"Get Excited People!": Gendered Acts of Literacy in a Social Sorority

Faith Kurtyka Creighton University

Abstract

Using the methodology of third-wave feminist linguistic analysis, this article studies how one undergraduate writer, “Polly,” brings about her gendered identity as a leader of a social sorority through writing emails to motivate members to attend events. I offer a six-item taxonomy of the rhetorical strategies Polly uses to articulate the shared values of the sorority; excite members about events; and craft a unique, interesting, and relatable peer persona for herself. I connect each of Polly’s rhetorical strategies to research on gendered communication to understand how she uses the strategies to navigate her audience’s expectations of her gender and her leadership. A quantitative, temporal analysis of Polly’s use of all six strategies over the course of a year suggests that sororities (and other student organizations that offer leadership roles to students) present time and space for participants to try out a range of intellectual tools for different leadership personas, which can transfer to future rhetorical situations. This opportunity for rhetorical experimentation allows students to play and experiment with their public selves and group affinities.

Journal
Literacy in Composition Studies
Published
2015-07-01
DOI
10.21623/1.3.2.3
CompPile
Search in CompPile ↗
Open Access
OA PDF Gold
Topics
Export

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (0)

No articles in this index cite this work.

References (38) · 8 in this index

  1. Computers and Composition
  2. Bentley University Center for Women and Business. “Millennials in the Workplace.” Bentley University Center f…
  3. Buckingham, Marcus. “Leadership Development in the Age of the Algorithm.” Harvard Business Review 90.6 (2012)…
  4. Charmaz, Kathy. “Grounded Theory: Objectivist and Constructivist Methods.” Qualitative Educational Research: …
  5. Christensen, M. Candace. “Using Feminist Leadership to Build a Performance-Based, Peer Education Program.” Qu…
Show all 38 →
  1. Comstock, Michelle. “Grrl Zine Networks: Re-Composing Spaces of Authority, Gender, and Culture.” JAC: A Journ…
  2. Deans, Tom. “Shifting Locations, Genres, and Motives: An Activity Theory Analysis of Service-Learning Writing…
  3. DeSantis, Alan D. Inside Greek U.: Fraternities, Sororities, and the Pursuit of Pleasure, Power, and Prestige…
  4. Erickson, Rebecca J., and Christian Ritter. “Emotional Labor, Burnout, and Inauthenticity: Does Gender Matter…
  5. Literacy in Composition Studies
  6. Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  7. Handler, Lisa. “In the Fraternal Sisterhood: Sororities as Gender Strategy.” Gender and Society 9.2 (1995): 2…
  8. Harris, Anita. “Young Women, Late Modern Politics, and the Participatory Possibilities of Online Cultures.” J…
  9. Heilman, Madeline E., and Tyler G. Okimoto. “Why Are Women Penalized for Success at Male Tasks?: The Implied …
  10. Hevel, Michael S., Georgianna L. Martin, and Ernest T. Pascarella. “Do Fraternities and Sororities Still Enha…
  11. Literacy in Composition Studies
  12. Journal of Writing Research
  13. Ketter, Jean, and Judy Hunter. “Creating a Writer’s Identity on the Boundaries of Two Communities of Practice…
  14. Manning, Jennifer E. “Membership of the 113th Congress: A Profile.” Congressional Research Service. 24 Nov. 2…
  15. Martin, Diane M. “Humor in Middle Management: Women Negotiating the Paradoxes of Organizational Life.” Journa…
  16. Rhetoric Society Quarterly
  17. Miller, Katherine. “Organization Emotions and Compassion at Work.” The SAGE Handbook of Organizational Commun…
  18. Mills, Sara. Gender Matters: Feminist Linguistic Analysis. London: Equinox, 2012. Print.
  19. National Panhellenic Conference. “2011-2012 Annual Report.” National Panhellenic Conference. N.d. Web. 20 Jun…
  20. Nowacek, Rebecca S. Agents of Integration: Understanding Transfer as a Rhetorical Act. Carbondale: Southern I…
  21. Odell, Lee, Dixie Goswami, and Anne Herrington. “The Discourse Based Interview: Procedure and Rationale.” Res…
  22. Journal of Writing Research
  23. Rees-Miller, Janie. “Compliments Revisited: Contemporary Compliments and Gender.” Journal of Pragmatics 43.11…
  24. Ridgeway, Cecilia L. “Gender, Status, and Leadership.” Journal of Social Issues 57.4 (2001): 637-55. Print.
  25. Risman, Barbara J. “College Women and Sororities: The Social Construction and Reaffirmation of Gender Roles.”…
  26. Roozen, Kevin. “Journalism, Poetry, Stand-Up Comedy, and Academic Literacy: Mapping the Interplay of Curricul…
  27. Royster, Jacqueline Jones, and Gesa E. Kirsch. Feminist Rhetorical Practices: New Horizons for Rhetoric, Comp…
  28. Schoenberg, Judy, et al. “Change It Up!: What Girls Say About Redefining Leadership.” Girl Scouts. Girl Scout…
  29. Sinclair, Amanda. “Body Possibilities in Leadership.” Leadership 1.4 (2005): 387-406. Print.
  30. Written Communication
  31. Solberg, Janine. “Taking Shorthand for Literacy: Historicizing the Literate Activity of US Women in the Early…
  32. Steering Committee on Undergraduate Women’s Leadership. “Report of the Steering Committee on Undergraduate Wo…
  33. Turk, Diana B. Bound By a Mighty Vow: Sisterhood and Women’s Fraternities, 1870-1920. New York: New York UP, …