David Yamane

Collected Posts on Sociology of Guns Seminar (2015-2019)

I have posted countless times on this blog about the Sociology of Guns seminar I have been teaching annually in the Department of Sociology at Wake Forest University since 2015.

This entry collects as many earlier posts as possible, including some written by students in the class, by year. You will note that some years I posted more about the class than others.

Spring 2019

 

Spring 2018

Professor David Yamane assisting a Sociology of Guns student at Proshots Range.

Spring 2017

Richard Talbert, manager, Proshots Range, discusses firearms safety during class field trip, January 2017.

Fall 2016

Gift from my Fall 2016 Sociology of Guns Class.

Fall 2015

5 comments

  1. This is very cool, I’m going to have to work my way through these.

    I was a Sociology minor at Appalachian State, I loved it – by far my favorite subject. Unfortunately, the running joke back then was if you majored in Sociology either you studied homeless people or you became one.

    (I ended up becoming a Criminal Justice Major instead.)

    I don’t know how you do it. Our Sociology department was very liberal and feminist, I was the constant odd man out for my beliefs. But I’m certainly going to have to keep an eye out for any open seminars or classes you hold. I’d love to attend if I can get away from my toddler. 🙂

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    • Sorry for the slow response to this – been on the road too much. It is true that academia skews liberal, and sociology is among the more liberal academic disciplines. It works OK for me in part because I am mostly liberal myself, and I have found ways to fit my oddball interests into the general framework of sociology (applies also to my earlier studies of religion). I also tend to keep my mouth shut in areas in which my colleagues and I might not agree (e.g., guns). That said, no one has ever said I shouldn’t study guns or teach about guns sociologically. The university pays for my class field trip to the gun range, as they would for any academically justified field trip.

      Unfortunately I don’t have any plans for open seminars, though that is something to think about. The university has begun offering continuing education type courses, and maybe one on the sociology of guns would be of interest to people. I am speaking at the National Firearms Law Seminar in April – not sure if that will be videorecorded or not, but I hope it will.

      As I start to make some real progress on my book, maybe I will have an opportunity and/or motivation to get the word out more and generate some interest. Possibly appearing in your town some day! In the mean time, I will try to share what’s going on in the class on the blog as much as possible.

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      • That’s good to hear your that Wake is so accepting. I had a rough time in college just for wearing gun brand clothing or hats. I remember taking a day off from class to attend an Appleseed and my teacher pulled me aside and whispered, “Are you in a militia?” Heh.

        But that sounds great, I really look forward to your book and watching your talk if it’s filmed. I certainly wish I had a course like yours back when I was in college!

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