Towson University College of Liberal Arts alumna Noelle Cook '20 is turning rigorous research into timely public scholarship with the release of her new book, The Conspiracists: Women, Extremism, and the Lure of Belonging. The book examines how and why women become involved in conspiratorial and extremist spaces, bringing fresh insight to one of the most urgent social issues of our time.  

An ethnographer and storyteller, Cook investigates how conspiracy theories, extremism and disinformation reshape lives and culture. Her work bridges academia and media and is grounded in more than five years of immersive fieldwork, a foundation that informs her book and related media projects.  

Cook’s achievements reflect the strong research foundation she built at TU. As a TU student, she was recognized as a 2019–20 undergraduate research award recipient for her project, “The Role of Women in India’s Gig Economy,” undertaken with faculty mentor Harjant Gill in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice.

"Returning to school as a non-traditional student at Towson University led to unexpected opportunities,” Cook says. “Through anthropology and faculty mentorship, I learned to ask better questions, listen closely, think critically and bring research out of the university and into public life."  

Cook’s work has gained recognition well beyond the classroom. She served as associate producer and lead researcher on the feature documentary The Conspiracists, a project rooted in nearly four years of ethnographic research that also became the foundation for her book of the same title, weaving together visual and textual scholarship.

Through her book and film work, Cook is helping broader audiences understand the complex forces of identity, belief and belonging that shape contemporary extremism. Her success showcases the impact of a TU liberal arts education, one that prepares students to ask bold questions, conduct meaningful research and contribute to critical public conversations.