Nicholas Theis joined Kenyon’s Department of Sociology in July 2024. His research broaches questions across several areas, including environmental sociology, world-systems analysis, rural issues, scientific knowledge production and research methods. Generally, he is interested in (1) using quantitative methods to understand the intersection of social inequalities and environmental change across scales, (2) innovating research areas by applying novel methods to well-studied questions, and (3) analyzing the relationship between rural identities and environmental problems and decision-making.

Theis’s courses focus on the social dimensions of power and inequality, environmental problems, rural issues and research methods.

Areas of Expertise

Environmental sociology; rural sociology; sociology of science; research methods

Education

2024 — Doctor of Philosophy from University of Oregon

2019 — Master of Science from University of Oregon

2016 — Bachelor of Science from University of Wisconsin-La Cro

Courses Recently Taught

This course introduces students to the field of sociology through the study of energy and power in several of their conceptual forms: as social levers of oppression and inequities, as the physical capacity behind economic development and material accumulation, and as complicated and contested cultural symbols of tremendous consequence for the natural and social worlds. The course looks at human labor and energy as interwoven dimensions of Western society and uses theories of power as lenses for understanding four case studies: The production and consumption of sugar, the contemporary cotton apparel industry, mass incarceration in the United States, and Appalachian coal and global climate change. Students may take only one introductory-level course. This counts toward the foundation requirement for the major. Offered every year.

Our world is a blend of things that humans have shaped directly and things we define by our perceived lack of direct involvement with them. Over time, we have depended on our ecological surroundings in myriad changing ways, but we have demonstrated inconsistent acknowledgment of our complex relationships with nature. Environmental sociology embodies a broad, thoughtful application of sociological insights to investigating the ways we shape and are shaped by our surroundings. This course explores through a sociological lens how Western society and, more specifically, contemporary American society interacts with nature. It frames central questions with regard to differentiating between humans and nature and explaining how interactions between the two vary, and it engages with current debates over conservation, sustainability, development and social justice. Prerequisite: 100-level sociology course.

Knowing how to answer a question, including what constitutes good evidence and how to collect it, is a necessary ability for any sociologist, or for any student reading the sociological research of others. Our goal is to learn to understand when and how to use research strategies such as survey questionnaires, interviews, fieldwork and analysis of historical documents. Students conduct small-scale research projects using these techniques. This course is not intended for seniors, although it is required for all sociology majors. Students are advised to enroll in this class as soon as they begin to consider majoring in sociology. This counts toward the methods requirement for the major. Prerequisite: 100-level sociology course. Offered every year.