The reader I am using for introduction to sociology this semester include an excerpt from sociologist Barry Glassner’s (relatively) famous book, The Culture of Fear (originally published in 1999, with a 10th anniversary edition in 2009, by Basic Books). Glassner’s basic argument is that Americans have an excessive fear of the wrong things. For example,ContinueContinue reading “Public Mass Murders and the Culture of Fear in America”
Category Archives: Sociology
Concealed Carry Nation: Understanding Armed Citizens in 21st Century America
THE FOLLOWING IS A PROPOSAL I WROTE IN OCTOBER 2012 (PRE-SANDY HOOK) TO SECURE FUNDING FOR A RESEARCH PROJECT ON AMERICA AS A “CONCEALED CARRY NATION,” PART OF A LARGER PROJECT I AM INITIATING ON AMERICA’S GUN CULTURES. On July 20th of this year, James Holmes entered a midnight screening of The Dark Knight RisesContinueContinue reading “Concealed Carry Nation: Understanding Armed Citizens in 21st Century America”
My New Research on America’s Gun Cultures – From Tragedy to Understanding
In the fall of 2001, I received word that I would spend the 2002-2003 academic year at the University of Virginia’s Center on Religion and Democracy. I had a postdoctoral fellowship to work on my book, The Catholic Church in State Politics, which focused on the role of conferences of Catholic bishops in lobbying stateContinueContinue reading “My New Research on America’s Gun Cultures – From Tragedy to Understanding”
Shopping for Faith in the American Spiritual Marketplace
Much has been made in recent years about the phenomenon of American religion as a “spiritual marketplace” in which individuals are consumers out “shopping for faith” that suits their religious or spiritual tastes. But how do we reconcile this image of a large and diverse marketplace of producers and consumers with the considerable conventionality weContinueContinue reading “Shopping for Faith in the American Spiritual Marketplace”
Speaking of Duke
Speaking of Duke, here’s a quote from a recent New York Times article called “Rebels with a Cross”: [Christian Smith, a University of North Carolina sociologist,] compared the romance of rebellion to the middle-class fascination with hip-hop culture. “Spoiled suburban white kids act like rappers, and there is a real connection to something, but reallyContinueContinue reading “Speaking of Duke”
Kids are Funny, Part Deux
More conversations in the household — 10 Year Old Son: There are too many girls in my Sunday school class. Father: How can that be? That’s like saying there are too many flowers. 5 Year Old Son: Boys and girls are enemies. Father: What?! 5 Year Old Son: Like England and France. I don’t knowContinueContinue reading “Kids are Funny, Part Deux”
Why Did I Leave OLU?
This weekend, I am going to a meeting at The Louisville Institute for the Study of American Religion to help choose recipients of a book-writing fellowship. The Louisville Institute has been very supportive of my work in the past, giving me both a dissertation fellowship and a large grant to conduct research on conversion. TheyContinueContinue reading “Why Did I Leave OLU?”
Stupefication?
35 students in an introduction to sociology course, in which I’ve tried to cultivate an ethic of participation + a question to which they have prepared a written answer ahead of time = 35 students looking at me as if I am speaking Aramaic when I ask them to discuss their answers to said questionContinueContinue reading “Stupefication?”
Questions and Answers
Yesterday was the first day of classes for the semester, and my first day of classes ever, at Wake Forest University. Which raises a number of questions that I’ll try to answer quickly. Further observations will no doubt be posted as I make them. How’s the weather? It depends on what you like. You probablyContinueContinue reading “Questions and Answers”