House Signs and Collegiate Fun: Sex, Race, and Faith in a College Town

It's no secret that fun is important to American college students, but it is unusual for scholars to pay attention to how undergraduates represent and reflect on their partying. Linguist and anthropologist Chaise LaDousa explores the visual manifestations of collegiate fun in a Midwestern college town where house signs on off-campus student residences are a focal point of college culture. With names like Boot 'N Rally, The Plantation, and Crib of the Rib, house signs reproduce consequential categories of gender, sexuality, race, and faith in a medium students say is benign. Through his analysis of house signs and what students say about them, LaDousa introduces the reader to key concepts and approaches in cultural analysis.

Author: Chaise Ladousa
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Published: 06/24/2011
Pages: 288
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 8.90h x 6.00w x 0.60d
ISBN: 9780253223265

About the Author

Chaise LaDousa is Associate Professor of Anthropology at Hamilton College.