Graduate Fellows

Joseph Baker

E-mail: Joseph_Baker@Baylor.edu

Research Assistant
Sociology of Religion graduate student
M.A., Sociology, Baylor University, 2007
B.S., Sociology, East Tennessee State University, 2005

My research interests include social theory, religion, and deviance. More specifically I am interested in religious experiences, religious deviance, and irreligion. My thesis investigates the effects of social factors on religious experiences; focusing on exploring religious experiences from a deviance/conformity angle.

I chose this program because it prepares its students for academia as well as the most exciting aspect of coming to Baylor has been the opportunity to receive personal attention and instruction from top flight researchers in sociology. Coupled with this there are varied and unique opportunities to conduct research in the area of religion. In addition to the "official" instruction received from faculty, being in an environment with other graduate students who share the same interests has also been vital to my academic development.

Publications:

Baker, Joseph. Forthcoming in Winter 2008. "Who Believes in Religious Evil? An Investigation of Sociological Patterns of Belief in Satan, Hell, and Demons." Review of Religious Research 50(2).

Baker, Joseph. Forthcoming in 2009. "The Variety of Religious Experiences." Review of Religious Research.

Baker, Joseph and Buster G. Smith. Forthcoming in Summer 2009. "The Nones: Social Characteristics of the Religiously Unaffiliated." Social Forces.

Baker, Joseph. 2008. "An Investigation of the Sociological Patterns of Prayer Frequency and Content." Sociology of Religion 69(2):169-185.

Baker, Joseph and Ashley Palmer-Boyes. "Perceptions of Evil." In American Piety Revisited, edited by Rodney Stark. Baylor University Press.

Baker, Joseph O. and Ashley Palmer-Boyes. 2008. "Evil: Did Sin Cause the Hurricane?" In American Piety Revisited: New Findings from the Baylor Religion Survey, edited by Rodney Stark. Waco: Baylor University Press.

Park, Jerry Z. and Joseph Baker. "What Would Jesus Buy: American Consumption of Religious and Spiritual Material Goods." Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 46(4: 501-517, 2007.

Scott Draper

E-mail: Scott_Draper@Baylor.edu
Research/Teaching Assistant Sociology of Religion graduate student
M.A. expected in May 2009
M.A. Acting, Institute for Advanced Theater Training, Harvard University, 2001 B.A., English Literature, Wheaton College, 1998

I'm thrilled to be a part of Baylor's sociology department. The faculty and graduate students are engaged in a wealth of exciting projects, there are numerous opportunities for productive collaboration, and the Baylor Religion Survey is a great source for orginal data. My research interests so far have focused on theory, religion, and media.

Alessandra Gonzalez

E-mail: Alessandra_Gonzalez@Baylor.edu

Research Assistant
Sociology of Religion graduate student
M.A., Sociology, Baylor Univ, 2008
B.A., Sociology & Policy Studies, Rice University, 2005

Alessandra L. Gonzalez is a graduate student in the Sociology of Religion doctoral program at Baylor University. She received a B.A. in Sociology and Policy Studies from Rice University and her current research interests include the role of religion and comparative social movements. She is the principal investigator of the Islamic Social Attitudes Survey Project (ISAS), a study on Islamic Religiosity and Social Attitudes, including Women's Rights Attitudes in the Arab Gulf Region. She has presented her research at the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy's 2007 Conference on "The Rights of Women in Islam." Ms. Gonzalez is fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, has a working knowledge of French, and is currently studying Chinese and Arabic.

Wes Hinze

E-mail: Wes_Hinze@Baylor.edu

CCRD Research Analyst
Research Assistant Applied
Sociology graduate student
B.A., Sociology, Baylor University, 2004

From Shreveport, LA, I am a Second year graduate student in the Applied Sociology program. The grand social theories are what originally attracted me to Sociology, but my interest in the application of advanced statistical techniques to test and improve these theories is what attracted me to this graduate program. Apart from Sociology I enjoy mountain biking and disc golf.

Jared Maier

E-mail: Jared_Maier@Baylor.edu

Research/Teaching Assistant
Sociology of Religion graduate student
Graduate Teacher of Record - Social Statistics Laboratory
M.A., Sociology of Religion, Baylor University, 2007
Master of Divinity, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2004
B.S., Computer Science, Baylor University, 1999

Jared Maier is a graduate student in the Sociology of Religion doctoral program. My research interests include race, religion, community, and organizational studies. My thesis is about the attitudinal effects of racial diversity in religious congregations on their attendees. The Sociology of Religion program is structured so that professors and students alike are studying and doing research together in a comfortable atmosphere that nurtures exploration instead of competition. It has equipped me in a short period of time to do research in my personal areas of interest, both on my own, and with student and faculty collaborators.

Ashley Palmer

E-mail: A_Palmer@Baylor.edu

Research Assistant
Sociology of Religion graduate student
M.A., Sociology of Religion, Baylor University, 2008
B.A. Environmental Science with Honors, Stetson University, 2005

Baylor was initially appealing to me for the uniqueness of its Sociology of Religion program. I was particularly attracted to the program for the number of faculty dedicated to this area of study and the opportunity to work with them in small-classroom setting. Their accessibility and eagerness to foster scholasticism in the graduate students has enhanced my experience here. It has also been encouraging to work in an atmosphere of cooperation rather than competition among the graduate students.

My research interests include stratification and environmental and resource sociology, specifically the relationship between consumption patterns and value system.

Publications:

Baker, Joseph and Ashley Palmer-Boyes. "Perceptions of Evil." In American Piety Revisited, edited by Rodney Stark. Baylor University Press.

Jeremy Rhodes

Jeremy Rhodes is a graduate student in the Sociology of Religion Doctoral program. Current research interests include religion and stratification, specifically the spread of religion under politically and socially repressive conditions.

Samuel Stroope
E-mail: Sam_Stroope@Baylor.edu
Research/Teaching Assistant
Sociology of Religion graduate student
M.A. Expected Spring 2010
M.A., Theological Studies, Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, 2006
M.A., Intercultural Studies, Union University, 2002
B.A., English, Ouachita Baptist University, 1999

Sam's interests include the sociology of religion, India, and concerns related to globalization, migration, and transnationalism. He has lived in India, the U.K., Germany, and Sri Lanka, and has visited 25 countries in Asia, Africa, and Europe. Before entering Baylor’s sociology program, he worked in international education for five years.

Andrew Whitehead
E-mail: Andrew_Whitehead@Baylor.edu
Research/Teaching Assistant
Sociology of Religion graduate student
M.A. Expected Spring 2009
B.A., Psychology, Purdue University, 2005

My current research interests include megachurches, denominations, and religious ideology's effect on attitudes. My master's thesis will focus on megachurches and their efforts to create vibrant community despite their large size.

Aryeh Weinberg

E-mail: Aryeh_Weinberg@Baylor.edu
Research Assistant
Sociology of Religion graduate student
M.A. expected in 2010

Aryeh K. Weinberg is a research associate at the Institute for Jewish & Community Research. He is also a research fellow with the Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion. Mr. Weinberg received his B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, in International Relations and Peace and Conflict Studies, with an emphasis on international freshwater conflict and cooperation.

Mr. Weinberg's research focuses on philanthropy, as well as anti-Semitism and anti-Israelism in American education. His latest publications include "The UnCivil University: Politics and Propaganda in Higher Education", "An Exceptional Nation: American Philanthropy Is Different Because America Is Different", "A Profile of American College Facultyvol. 1: Political Beliefs & Behavior", and "A Profile of American College Faculty vol. 2: Religious Beliefs & Behavior". He is presently completing two monographs entitled "Mega-Gifts in American Philanthropy vol. 2", and "Mega-Gifts in Jewish Philanthropy".