Teaching the Sociology of Guns, Year 6 Syllabus

I was scheduled to teach Sociology of Religion this semester (Fall 2020), but several students in the spring asked me to teach my Sociology of Guns seminar instead. So here I am, teaching the course for the 6th straight year.

Download a PDF of the current syllabus here. A collection of links to my previous posts on the seminar is available also.

Because the course is substantially online, there is not a detailed schedule in the syllabus. The topics I will cover, however, include the following:

1. Guns in US history and culture
2. Who owns how many guns and why?
3. The concealed carry revolution
4. Self-defense gun training, with guest John Johnston of Ballistic Radio and Citizens Defense Research
5. Diversity in gun culture, with guests Tiffany Johnson and Aqil Qadir of Citizens Safety Academy
6. Police Use of Force
7. Gun Injury and Suicide, with guests Michael Soldini and Rob Pincus of Walk the Talk America
8. Homicide
9. Political Views on Guns, with guest Lara C. Smith of the Liberal Gun Club

As always, the course begins with a trip to the gun range, and I will be posting some students’ reflections on that experience with their permission.

If you want to support my work, please buy me a drink