In the classroom

Teaching & Mentoring

Graduate and undergraduate teaching on cities, organizations, social policy, and the social sector — and doctoral students placed across sociology, social work, and public policy.

University of Chicago

Current courses

Doctoral · Crown Family School

Communities, Organizations, and Democracy: Key Challenges in Urban Governance

A doctoral seminar developing theoretical tools to think about cities at the organizational level — communities, community organizations, and public bureaucracies.

Master's · Crown Family School

Key Issues in Social Sector Governance

Key concepts for thinking about the social sector: public policy, markets, organizational practice, cultural beliefs, and individual action.

Master's · Crown Family School

Social Intervention: Policies and Programs I & II

Contemporary social-welfare policy for low-income families, and the analytic frameworks linking social problems, policies, and the practices that result.

Master's · Crown Family School

Organizational Theory and Analysis for Human Services

Applying diverse organizational theories and perspectives to the analysis of social-service organizations.

Graduate · with Harris School

Big Data and Public Policy

The conceptual underpinnings of data-science and social-science approaches to policy analysis.

Undergraduate · Crown Family School

How Things Get Done in Cities and Why

Interest representation, decision-making, and inclusion/exclusion in the contemporary city, drawing on multiple disciplines.

Columbia · Baruch · CUNY

Previously taught

Public Organizations (doctoral, CUNY Graduate Center)
Qualitative Research Methods (doctoral, Columbia)
Introduction to Public Affairs (Baruch)
Managing Public and Nonprofit Organizations (Baruch)
Introduction to Classical Social Theory (Columbia)
Introduction to Latina/o Studies (Columbia)
Latina/o Communities in New York City (Columbia)

Doctoral mentoring

Dissertation committees

A selection of doctoral students whose committees Nicole has served on or chaired.

University of Chicago

Erin Carreon — Crown Family School (Chair; Ph.D. expected 2027)

Lester Kern — Crown Family School (Ph.D. expected 2026)

Simon Yamawaki Shachter — Sociology (2024)

Jade Wong — Crown Family School (2022)

Maoz Brown — Sociology (2019)

Jan Doering — Sociology (2014)

Columbia, CUNY & NYU

Rachel Gurstein — CUNY Graduate Center, Political Science (2015)

Isabel Martinez — Teachers College, Columbia (2010)

David Madden — Columbia Sociology (Co-chair; 2010)

Erzsebet Fazekas — Columbia Sociology (Chair; 2009)

Isil Celimli — Columbia Sociology (2008)

Patricia Elias Calles — Columbia Sociology (2008)

Nadia Islam — Columbia Sociomedical Sciences (2007)

Cynthia Duarte — Columbia Sociology (2007)

Michael McQuarrie — NYU Sociology (2007)

Bo-Seon Shim — Columbia Sociology (2006)

Carson Hicks — Columbia Sociology (2006)

Paul-Brian McInerney — Columbia Sociology (2005)

Andreas Kourvetaris — Columbia Sociology (2004)

Norma Fuentes — Columbia Sociology (2004)

Eleonora Pasotti — Columbia Political Science (2003)

Libby Russ — Columbia Spanish & Portuguese (2003)

Daniel Kratochvil — Columbia Sociology (2002)

Helen-Maria Lekas — Columbia Sociology (2002)

Galit Shashoua-Goldblatt — Columbia Sociology (2001)

Maritsa Poros — Columbia Sociology (2001)