Nicolas Simon

Biography

Dr. Simon research and teaching interests focus on helping students graduate from institutions of higher education by developing their social and cultural capital. His pedagogy emphasizes a student-centered approach to learning by incorporating the strategies of asset-based learning in the classroom. Dr. Simon earned his MA in Geography and his MA in Sociology from Université de Caen – Basse-Normandie, France. Dr. Simon earned his PhD from the University of Connecticut.

Research Interests

• Sociology of Higher Education. Focusing on First-Generation College Students, Pedagogy, and Service Learning
• Sociological Theory. Focusing on Critical Theory, Symbolic-Interactionism, and French Authors
• Qualitative Methods. Focusing on Grounded Theory and Autoethnography

Of Note

Dr. Simon works closely with the Center for Community Engagement. He emphasizes civic involvement in his teaching and encourages students to volunteer in the community by participating in asset-based community services.

Teaching Interests

• Pierre Bourdieu
• Erving Goffman
• C Wright Mills and Peter Berger

Publications

Simon, Nicolas. 2013. “Marcel Mauss, un sociologue dans la tourmente”. Anamnèse 7 :111-130

Rondini, Ashley, Bedelia, Richards, and Nicolas Simon, eds. 2018. Clearing the Path. Qualitative Studies of the Experiences of First-Generation College Students. Lanham, MD: Lexington Press