David Kirschner

Background

About David Kirschner

I am an Associate Professor of Sociology and Chair of the Department of Human Services and Cultural Studies at Georgia Gwinnett College. I oversee a major in Human Services with concentrations in Applied Sociology, Gerontology, and Social Work; minors in African American Studies, Anthropology, Cultural Studies, Gender Studies, Religious Studies, Social Work, and Sociology; and certificates in Gerontology and Non-profit Advocacy. I teach courses in Sociology and Human Services, including Death, Grief, and Dying, Writing in the Social Sciences, Human Services Senior Capstone, Environmental Sociology, and Games in Society. I enjoy experimenting with active/experiential/game-based learning techniques, including video-game-based learning, service-learning, and ePortfolios. My research interests lie at the intersection of sociology, digital media, and gaming. Currently, I am working on two projects: one examining student engagement, perceived learning, and satisfaction with videogame-based learning in Sociology classrooms, and another demonstrating the utility of the communities of practice concept among non-player characters in single-player role-playing games.