I rarely blog here but I want to call attention to the uncorrected page proofs of a forthcoming book review I wrote of Matteo Bortolini’s biography of Robert Bellah, A Joyfully Serious Man. Anyone interested in Bellah’s work or life should read this book. I conclude my review writing: “The truth Robert N. Bellah embodiedContinue reading “Remembering Robert N. Bellah”
Category Archives: Culture
Small Teaching Online Book Summary
Over the past three weeks I have participated in a Wake Forest Center for the Advancement of Teaching summer reading group led by Director of Educational Development Dr. Kristi Verbeke. Over 30 faculty (IIRC) read and discussed Small Teaching Online by Flower Darby and James Lang. What follows is my reading notes and reflections onContinue reading “Small Teaching Online Book Summary”
Choosing Adventure: Safe Travel in Dangerous Places book by Greg Ellifritz
As one of Greg Ellifritz’s Patreon supporters, I received an electronic version of his new book Choose Adventure: Safe Travel in Dangerous Places as a benefit of patronage. But Greg was good enough also to send me a hard copy when it became available recently. At first glance, I am not the natural audience forContinue reading “Choosing Adventure: Safe Travel in Dangerous Places book by Greg Ellifritz”
Additional Resources on Japanese-American Internment Camps During World War II
I began this series of posts talking about how little I knew about the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, even when I was an upper-division college student at UC-Berkeley. At the same time I “discovered” the internment, I also discovered resistance within the internment camps. Almost 30 years later, now, and much moreContinue reading “Additional Resources on Japanese-American Internment Camps During World War II”
Trying to Put My Writing on a Diet
Like many academics, I write alot. Books, book chapters, articles, book reviews, lectures and lesson plans, manuscript reviews, letters of recommendation, my blogs (this one less than my Gun Culture 2.0 blog), emails, and more. Like some academics, I enjoy writing. Although I enjoy writing, it is hard. Or perhaps, I enjoy writing because itContinue reading “Trying to Put My Writing on a Diet”
My Love of Whisk(e)y and the Alcohol Epidemic in the United States
I love whisk(e)y. My love knows almost no boundaries. American, Canadian, Indian, Irish, Japanese, Scotch, Texas. Barley, corn, rye, wheat. Neat, rocks, mixed. To fuel my love I have been reading Reid Mitenbuler’s recent book, Bourbon Empire: The Past and Future of America’s Whiskey. Early on, Mitenbuler introduces the first alcohol distiller among the BritishContinue reading “My Love of Whisk(e)y and the Alcohol Epidemic in the United States”
William Butler Yeats on the Experience of Modernity
I have always invoked Marshall Berman invoking Karl Marx invoking Shakespeare (Prospero in “The Temptest”) to describe the experience of modernity: “All that is solid melts into air, all that is holy is profaned.” But I could equally well use Irish poet William Butler Yeats from “The Second Coming” (1919) via African novelist Chinua Achebe:Continue reading “William Butler Yeats on the Experience of Modernity”
Live Tweeting PBS Frontline Episode “Gunned Down: The Power of the NRA”
Thanks to a recommendation from my fellow sociologist of guns, Jennifer Carlson, I was asked by the digital content manager for PBS’s FRONTLINE to participate in live Tweeting before, during, and after the premier of their upcoming episode, “Gunned Down: The Power of the NRA.” The episode airs at 10:00am Eastern Time on Tuesday, JanuaryContinue reading “Live Tweeting PBS Frontline Episode “Gunned Down: The Power of the NRA””
Concealed Carry Fun with Google Ngram
My writing accountability partner recently turned me on to Google Ngram. The search engine lets you you electronically comb through millions of books in Google’s database for certain words or phrases. (You can read about the technical details on Google or Wikipedia.) I searched for the phrase “concealed carry” as a case-insensitive phrase and theContinue reading “Concealed Carry Fun with Google Ngram”
Read Julie Schumacher’s Dear Committee Members: A Novel
Whether you write letters of recommendation or not – but especially if you write letters of recommendation – read Julie Schumacher’s Dear Committee Members. It is a novel written in the form of letters of recommendation by Jason T. Fitger, Professor of Creative Writing and English at Payne University. Although not a typical narrative, theContinue reading “Read Julie Schumacher’s Dear Committee Members: A Novel”
DAVID YAMANE 