Friday, February 7, 2014
Final Essay Topic
I would like to make my final essay about the importance of Greek life. I have experienced the social and academic benefits of being involved in my sorority and would like to share my personal experience and research about other people's experiences. Greek life offers a variety of opportunities in philanthropy, networking, leadership, and socializing. Greek life is something I hold very dear to my heart so I would be able to give my undivided attention to all that I research on this topic!
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I am adapting a comment I wrote for another student here, since it so clearly applies to you:
ReplyDeleteThe biggest obstacle you will need to overcome in taking on this topic is finding a critical distance to write an analytic research paper. You cannot write an infomercial for sororities as your final paper -- and your goal should not be to sell sororities to other students or sing their praises. Save that for RUSH. For this class, you need to take on an academic analysis. And if you cannot entertain a controversial topic, then this might not be the best topic for you.
That said, you should look closely at the way Armstrong & Hamilton approach the subject of sororities in "Paying for the Party." You might see it from an economic perspective: what are the economic benefits of membership? How does "social capital" translate to capital? That may be a way for you to manage your feelings while taking on a legitimate topic. Another possible topic would be to consider the relationship between sororities and the idea of community, perhaps exploring the way sororities can offer an alternative to "Bowling Alone." Still another approach (and this could be connected to the first two) would be to engage with the history of your sorority and/or chapter -- perhaps interviewing past members as part of the project (which might even give you useful information or connections for the fraternity generally).
One easy way to engage a controversial topic is to look into why some colleges (notably Amherst) have banned fraternities and sororities from campus. Why? What was the logic? Or look into the rather troubled history of fraternities at Rutgers. Though Greek life here is resurgent in recent years, there was a time in the 80s when the University took a very oppositional view of them -- perhaps due to alcohol policies (which shifted in the 80s with the imposition of federal age restrictions tied to government funding).
You can write an analytic paper that treats sororities favorably, but you need to adopt an academic and analytic perspective. You can't just be a cheerleader.
I also recommend you read around before deciding on a topic firmly. "Inside Greek U." is a good place to start. "Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities" offers some interesting case material. And there are many academic articles (though too many focus on hazing). Also, I recommend looking into the idea of "social capital," which is a useful analytic term for discussing the function of sororities (as A & H suggest) and which was coined by Pierre Bourdieu. Look at the work of Bourdieu or commentators on his work.