I am excited to be teaching a new course in the fall semester, related to my new research project on American gun culture: Sociology 384: Special Topics Seminar – The Sociology of Guns. Course description follows the flier. COURSE DESCRIPTION Guns often have a spectacular presence in the American imagination, from George Zimmerman to Sandy HookContinueContinue reading “New Course for Fall 2015: The Sociology of Guns”
Category Archives: Sociology
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:ContinueContinue reading “William Butler Yeats on the Experience of Modernity”
On the Ideal of Ethical Neutrality in Research on America’s Culture Wars
I am not sure what it says about me, but in my career as a sociologist, I have been drawn to some of the more controversial issues of my time. What James Davison Hunter way back in 1991 called “culture wars.” Culture wars, according to Hunter, are “struggles to define America,” and have been foughtContinueContinue reading “On the Ideal of Ethical Neutrality in Research on America’s Culture Wars”
Chris Rock’s Neo-Marxist View of Minimum Wage
In my classical theory class we just finished reading excerpts from three of Karl Marx’s most (in)famous works: the Paris Manuscripts, Capital, and the Communist Manifesto. Marx confidently predicted that the contradictions inherent in the capitalist system would lead to its downfall, as economic crises would get progressively worse over time, making clear to workersContinueContinue reading “Chris Rock’s Neo-Marxist View of Minimum Wage”
Gun Rights versus Gun Control: On the Need to Understand Sampling Error in Reporting Statistics
Based on a recent survey by the Pew Research Center, we can be 95% confident that the actual gap in American’s attitudes toward protecting gun rights versus controlling gun ownership is as small as 0% and as large as 12%. Depending on where you stand on the issue, things might not be as bad asContinueContinue reading “Gun Rights versus Gun Control: On the Need to Understand Sampling Error in Reporting Statistics”
Robert N. Bellah (1927-2013)
This is not an obituary or remembrance of Robert Bellah. I don’t have the emotional energy to spare for that, even though it has been over a year since he passed. There are many such tributes, though, some collected on the website maintained in his name. This is simply the text of an entry IContinueContinue reading “Robert N. Bellah (1927-2013)”
Putting Grading and Grades in Perspective
The quickening of life due to technology is a blessing I depend on daily. But it is also a curse at times, especially at the end of the semester when it comes to grades. I submitted my fall grades today at 11:45am (they were due at noon!). By 4pm the first grade complaint had arrivedContinueContinue reading “Putting Grading and Grades in Perspective”
Religion on the PGA Tour
Although I am not a sociologist of sport, I have enjoyed those times when my work in the sociology of religion comes into dialogue with the world of sport. Here is some material I am working up for the 6th edition of my sociology of religion textbook: When Webb Simpson won the 2012 U.S. OpenContinueContinue reading “Religion on the PGA Tour”
Microsociology of Death of Eric Garner: Choking for 27 Seconds by Jooyoung Lee
University of Toronto sociology professor Jooyoung Lee has written a very interesting blog post analyzing the video of the choking death of Eric Garner in Staten Island. It is a miscrosociology of the event that is also informed by Lee’s practice of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He blogs on Blogspot rather than WordPress platform so IContinueContinue reading “Microsociology of Death of Eric Garner: Choking for 27 Seconds by Jooyoung Lee”
What We Talk About When We Talk About Racism, Post-Ferguson Reflections on the Need for Basic Distinctions
Discussions of race, more often than not in my experience, generate more heat than light. I learned this early on in my own education when I was doing the research for my book, Student Movements for Multiculturalism: Challenging the Curricular Color Line in Higher Education. Anger, frustration, hurt, misunderstanding, and other emotions were abundant onContinueContinue reading “What We Talk About When We Talk About Racism, Post-Ferguson Reflections on the Need for Basic Distinctions”