Research Proposal

 Working Title: Fraternities: A College Conundrum

Topic

     I will explore the tendencies and behaviors of college students and how activity in Greek organizations affects both personal development and likeliness of participating in risky or otherwise questionable activities. Furthermore, I will consider these factors and what role they play in the development of a sense of masculinity among college men.  I will analyze the average college student as well as fraternity members to draw comparisons and contrasts between the general student body and Greek affiliated males. I will take into account the generally accepted activities that Fraternity members participate in, and seek to discern the unique type of masculinity Fraternity members seek to achieve given this behavior. Through this I hope to discover the true role of fraternities in the college setting and how they mold the individuals that comprise them.

Research Question

    How does activity in the Greek community affect the development of, and attitudes of those involved in Greek organizations, particularly Fraternities? What sort of “masculinity” or “manhood” is promoted by Fraternities and is this interpersonal development for the better or worse both on an individual and societal level. Are Fraternities and their activities (parties, binge drinking…) a spawn of the lifestyle that is already widespread amongst the college community, or do Fraternities facilitate the propagation of this lifestyle? College is a time period where one finds themselves flourishing into adulthood. Does being an active member in a Fraternity promote a masculinity that serves it’s members in the long run, or do these influences bring about more problems than solutions.

Theoretical Frame

    Much of what I will be writing about and analyzing is based on one simple fact; college kids like to party. This is not so much a theory as a generally accepted truth. Partying in college is a widespread phenomenon that permeates every campus in the country. College is a time of personal development and part of this development is personal freedom. Because of this, many view this period of freedom anew as a time for drinking, partying and socializing. Being a critical developmental phase in ones life, the party lifestyle comes about at a time in which students are seeking to truly find themselves. In this, understanding how these behaviors affect personal development is critical in understanding the adults todays youth will one day become. The Fraternity promotes these aspects of college life through a medium that is offered up by colleges themselves, being as without the college campus, Greek letter societies would not exist. In The Dark Power of Fraternities, Caitlin Flanagan explores the concept of Fraternities and how they, in and of themselves, possess the power to keep this binge-drinking college culture alive and kicking. Because these Greek organizations facilitate the drunken haze of college students, they also affect how these individuals develop and who they will become in the future. The sense of “masculinity” that college students come to understand is often one of partying, risk-taking, sexual promiscuity, and violence, and although not every Fraternity is the same, these societies undoubtedly support this behavior. As such, membership in these organizations can be a catalyst in the development of an individual, and not necessarily in the right way.

 Fraternities are given life by the institutions who play them host. As such these educational institutions have the power to punish the Greek organization and to rectify their wrongdoings. However, this is rarely the case. The power of the Fraternity is one of sociocultural influence. These organizations help bring in year after year of tuition-paying students which of course are vital for the well being of the institution itself. Although Fraternities promote risky behavior, in the end it is the College that in turn promotes the Fraternity. This is where my point of interest lies. Fraternities, in general, promote an ultra-masculine sense of adulthood through the proliferation of partying and other shenanigans. This being said, Fraternities members are not the only college students who participate in said behaviors. In fact, the vast majority of college students participate in the same exact behavior, although to varying degrees.  Are Fraternities really the promoter of drunken debauchery and Animal-House-esque behavior, or is it the Universities themselves that promote this stereotypical college lifestyle for the sake of raking in money.  

   

Research and plan

    In researching this topic I plan on looking at both scholarly articles, and written analyzation of the college industry and Fraternity life in hopes finding overlaps in their structure. I plan on using studies and other scholarly information to discern exactly what happens in the house of a Fraternity. Furthermore I would like to touch on whether the risk-inducing happenings within a Fraternity are unique to Greek life, or is it just a small partition of behavior that permeates all of college. I would also like to find articles addressing the relationship between the College and the Fraternity. To what extent does the University allow these happenings to occur and is it really the fault of a Greek organization for a mishap, or the lack of guidance set about by the school in regards to these organizations.