Professor Baggett is a sociologist who teaches a variety of courses at the Jesuit School, all of which – regardless of specific content – introduce students to both sociological theory and method as well as to the complicated dynamics of religion and culture within contemporary society. In addition to various scholarly articles, he has written Habitat for Humanity: Building Private Homes, Building Public Religion (Temple, 2001) and Sense of the Faithful: How American Catholics Live Their Faith (Oxford, 2009). He is currently conducting a research project – tentatively titled The Varieties of Irreligious Experience – on atheists in the United States today.
Courses
RS 3165: New Atheism in American Culture
RS 3910: Sociology of American Catholicism
RS 5027: Foundational Social Theory
RSCE 2701: Sociology of Religion
RSCE 3178: Religion and Cultural Analysis
RSCE 5170: Sacred and Secular
RSSP 4730: Spirituality and the Religious Quest in America
Publications
- The Varieties of Nonreligious Experience: Atheism in American Culture. New York: NYU Press, 2019.
- Habitat For Humanity: Building Private Homes, Building Public Religion. Philadelphia, PA, Temple University Press, 2000.
- Sense of the Faithful: How American Catholics Live Their Faith. New York, NY, Oxford University Press, 2009.
Articles
- "Another Legacy of Vatican II: Cultural Dilemmas among American Catholics" in Paul Crowley, ed., From Vatican II to Pope Francis: Charting a Catholic Future (Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 2014), pp. 40-53.
- "Been There, Done That: What Atheists Contribute to Discussions about Faith" in Explore, v. 17 (Spring 2014): 52-5.
- "Protagoras's Assertion Revisited: American Atheism and Its Accompanying Obscurities," Implicit Religion (Fall 2011): 257-94.
- "The Catholic Citizen: Perennial Challenge or Emergent Oxymoron?" Social Compass, vol. 53 (2), 2006: 291-309.
- Congregations and Civil Society: A Double-Edged Connection," Journal of Church and State 44 (Fall 2002): 425-54.
- "The Irony of Parachurch Organizations: The Case of Habitat for Humanity," in Dwight F. Burlingame, ed., Taking Fundraising Seriously: The Spirit of Faith and Philanthropy (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2002): 55-78.