Inside Greek U.
Subtitle: fraternities, sororities, and the pursuit of pleasure, power, and prestige
By: Alan D. DeSantis.
Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
Published: 2007
Place of publication: Lexington, Ky
Language: eng
Number of pages: 267
ISBN-13: 9780813124681
Subjects: Greek letter societies -- United States; College students -- United States -- Conduct of life
Description: "One in ten American college students joins a fraternity or sorority, and Greek social organizations produce a disproportionately large percentage of power brokers in business and politics. Statistics show that while these future leaders are on campus, they are much more likely than non-Greek students to engage in binge drinking and to be either the perpetrators or victims of sexual assault. In Inside Greek U., Alan D. DeSantis takes an in-depth look at the lessons that Greek organizations teach their members about gender, drawing on evidence gathered in hundreds of focus-group sessions and personal interviews and from his years of experience as a Greek faculty advisor. Inside Greek U. reveals a Greek culture that imbues its members with the sense that ""real men"" must be unemotional, promiscuous, violent, and aggressively masculine, while ""nice girls"" should be nurturing, passive, domestic, and purely feminine. These rigid formulations contribute to maladaptive behaviors and beliefs, such as eating disorders, body image distortions, homophobia, and date rape and other sexual misconduct. Inside Greek U. aims to reform the Greek system rather than tear it down or sanction contempt for its members. DeSantis identifies narrow definitions of gender that impede Greek students' intellectual and emotional development and seeks to broaden these definitions, thereby expanding the range of acceptable choices available to fraternity and sorority members before and after graduation"--Publisher description.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction : life at Greek university; title: Understanding gender; title: Studs and virgins; title: The tough guy and his date (rape); title: Her laxatives, his steroids; title: Bros before hos; title: Soccer moms and corporate dads; title: Cleaning up after the party.