- Phone:
- 765-455-9376
- Email:
- nibaxter@iu.edu
- Campus:
- IU Kokomo
East Building (KE), Room 354
East Building (KE), Room 354
Biography
Nick Baxter is an assistant professor of sociology and joined IUK in 2018. His teaching and research interests include cultural, community, and environmental sociology.
Education
- Graduate Certificate in Geographic Information Systems, Kent State University (2023)
- PhD in Sociology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas (2019)
- MA in Sociology, Northern Illinois University (2009)
- BA in Sociology and English, Northern Illinois University (2005)
Research
Dr. Baxter’s research focuses on the intersection of identity, culture, and place/environment. He is interested in the social processes that communities and social groups use to construct cultural meanings of physical spaces, places, and the environment. Dr. Baxter is guided by symbolic interaction and environmental sociology theory and uses qualitative and geographic information system research methods. This research includes projects analyzing culture, environment, and community development within Mississippi River Towns, investigating identity, meaning-making, and imagination among live-action role players, the intersection of social, environmental, and political factors in sustainable farming practices in the Midwest, and connections between meaning-making and environmental action among online climate anxiety support group members.
Oslawski-Lopez, Jamie and Nicholas Baxter. 2025. “Different Types of Introductory to Sociology Courses.” Presented at the North Central Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Lexington, KY.
Nicholas Baxter. 2025. “GIFTS: Good Ideas for Teaching Sociology and Publishing in TRAILS.” Presented at the Midwest Sociological Society Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL.
Nicholas Baxter. 2025. “Social Solidarity and Social Activism Among a Climate Anxiety Support Group.” Presented at the Midwest Sociological Society Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL.
Nicholas Baxter. 2024. “Symbolic Interaction and Environmental Sociology: The Role of SI in Theorizing the Human-Environmental Relationship.” Presented at the European Union Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction, Pisa, Italy.
Nicholas Baxter. 2024. “GIFTS: Good Ideas for Teaching Sociology and Publishing in TRAILS.” Presented at the Midwest Sociological Society Annual Meeting, Des Moines, IA.
Nicholas Baxter. 2023. "Social and Environmental Factors Related to the Geographic Patterns of Organic Farms in the Midwest United States." Presented at the Indiana Academy of Social Sciences Annual Meeting, Kokomo, IN.
Nicholas Baxter. 2023. “Social Support and Solidarity Among People with Climate Change Anxiety.” Presented at the Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA.
Nicholas Baxter. 2023. “Virtual Ethnography at High Impact Practice for Teaching Methods in Introductory Sociology Courses.” Presented at the North Central Sociological Association, Grand Rapids, MI.
Nicholas Baxter. 2022. “Eco-ethnography: Expanding on a History of Using Qualitative Methods to Study Place.” Presented at the Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction Couch-Stone Symposium.
Conner, Christopher and Nicholas Baxter. 2022. “Are You a Werewolf? Teaching Symbolic Interaction Theory Through Game Play.” Presented at the Midwest Sociological Society Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL
Nicholas Baxter. 2021. “The Tale of Two River Towns: Tourism and Gentrification on the Mississippi River.” Presented at the Midwest Sociological Society Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL.
Nicholas Baxter. 2019. “Transverse Interactions on the Mississippi River.” Presented at the Couch-Stone Symposium, Des Moines, IA.
Nicholas Baxter. 2019. “Co-Construction of a Mississippi River Town.” Presented at the annual meetings of the Midwest Sociological Society, Chicago, IL.
Oslawski-Lopez, Jamie and Nicholas Baxter. Forthcoming 2025. “Different Types of Introductory to Sociology Courses.” In Teaching Introduction to Sociology, edited by Stephanie Medley-Rath. Cheltenham, Glos, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing.
Baxter, Nicholas. 2025. “Digital Ethnography as High Impact Practice for Teaching Methods in Introductory Sociology Courses.” Teaching Sociology 53(4): 317-330. https://doi.org/10.1177/0092055X251369086
Baxter, Nicholas. 2025. “Learning to Think Like a River Rat: Understanding Identity and Place Beyond the Nature/Society Divide.” Midwest Social Science Journal 27(2): 55-77. https://doi.org/10.22543/2766-0796.1175
Baxter, Nicholas. 2025. “The Spectacle of Digital Waste: Spectacular Reassurance Strategies and the Material Impacts of the Digital Data System.” In The Spectacle of Online Life, edited by Matthew Hannah, Christopher Conner, and Danielle Hidalgo. Lexington, KY: Lexington Books. https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/spectacle-of-online-life-9798216264651/
Baxter, Nicholas. 2022. “Becoming an Ogre: Identity Work as A Postmodern Leisure Subculture Activity.” Studies in Symbolic Interaction 54: 167-89. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0163-239620220000054009
Conner, Christopher and Nicholas Baxter. 2021. “Are You a Werewolf? Teaching Symbolic Interaction Theory Through Game Play.” Teaching Sociology 50(1): 17-27. https://doi.org/10.1177/0092055X211053375
Baxter, Nicholas and Christopher Conner. 2021. "Teaching Symbolic Interactionist Theory Through Werewolf." Class Activity published in TRAILS: Teaching Resources and Innovations Library for Sociology. Washington, DC: American Sociological Association. (http://trails.asanet.org). https://trails.asanet.org/article/view/teaching-symbolic-interactionist-theory-through-baxter
Conner, Christopher, Nicholas Baxter, David Dickens (Eds./authors). 2019 (paperback 2021). Forgotten Founders and Other Neglected Social Theorists. Lexington, KY: Lexington Books.
Teaching
Dr. Baxter teaches courses in urban/rural sociology, environmental sociology, social movements, social theory, qualitative methods, and geographic information systems. He teaches courses for degrees in sociology, sustainability, and geography. Dr. Baxter has participated in several IUK KEY experiences, including trips to the Jane Addams Hull House in Chicago, IL, Disney World, and Fountain Square, Indianapolis, IN.
Dr. Baxter has also served as the IUK Honors Program Director since 2024, managing the program, recruiting and mentoring students, and developing the honors curriculum. Dr. Baxter has also been a GROUPS Scholars instructor and mentor since 2023.
Courses Taught
- SOC-S100 Introduction to Sociology
- SOC-S101 Social Problems and Policies
- SOC-S308 Global Society
- SOC-S340 Social Theory
- SOC-S361 Cities and Suburbs
- SOC-S366 Sport and Society
- SOC-S382 Environmental Sociology
- SOC-S419 Social Movements and Collective Behavior
- SOC-G338/GEOG-G338 Geographic Information Systems
- HON-H399 Social Dimensions of Climate Change
Awards/Honors
- 2025 Trustees Teaching Award
- 2025 Environmental Leadership Award
- 2023 Experiential and Active Learning Teaching Award
- 2023 Trustees Teaching Award
- 2023 Catalyst Teaching Excellence Award