Literature Review Blog #4
"Beer And Circus: How Big-Time College Sports is Crippling Undergraduate Education "
Cheap Beer: The Oxygen of the Greek System
1. Visual.
2. Citation.
Sperber, Murray A. “Cheap Beer: The Oxygen of the Greek System.” Beer and Circus: How Big-Time College Sports Is Crippling Undergraduate Education, Holt Paperback, 2001, pp. 151–167.
3. Summary.
This chapter of the book is a compilation of many things during the past two decades that helped to develop college drinking culture, before taking a deeper analysis of those illustrations. It touches on many subjects, from people who were influential, to media that helped shaped the ideals of college students. The chapter begins with a pondering of the film Animal House, and the resulting effects the film had on college subculture. The movie was an inspiration to college students, glamorizing partying in a way that had not been done before. However, the chapter also considers how others viewed the impact of the film, many of which were nearly horrified and concerned by the behaviors of the movie characters and resulting behavior in college students. The behavior of college students during this time were also often influenced by the outrageous drinking acts that alumni often partook in, which only continued to encourage heavy drinking among students. Alumni influence was another feat that could not be conquered by administrators as they were often important contributors and donators. The section touches on the cycle of media in addressing college drinking hazards, and a book that promoted binge drinking habits called The Complete Book of Beer Drinking Games. From there the article goes to review binge drinking in depth. A stark majority of college students binge drink, although the chapter notes that the skew of binge drinkers is not what one would expect. Schools have become divided between "Bingers versus Non-Bingers" instead of "Drinkers versus Abstainers". While Greek life members continue to be leaders in percentages of binge drinking rates, the section makes a point of noting that binge drinking is becoming more widespread, reaching students of all walks and at all size universities. The chapter then transitions into what could be the cause behind the habit of binge drinking and settles on the excess of time. As students, the only true responsibility they hold is to themselves, leaving them free to make time away from academics to drink. The class skew of binge drinkers at universities is also taken into consideration, as binge drinking is not something seen before for many of the families of these students. The piece concludes by emphasizing how difficult it is to change the view on drinking for students. Drinking is engrained in college culture, not just within Greek life but within off campus housing too, and changing something so engrained in the students' everyday lives is going to take time.
4. Author.
The author of this book is Murray Sperber, is an experienced author with several published books to his name. Sperber holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkley. He has previously taught at both Indiana University and the University of California, Berkley. Sperber has had a focus on college life, with a specific focus on college sports for many years. His writings have been widely published, including on Nightline, Good Morning America, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and The New York Times.
5. Key Terms.
Funnel: To pour quantities of alcohol into a funnel attached to a rubber hose, aimed the house sprout at one's throat.
Hard-drinking: Tending to drink excessive amounts of alcohol.
Secondhand binge effects: A term used to describe the impacts on a person who is drinking in binge quantities.
6. Quotes.
"A cultural icon that connected 1990s undergraduates to their collegiate predecessors was the film Animal House...The film also provides a way into an examination of the contemporary collegiate subculture, particularly the infatuation with alcohol and the escalation of the drinking phenomenon known as binge drinking" (Sperber, 151).
"In addition to providing housing and friendship networks for a significant percentage of undergraduates, the Greek system is central to a school's 'party scene'. Cheap beer provides the oxygen that keeps the Greek system functioning, and, in turn, this subculture pumps essential blood into a Big-time U, helping it maintain its beer-and-circus heartbeat" (Sperber, 156).
"Without this synergy between the Greeks and Big-time U's, the party scene would expire, and research universities would lose a large percentage of their main source of income-undergraduate tuition dollars-and probably wither and die" (Sperber, 156).
"Subsequently, the IU president officially banned alcohol from all university dorms and Greek houses on his campus. However, like Prohibition in the 1920s, the ban prompted widespread disobedience, much of it covert but some so overt that campus police intervened" (Sperber, 165).
"Changing the off-campus drinking culture is almost impossible; in addition, most beer-and-circus universities have no desire to alter it; they just want to keep it at a safe legal distance" (Sperber, 166).
7. Value.
This section of the book is important for my paper because it takes a deep look at binge drinking from all angles. Binge drinking is one of the most, if not the most, dangerous practices concerning college drinking culture. Not only is this chapter presenting facts and statistics relating to binge drinking, but delves deeper into the reasoning and relationships that make binge drinking so popular. Through examples the chapter presents how specific things in media and culture of the time helped to influence how prominent binge drinking has become. It is important to consider all aspects of binge drinking when looking at current drinking culture on college campuses because binge drinking has become incredibly widespread. The section looks at all groupings of college students, not just Greek life versus non-Greek life. It is important to look farther than just Greek life because while Greek life plays a large part in making up the subculture of college, it does not make it up entirely. The dynamics of college students behavior have a magnitude of factors, from how administrators deal with drinking policies, to alumni influence, to even the class backgrounds these students make up. This chapter is so important because it considers many sides, controversies, and opinions in it's analysis of college drinking culture. This part of what is going to help outline the controversies, laws and reforms of history that have led to where we stand today.
Cheap Beer: The Oxygen of the Greek System
1. Visual.
2. Citation.
Sperber, Murray A. “Cheap Beer: The Oxygen of the Greek System.” Beer and Circus: How Big-Time College Sports Is Crippling Undergraduate Education, Holt Paperback, 2001, pp. 151–167.
3. Summary.
This chapter of the book is a compilation of many things during the past two decades that helped to develop college drinking culture, before taking a deeper analysis of those illustrations. It touches on many subjects, from people who were influential, to media that helped shaped the ideals of college students. The chapter begins with a pondering of the film Animal House, and the resulting effects the film had on college subculture. The movie was an inspiration to college students, glamorizing partying in a way that had not been done before. However, the chapter also considers how others viewed the impact of the film, many of which were nearly horrified and concerned by the behaviors of the movie characters and resulting behavior in college students. The behavior of college students during this time were also often influenced by the outrageous drinking acts that alumni often partook in, which only continued to encourage heavy drinking among students. Alumni influence was another feat that could not be conquered by administrators as they were often important contributors and donators. The section touches on the cycle of media in addressing college drinking hazards, and a book that promoted binge drinking habits called The Complete Book of Beer Drinking Games. From there the article goes to review binge drinking in depth. A stark majority of college students binge drink, although the chapter notes that the skew of binge drinkers is not what one would expect. Schools have become divided between "Bingers versus Non-Bingers" instead of "Drinkers versus Abstainers". While Greek life members continue to be leaders in percentages of binge drinking rates, the section makes a point of noting that binge drinking is becoming more widespread, reaching students of all walks and at all size universities. The chapter then transitions into what could be the cause behind the habit of binge drinking and settles on the excess of time. As students, the only true responsibility they hold is to themselves, leaving them free to make time away from academics to drink. The class skew of binge drinkers at universities is also taken into consideration, as binge drinking is not something seen before for many of the families of these students. The piece concludes by emphasizing how difficult it is to change the view on drinking for students. Drinking is engrained in college culture, not just within Greek life but within off campus housing too, and changing something so engrained in the students' everyday lives is going to take time.
4. Author.
The author of this book is Murray Sperber, is an experienced author with several published books to his name. Sperber holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkley. He has previously taught at both Indiana University and the University of California, Berkley. Sperber has had a focus on college life, with a specific focus on college sports for many years. His writings have been widely published, including on Nightline, Good Morning America, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and The New York Times.
5. Key Terms.
Funnel: To pour quantities of alcohol into a funnel attached to a rubber hose, aimed the house sprout at one's throat.
Hard-drinking: Tending to drink excessive amounts of alcohol.
Secondhand binge effects: A term used to describe the impacts on a person who is drinking in binge quantities.
6. Quotes.
"A cultural icon that connected 1990s undergraduates to their collegiate predecessors was the film Animal House...The film also provides a way into an examination of the contemporary collegiate subculture, particularly the infatuation with alcohol and the escalation of the drinking phenomenon known as binge drinking" (Sperber, 151).
"In addition to providing housing and friendship networks for a significant percentage of undergraduates, the Greek system is central to a school's 'party scene'. Cheap beer provides the oxygen that keeps the Greek system functioning, and, in turn, this subculture pumps essential blood into a Big-time U, helping it maintain its beer-and-circus heartbeat" (Sperber, 156).
"Without this synergy between the Greeks and Big-time U's, the party scene would expire, and research universities would lose a large percentage of their main source of income-undergraduate tuition dollars-and probably wither and die" (Sperber, 156).
"Subsequently, the IU president officially banned alcohol from all university dorms and Greek houses on his campus. However, like Prohibition in the 1920s, the ban prompted widespread disobedience, much of it covert but some so overt that campus police intervened" (Sperber, 165).
"Changing the off-campus drinking culture is almost impossible; in addition, most beer-and-circus universities have no desire to alter it; they just want to keep it at a safe legal distance" (Sperber, 166).
7. Value.
This section of the book is important for my paper because it takes a deep look at binge drinking from all angles. Binge drinking is one of the most, if not the most, dangerous practices concerning college drinking culture. Not only is this chapter presenting facts and statistics relating to binge drinking, but delves deeper into the reasoning and relationships that make binge drinking so popular. Through examples the chapter presents how specific things in media and culture of the time helped to influence how prominent binge drinking has become. It is important to consider all aspects of binge drinking when looking at current drinking culture on college campuses because binge drinking has become incredibly widespread. The section looks at all groupings of college students, not just Greek life versus non-Greek life. It is important to look farther than just Greek life because while Greek life plays a large part in making up the subculture of college, it does not make it up entirely. The dynamics of college students behavior have a magnitude of factors, from how administrators deal with drinking policies, to alumni influence, to even the class backgrounds these students make up. This chapter is so important because it considers many sides, controversies, and opinions in it's analysis of college drinking culture. This part of what is going to help outline the controversies, laws and reforms of history that have led to where we stand today.
Comments
Post a Comment