Joseph Baker is a sociologist who studies religion, deviance, and politics. He has published research on a wide range of topics, including but not limited to intensive religious experiences, different types of secularity (such as atheism), congregational dynamics, paranormal subcultures, public views of science and religion, beliefs about supernatural evil, Christian nationalism, xenophobia, and penal populism.
He is currently the editor-in-chief of the journal Sociology of Religion. His two latest books are Deviance Management: Insiders, Outsiders, Hiders, and Drifters (University of California Press) and Fear Itself: The Causes and Consequences of Fear in America (NYU Press).
| Course Level | Course Name |
|---|---|
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Undergrad |
Introduction to Sociology |
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Undergrad |
Social Statistics |
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Undergrad |
Sociology of Crime and Punishment |
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Undergrad |
Deviant Behavior |
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Undergrad/Grad |
Sociology of Religion |
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Grad |
Research Methods |
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Grad |
Seminar on Crime and Delinquency |
- Current Research
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Ongoing research projects include work on xenophobia and American politics, how views of religious evil shape moral frameworks, and improving the measurement of secularism in social surveys.
- Selected Publications
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Books:
Articles:
- Crusading for Moral Authority: Christian Nationalism and Opposition to Science. Sociological Forum 35(3): 587-607. [with Samuel L. Perry and Andrew L. Whitehead]
- Race, Xenophobia, and Punitiveness Among the American Public. Sociological Quarterly 59(3):363-83. [with David Cañarte and L. Edward Day]
- Whose Moral Community? Religiosity, Secularity, and Self-rated Health Across Communal Religious Contexts. Journal of Health and Social Behavior 59(2):185-99. [with Samuel Stroope]
- Make America Christian Again: Christian Nationalism and Voting for Donald Trump in 2016 Presidential Election. Sociology of Religion 79(2):147-71. [with Andrew L. Whitehead and Samuel L. Perry]
- Gendering (Non)Religion: Politics, Education, and Gender Gaps in Secularity in the United States. Social Forces 94(4):1623-45. [with Andrew L. Whitehead]
- Hell to Pay: Religion and Punitive Ideology among the American Public. Punishment & Society 18(2):151-76. [with Alexis Booth]
- Desecration, Moral Boundaries and the Movement of Law: The Case of Westboro Baptist Church. Deviant Behavior 36(1): 42-67. [with Christopher D. Bader and Kittye Hirsch.
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- Services
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- 2020-2022 Sociology of Religion journal: Editor