Professor David Yamane and His Seminar on Gun Culture

Professor David Yamane at Gun Culture 2.0 and the end of an era. “Sociology of Guns” Class Ver. 10 (Fall 2024)

Fall at Wake Forest University means many things, but in my life for the past decade it has meant teaching my “Sociology of Guns” seminar. This semester I will be teaching the course for the 10th consecutive academic year, dating back to the fall of 2015.

I am likely to take a temporary or permanent hiatus from the course after this year, so if you are or have ever been interested in the class, please take advantage of these materials.

The posts Professor Yamane and his students create about this seminar are fascinating. While I understand that 10 years is a long time to run a course like this, I hope he finds something related (and as interesting) to carry one with.

The the course materials made available are:

1. A PDF of the syllabus for this semester.
2. A page containing links to dozens of posts from the first 9 years of the course
3. A brief description of the course and my approach published in The Conversation’s Uncommon Courses series.

This year's field trip to the gun range took place already, so the student reaction essays will be forthcoming. Some students will likely permit the professor to publish their essays. They are usually interesting, because often written by people who have never handled a firearm in their lives, and have only seen them as portrayed in popular media and the news.