Gun Culture and Violence in the American Society 4219-RS213
A look at most spectacular instances of violence in American history
Theorizing about political violence
American values as political rights
The 2nd Amendment – legal debates
The 2nd Amendment – political debates
The 2nd Amendment and electoral politics
Political violence in America:
- presidential assassinations and their ramifications (Garfield, McKinley, JFK, Reagan)
- political assassinations:
- civil rights martyrs (King, Evers, Malcolm X)
- presidential hopefuls (RFK, Wallace)
American extremism in historical perspective:
- KKK
- weathermen and the 1960s
Violence and change in America: political protests in the 1960s (civil rights movements, anti-war movement
Domestic terrorism in the USA::
- the militia movement
-anti-abortion movement
- racial minorities and guns
- women and guns
Guns and violence in contemporary America – a final look at the changing patterns of the use of violence in American society – violence and popular culture – analysis of January 6, 2021 events on the Capitol Hill
Final reflections on the relations between guns and American culture
Type of course
proseminars
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Knowledge: Students will know the cultural sources of contemporary social phenomenon of violence. They will be able to recognize the social, economic, and cultural determinants of violence in democratic society. They will know how to analyze relevant social statistics. They will become familiar with legal arguments about guns in American society. They will learn how to read Supreme Court decisions. They will acquire ability to analyze legal opinions and understand the language in legal documents. They will become exposed to the significance of rights and legal instruments to safeguard them in a democratic society.
Skills: teamwork, designing a research project, execution of research, conceptualization and operationalization of social phenomena, presentation of research results, public speaking
Competence: They will become more aware of the concept of democratic citizenship
Assessment criteria
The goal of the class is to make students think creatively and apply proper methodology to write an original analytical essay based on the analysis of empirical data
Final grade will come from four components:
Analytical Term paper (at least 10 pages) – analysis of current conflicts regarding gun control. Prior to writing the paper students will discuss their research proposal in class.
Homeworks (3)
Presentation of arguments in a current debate about some aspect of gun control (2 students debating in public in front of the class).
Participation and attendance (2 absences allowed)
Bibliography
James Aho, The Politics of Righteousness, University of Washington Press
Marjolijn Bijlefeld, The Gun Control Debate, The New Press
Osha Davidson, Under Fire. NRA and the Battle for Gun Control, Henry Holt
Joel Dyer, Harvest of Rage, Westview
Additional Individual chapters or articles
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: