ePortfolio
Research Proposal for Kappa Delta Sorority Culture Project
Introduction
A subculture is a group of people within a larger culture, such as a country, who have something in common. These groups share values and norms that are distinct from those held by the majority. They are differentiated by status, ethnic background, residence, religion, or other factors that functionally unify the group and act collectively on each member. Subcultures might share religious or political beliefs or be unified through a club; such as a Sorority. Being a part of a subculture or Sorority can be both demanding and time consuming. Every member must put in an efficient amount of time and effort for the subculture to be successful. There are many obstacles that Sororities may be faced with and must overcome. One of these problems common in sororities is balancing academics with sorority demands. Are sororities too time consuming and demanding for college students to succeed in the classroom? To answer this problem about my proposed subculture I plan to conduct research, fieldwork, and helpful strategies.
Subculture
My proposed subculture is the sorority of Kappa Delta. Kappa Delta represents an ideal example of a subculture. This sorority includes many characteristics that define and make up a subculture. These characteristics include, having a broadly agreed set of common public goals, containing intercommunication among its members, and sharing similar values. Kappa Delta is a sorority at several universities such as UCF, where the members make great things happen in women's lives, on campuses and in communities across the country. The demographics of this group are female college students, who want to enhance each members college experience through many opportunities provided through Greek life. Sororities are social organizations for women who pride themselves in their involvement in philanthropies, academics, and doing their parts in multiple other on-campus activities. Being a member of this sorority has greatly impacted my college experience. Joining Kappa Delta has given me the privilege of a high level of camaraderie with my fellow members, an endless stream of learning opportunities, and a wide range of networking. Although being a fulltime member of Kappa Delta requires lots of time and effort, it is possible to manage and balance your time in a productive manner. The challenge for many members is balancing their time with school and sorority demands. To resolve this common problem there are a few helpful strategies; study plans, study groups, using an agenda, and making lists.
Plan and Schedule
After the selection of my subculture, Kappa Delta I plan to develop my project through several methods. First, I will begin by doing research on the basic knowledge of what it means to be in a sorority. Creating a schedule worksheet will help me stay on track of my work and plan. Please refer to Appendix1: Schedule for Subculture Project for more comprehensive details. Also, I will look at how Kappa Delta relates to other sororities around the Nation. Being a new member of Kappa Delta I know the general guidelines and rules of what it means to be in a sorority. I have only been a part of the sisterhood since Fall 2014, so I plan to interview older members in my sorority, including the Vice President, President, and my big sister. Interviewing the older members will grant me new information on the history of Kappa Delta and give me a unique insight of their past experiences. To conduct research I will interview many of the girls on council at Kappa Delta. These members sacrifice a large percentage of their time to help Kappa Delta grow and succeed. Another way I will conduct my research is by producing a survey of my chapters overall GPA and comparing it to non-Greek student’s grades. My sorority communicates with one another through Facebook groups, group apps, texting, face to face, and Chapter meetings. Communication plays a large role in keeping a strong sisterhood bond.
Graphical Elements
To engage in the writing process for my final project I plan to include several graphical elements. I will provide many images, photographs, detailed graphs, tables and figures to display how grades correlate to the amount of the time spent on sorority activities. To begin I will include images and photographs of members at philanthropy events, socials, and community service events. These pictures will demonstrate how Kappa Deltas are determined to stay involved with helping others on and off campus. Pictures of the members at sisterhood events, such as our trip to Disney World or the Roller Rink are great representations of how a sorority creates lifelong friendships. Photographs of the girls in the study room at Kappa Delta will show how members study and help one another. I will also include charts and graphs that have the results from the surveys I will conduct. These charts and tables with help represent the outcome of the research and provide a visual of how sororities benefit students.
Writing Process
To engage in the writing process for my final project I will begin by looking over all of my previous work and research. For the first step of my writing process I will start with the planning step. I will think about what I want my research question to be and what I want my subculture to be. After choosing Kappa Delta as my subculture, I will narrow down my topic or research question. This will help me be aware of the specific content and information I want to include throughout the body of my paper. For the second step, researching, I will conduct interviews, surveys, and observations. Interviewing older members of my sorority and observing them at Chapter meetings will help with the third step, writing. In this step I will begin with my first draft. My main focus will be on the content and I will begin to try and find the best way to communicate my ideas. During this step I will start with the introduction and work my way to the body and conclusion. When I finish writing my first draft I will begin to revise and proofread it. I will evaluate my texts content and make sure I wrote on topic. Also, during this step I will ask myself if certain parts need to be moved to a different place or deleted. For the final step I will completely edit my last draft. Scanning the text for grammar and spelling errors will be an important part of this step. I will then edit text mechanics such as; capitalization, italics, and abbreviations. Including a variety of punctuation marks accurately during this step will help the essay flow. After all of these steps are completed for the final project, an online peer review will provide another helpful tool for the paper. This review will help both myself and other class members by having someone else’s opinion and recommendations.
Resources
I will use multiple resources to help develop my final project. To begin my research I will use the internet. This source will lead to discovering and learning about what is expected from members in a sorority. I plan to use several trustworthy sites to further my knowledge of Kappa Deltas and what it means to be one. Also, I plan to use online sources such as, magazines. This secondary source will help me gather a better understanding of how successful college students balance and manage their time. A primary source that will be a helpful tool in developing my final project will be the official Kappa Delta website. This source will provide me with photos of the girls, descriptions of the Philanthropy, and details expressing what being in a sorority represents. Library sources including journal articles will give me new, valuable information to include about sororities. Videos and public service announcements will contribute to the observation step required in the field investigation. These media sources will help demonstrate how sorority members present themselves and communicate with one another. Another helpful resource will be to look at all of my assignments for this final project. Going over what I have already completed will help contribute and spark new ideas to the finalization of my project. To start planning my field investigation I will first create a list of members. This list will display who I will conduct my interviews, observations, and surveys with. “What do members do to keep their grades up and remain active in the sorority?” This is an example of an interview question I will use to get an individual perspective. Using these methods of research I will be able to discuss the respondent’s comments and make comparisons throughout my final project. The similarities and differences will lead to the conclusions about the overall experience of Kappa Deltas members.
Conclusion
Kappa Delta is an ideal example of a subculture. Members of this sorority share similar values and goals that functionally unify the group. To continue and grow as a sorority, the sisters are expected and required to provide service to maintain their membership. Being a part of a subculture or Sorority can be demanding and time consuming. Many students have trouble with balancing the expectations from both Kappa Delta and the university. With this selected subculture and research question I will use this developed plan to successfully complete my final project. Using graphic elements such as photographs and charts I will be able to display how grades correlate to the amount of the time spent on sorority activities. With my strategy of conducting interviews, observations, and surveys I will report the conclusions about the overall experience of Kappa Deltas members. To engage in the writing process for my final project I will begin by looking over all of my previous work and follow the four steps; planning, researching, writing, and editing. Using sources and methods of research I will be able to discuss the respondent’s comments and make comparisons throughout my final project. With this solid plan I will be able to develop a successful final project on the subculture Kappa Delta.
