When one faces a decision on whether or not to go Greek, the values at question are identity, recognition, belonging, discipline, love and respect. But these values are at the core of our being, and they represent the complex structure of social hierarchy amongst ourselves and our peers. These principles were shared by my suitemates and myself, which was the larger reason why we considered and rushed for Lamdas.

When considering our own rush, my suitemates and I had these values in mind. A handful of friends and I favored the Lamdas, based on the strengthened emphasis they seemed to place on loyalty unity and respect. To me, the four principles of Peace Love Unity Respect were large factors in my life. The status, popularity, and power that came with a Lamda title were quite appealing as well. Brotherhood spoke to me the way the kitchen spoke to Paule Marshall, but in the end, four friends rushed Lamdas, eventually all depledging except one.

We already considered ourselves a brotherhood to begin with, and we even labeled our faux fraternity Xi Xi Xi to represent the triple threat that we represented. We partied, we smoked, and we womanized. We were the archetypal college guys. The four of us represented the two primary different cultural communities that we saw: Two of us represented the So Cal connection. The other two of us were from the Bay representing Nor Cal. We were unified principally by the dorm common room where we mostly hung out, and assembled for late night endeavors, including two or three rush events.

Through the course of pledging, fights, differences, and all others who came and even through the face of disciplinary action, we stayed a unified group for the most part, supporting one another, and strengthening our resolve, our faith in the values we represented.

We all had watched one another sacrifice sleep and time and dedication for Lamdas, and we understood one another, and respected each other for it. We had endured the college equivalent boot camp, we had socialized ourselves in a way to fit the mold of a Lamda bro, and although only one of us had joined up, the rest of us felt like we had made our own bonds and established our own unity through the pledging process and being there for one another.

Through the commonality of our pledging and depledging, we had formed our own brotherhood. We understood and formed our own peace, love, unity, and respect for one another and our individual independence, high profile social status, and kinship. We established our own brotherhood based on commonly shared values that we established and abide by. We stick together, and we pride ourselves in respect. We show others the same courtesy they show us, we stand unified a brotherhood of friends who live by a code of respect, and who will stick together for one another despite different our different backgrounds and tastes.

Paper: Constructing communities

As we are learning in class, Americans have defined and built communities in a number of different ways. Our course readings have covered a 300-year period, but we have begun to identify some similarities in American community building across the centuries.

Your challenge:

1. Identify what you believe to be the most important or most interesting/distinctive feature of the ways in which Americans build communities.

2. Highlight points in course texts (and class discussion, if applicable) where Americans have used this feature. Explain and analyze them. What are the similarites in method? Are there subtle differences?

3. Find an example from outside of class—in the news, online, in fiction, on television, in a movie, or in your own life—where Americans have used this method of building community. Analyze it in light of what you found in course materials.

4. In your view, what makes this feature of community building successful, especially if practiced by people living in different decades or centuries? Draw on specific examples.

5. Point out moments in course texts and/or class discussion where Americans have deviated from this way of building community, and analyze the consequences.

Your paper need not be written in this order, but all of these elements should be included somewhere in your paper.

Your argument (thesis) will probably emerge in steps 4 and 5, but you should place your thesis in the first paragraph so your reader knows where you’re headed in the rest of your essay.

Your paper will be graded on the originality of your argument, how well you use examples to support your argument, and the quality of your writing.

Your paper should be 5-7 pages, double-spaced, and in Times or Times New Roman 12-point type.

The paper is due on Monday, August 28.

Blog post #2: Of what community are you a part?

(Before writing this post, be sure you’re caught up on the readings through Wednesday.)

Select one community (small, medium, or large) of which you are or have been a member. How did you, and how do others, become members of this community? I’m leaving this one wide open, so feel free to explore notions of community as long as you make an argument.

Below are some questions to help you start thinking about your community. Feel free to focus on just one of these topics or to combine a few of them into a single post.

- How did you become a member of this community? Did you choose to become a member of the community, did it happen by accident, or did you not have a choice in the matter at all?

- What are the community’s boundaries and rules (written or unwritten)? What happens when someone transgresses these boundaries or breaks a rule?

- Is the community geographically fixed or dispersed?

- What are the community’s customs? What are its values?

- What are the internal and external threats to the community, real or imagined?

- Do you think that at some point you will leave the community? What will that process be like?

- If you have already left this community, why? Was your departure of your choosing?

Your post should make an argument about this place or space in your life. It should be between 250 and 500 words.

You must make reference to at least one course text.

Your post will be graded on its thoughtfulness, the quality of writing, and the originality of argument.


You must post your entry on the class blog by 5 p.m. on Friday, August 18.