COURSE DETAILS
Course Title: Ten Essential Observations on Guns in America (a.k.a., The Sociology of Guns)
Instructor: David Yamane, Professor of Sociology, Wake Forest University
Time: Mondays, 6:00pm-7:00pm Eastern Time (recordings to be made available to registrants). Note: Final session will meet on Monday due to Memorial Day holiday.
Dates: 7 weekly meetings from March 25 to May 22, 2024 (skipping April 15, May 6, and May 20)
Platform: Zoom Webinar. Registration is required via this registration link.
Printable Syllabus: Download a PDF version of this syllabus
OVERVIEW
Guns and their use often have a spectacular presence in American society, not to mention its imagination. Familiar examples abound, from Pennsylvania Rifles to the AR-15, the Colt Single Action Army to the Glock 17, Wild Bill Hickock to Kyle Rittenhouse, and Concord, Massachusetts to Uvalde, Texas. Guns are also a part of everyday life in communities across the country. They are used as tools of self-defense and criminal violence, and are one of the most commonly owned pieces of sporting equipment in the United States.
Clearly, guns are an important part of American society and culture. With over 400,000,000 guns held by at least 80 million private citizens and a Constitutional amendment associated with gun ownership, the possession, regulation, meaning, and use of firearms reaches into important realms of American culture and society.
This webinar explores some of the many roles guns play in the U.S. from a sociological perspective, including the prevalence and distribution of guns, lawful possession and use of firearms, and gun crime and injuries.
Our approach will be organized according to James Wright’s 1995 essay, “Ten Essential Observations on Guns in America.” We will engage with and attempt to update this classic essay, which is now nearly thirty years old.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
[1] PRIMARY: You will better understand guns’ multifaceted role in the U.S., including the history, legalities, and everyday uses and abuses. Relatedly, you will be able to approach the issue of guns in society in a more objective and nuanced manner.
[2] SECONDARY: You will better understand your personal beliefs about guns, including scrutinizing your relationship to guns to make informed choices about your participation with and the place of guns in the communities in which you live.
IMPORTANT NOTES ABOUT CLASS
[1] This course is offered as a public service. There is no tuition but attendees must register for the webinar.
[2] This course is offered on the Zoom Webinar not Zoom Meeting platform. Only Professor Yamane and any special guests will have speaking privileges. Webinar attendees have access to Q&A and chat functionality only.
[3] Each synchronous (live) session will be recorded for later (asynchronous) viewing by webinar registrants.
[4] Reading materials will be provided via this public website.
COURSE SCHEDULE
NOTE: Webinar attendees are not expected to have read the materials provided for each module, some of which are quite complex. They are the basis for Professor Yamane’s presentations. All course materials are subject to change.
Click on each module’s link for more information about that class session:
Module 1 (March 25): Guns are Normal, Normal People Use Guns
Module 2 (April 1): Gun Culture 2.0
Module 3 (April 8): The Concealed Carry Revolution
APRIL 15 WEBINAR POSTPONED DUE TO ILLNESS. NOTE MODIFIED SCHEDULE BELOW
Module 4 (April 22): Defensive Gun Use and The Standard Model of the Irrationality of Defensive Gun Ownership
Module 5 (April 29): Criminal Defensive Gun Ownership and Illegal Gun Markets
SKIPPING MAY 6
Module 6 (May 13): Gun Violence and Prevention Strategies
SKIPPING MAY 20 AND FINAL SESSION HELD ON WEDNESDAY DUE TO MEMORIAL DAY
Module 7 (May 22): Conclusions Regarding Guns and Gun Culture
SUPPORT
There is no tuition for this course. If you would like to support my mission of educating people and enriching conversations about guns in America, please use either of the two donation buttons below. Your contributions help offset the costs associated with making this and other work freely available with no subscriptions or paywalls. Even a small one-time PayPal contribution or gift of one $5 “coffee” helps. (Venmo added by request.) Thank you for sustaining my work and my morale.
