There Is A Gunman On Campus ─ Tragedy and Terror at Virginia Tech

On April 16, 2007, at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (commonly called Virginia Tech), undergraduate student Seung-Hui Cho embarked on a shooting spree that resulted in 33 fatalities and, unsurprisingly, wall-to-wall media coverage. In this volume, Agger (sociology and humanities, U. of Texas at Arlington) and Luke (political science, Virginia Tech) present 16 essays that explore different meanings these events may reveal for understanding American society. Among the topics discussed are massacre as media spectacle, the display of civic ritual in the media, Seung-Hui Cho as a manifestation of aggrieved entitlement or American social psychosis, Virginia Tech administration reaction to the events of the day, and the use of mental health language about Cho as a means of excluding the political. Annotation c2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Ben Agger is professor of sociology and humanities at University of Texas, Arlington. Timothy W. Luke is professor of political science at Virginia Tech.