still matter?: A post bowl championship series (BCS) era examination of student athletes’ experiences at a Division I historically Black colleges/university (HBCU) and predominantly White institution (PWI). Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics, 8, 74-101.

Cooper, J. N., and Hall, J. (2014). Understanding Black male student athletes’ experiences at a historically Black university: A mixed methods approach. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, (ahead of print). DOI: 10.1177/1558689814558451

Cooper, J. N., & Hawkins, B. (2014). An anti-deficit perspective on Black male student athletes’ educational experiences at a historically Black college/university. Race, Ethnicity and Education. DOI: 10.1080/13613324.2014.946491.

Cooper, J. N., Cavil, J. K., & Cheeks, G. (2014). The state of intercollegiate athletics at a historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs): Past, present, & persistence. Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics, 7, 307-332.

Davis, T. D. & Cooper, J. N. (2014, Spring). Embracing intersectionality in Black male student athletes: A call for holistic support. The Annual Knowledge Community Conference Publication (pp. 49-50). Baltimore, MD: National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA).

Cooper, J. N., & Hawkins, B. (2014). The transfer effect: A critical race theory examination of Black male transfer student athletes’ experiences. Journal of Intercollegiate Sport, 7, 80-104.

Cooper, J. N. (2014). The value of qualitative approaches in the examination of Black male student athletes. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health. DOI: 10.1080/2159676X.2014.888586

Gawrysiak, E.J., Cooper, J. N., & Hawkins, B. J. (2013). The Impact of Baseball Participation on the Educational Experiences of Black Male Student-Athletes at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Race, Ethnicity, and Education.

Hawkins, B. J. & Cooper, J. N. (2013). Gifted Black Athletes’ Intercollegiate Experiences Negate the Dumb Black Jock Stereotype. In T. Grantham, D. Harmon, & M. T. Scott (Eds.), The Young, Triumphant, and Black: Overcoming the Tyranny of Segregated Minds in Desegregated Schools (pp. 175-186). Waco, TX. Prufock Press, Inc.

Cooper, J. N. (2013). A culture of collective uplift: The influence of a historically Black college/university on Black male student athletes’ experiences. Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics, 6, 306-331.

Cooper, J. N., Gawyrsiak, J., & Hawkins, B. J. (2012). Racial Perceptions of Baseball at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 37(2), 196-221

Cooper, J. N., & Hawkins, B. J. (2012). A Place of Opportunity: Black Male Student Athletes’ Experiences at a Historically Black University. Journal of Intercollegiate Sport, 5, 170-188.

Cooper, J. N. (2012). Personal Troubles and Public Issues: A Sociological Imagination of Black Male Student Athletes’ Experiences at Predominantly White Institutions. Sociology Mind, 2( 3), 261-271.

Honors/Awards

2016-2017 UConn Chapter National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Image Awards Faculty of the Year

2016 Outstanding Early Career Scholar Award – UConn Neag School of Education

2014-2016 Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics (JIIA) Article of the Year Finalist

2013 American Educational Research Association (AERA) Research Focus on Education and Sport (RFES) Graduate/Emerging Scholar Travel Grant Award

2012 University of Georgia (UGA) Richard B. Russell Leadership UGA Program Graduate

2012 Outstanding Teaching Assistantship Award, University of Georgia, Department of Kinesiology, College of Education

2009 John E. Billing Outstanding Graduate Research Merit Award, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Exercise and Sport Science, College of Arts and Sciences

Editorial Boards:

Sport Management Education Journal (2015-present)

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics (2014-present)

Associations/Committees/Outreach

North American Society for the Sociology of Sport (NASSS)

North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM)

American Educational Research Association (AERA)

Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE)