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The Nature and Uses of Sociology Istock CHAPTER 1 The Nature and Uses of Sociology iStock The Sociology of School Violence On April 16, 2007, the worst school shooting in dormitory on campus. At 7:15 a.m. Cho enters the history of the United States took place in West Ambler Hall, where he shoots and kills his Blacksburg, Virginia. On that day, 27 college first two victims, 19 year-old first-year student students and 5 instructors were shot and killed Emily Hilscher and 22 year-old senior, Ryan during two separate incidents that spanned over Clark. Cho lives in Harper Hall, not West Am- two and a half hours. After a thorough investi- bler; however, he has access to the secure facility gation, the following is an account of what hap- of West Ambler because his mailbox is located pened on that day. within the building. Even though West Ambler At 5:00 a.m., Seung-Hui Cho, a 23 year-old Hall is a secure facility, only accessible with a English major at Virginia Polytechnic University magnetic access card, Cho has a card that allows and State School (Virginia Tech), is sitting at his him access after 7:30 a.m. each day. It is unclear computer —as noted by one of his suite mates how Cho gains entry into the building earlier within his dorm. At 5:30 a.m., another suite mate than he should have been allowed. It’s possible sees Cho putting acne cream on his face in the that Cho witnesses Emily Hilscher being bathroom, before getting dressed and leaving his dropped off 13 minutes earlier by her boyfriend dorm room. At 6:47 a.m. Cho is seen outside of and selects her as his first victim. When she is West Ambler Johnston Residence Hall, a coed confronted and killed by Cho in her room; it is 3 4 CHAPTER 1 • The Nature and Uses of Sociology believed that Ryan Clark, the residence hall advi- sor, goes to check on the noise. Cho, then, also kills Ryan in Emily’s room. While no one knows exactly why Cho chooses Emily Hilscher as his first victim, it had been well documented that in previous years a number of female students had complained of harassing contact by Cho with unwanted emails, text messaging, and letters. After killing his first two victims, Cho goes Seung-Hui Cho committed the worst school shooting in U.S. back to his own dorm room in Harper Hall, history at Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007. West Ambler John- changes out of his bloody clothes, checks and ston Hall is where the first two victims were killed. (AP Photo) deletes his emails, removes his hard drive, and leaves to get rid of it before heading to the post ening that a bomb would go off if anyone at- office. At this same time, police and medical per- tempts to enter. A faculty member finds the sonnel are arriving at West Ambler Hall, having note and takes it to an administrative office lo- received a call about the first shootings. Believing cated on the third floor, but no call is ever made the killings are isolated, and perhaps the result of to authorities concerning the bomb threat. a domestic dispute involving Hilscher’s Once safely inside, Cho first enters Room 206, boyfriend, police make a decision that will ulti- where G. V. Loganathan, an engineering pro- mately be the center of much controversy; they fessor from India, is teaching an advanced hy- choose not to close the campus, but, rather, to drology course. After killing Loganathan, Cho allow students to attend classes as normal. shoots and kills 9 of the 13 students in the class- At 9:01 a.m., approximately two hours after room. Next, Cho goes across the hall to Room the first shootings, Cho arrives at the local post 207 where Christopher Bishop is teaching an office to mail a package, which contains some of introduction to German course. Like in the his writings and a videotape of him holding previous room, Cho first kills the instructor weapons and rambling about his resentment, (Bishop) before killing four students and hatred and possibility of a coming massacre, to wounding six others. Cho continues on to other NBC News. After leaving the post office, he classes killing and injuring numerous people, heads toward Norris Hall, the Engineering Sci- often returning to rooms more than once dur- ence Building that houses numerous classrooms ing his shooting spree. After police finally gain full of students at this time in the morning. access to the building, Cho shoots and kills Upon arriving at Norris Hall, Cho chains himself in the last classroom before police find the doors and places a note on one door threat- him. From beginning to end, the killing in CHAPTER 1 • The Nature and Uses of Sociology 5 Norris Hall lasts just 11 minutes, after which 33 critical analysis, rather than simply rely on the people, including Cho, are dead and 17 others media or your own personal experiences to an- are injured. Police determine that Cho fired swer questions related to social phenomena. In- 174 rounds of ammunition during his rampage stead, it is best to examine issues from various and was prepared to use much more if needed. points of view, particularly those directly af- While Virginia Tech was the scene of the fected by the phenomenon. Looking at the his- deadliest shooting in U.S. history, there have tory of juvenile violence should provide us some been many others dating back to 1966 when 25 insight into the safety of schools today. year-old Charles Whitman barricaded himself In the early 1990’s, increase in violent in the top of the clock tower at the University crimes by juveniles led some academics to of Texas in Austin. Whitman then shot and suggest that a “juvenile super-predator” was killed 14 people and injured 31 others before evolving. These juvenile super-predators were being killed by police. described as sociopaths who had no respect Much like yourself, the shooting victims for anyone and were not deterred by the probably thought college was a very safe place to threat of the criminal justice system. It was be, a place where crime is limited to petty theft further suggested that these violent juveniles and other non-violent offenses. However, in re- were different from anyone ever seen before cent years the media have bombarded us with because their DNA were damaged by the images of school violence. We hear commentary drugs and alcohol consumed by their young, from multiple news agencies and television per- unwed mothers. Since then, a number of sen- sonalities suggesting that schools, once thought sational cases have attracted the attention of to be safe havens for children, have become the media that bombard us with images of vi- killing fields. How much of this is truth and how olence and crime on a daily basis. Fear of vio- much is myth? Are young people becoming in- lence is not just situated within our schools; creasingly violent? Should we arm our students we are also told to be afraid of workplace vio- with bulletproof vests before sending them off to lence, serial killers, vicious animal attacks, school? Are students safer if they attend schools road rage, and so on. in rural areas rather than in inner cities? According to the Safe School Initiative, To answer these questions, we should first the possibility of lethal violence occurring at consider what Peter Berger suggests in Invita- one of the nation’s schools is extremely rare. tion to Sociology. Berger (1963) suggests that “the To put this into perspective, the report indi- first wisdom of sociology is this—things are cates that between 1993 and 1997 the chances not what they seem.” As a sociology student, of a student in grades 9–12 being in a school you will be asked to examine issues based on a fight was 1 in 7, being injured with a weapon 6 CHAPTER 1 • The Nature and Uses of Sociology 1 in 13, and being the victim of homicide are the number one cause of death for chil- while in school—1 in 1,000,000. In fact, chil- dren between 5 to 19 years of age; and while dren are safer at school than they are in their homicide is the second leading cause, a large own homes (2004). Accidents (mainly traffic) majority occurs off school property. significant part of us that most people obey them Our lives are governed by numerous factors. without thinking. This, however, does not diminish Throughout this text we will explore a variety of their importance or pervasiveness. these factors, however others may be examined in The answers to many of the questions about your psychology, biology, anthropology, or political which we wonder have at least some social compo- science courses; or even through life’s journey. We nents. Why, for example, do roommate situations are governed by the society in which we live, by our with three people almost always have more prob- families and by the global factors that influence our lems than those with two? Do sororities or fraterni- societies. Social rules and conventions influence ties serve any real purpose? Why do they choose to every aspect of our daily lives. We begin to learn admit some people but not others? Have you had an which rules are socially acceptable and which ones argument with anyone lately? If you have, the are not before we can talk; and they are reinforced, chances are that it arose at least in part from having altered, or contradicted every time we enter a social different perceptions about how people should be- situation, whether new or familiar.
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