It was hard to find resources that were more article based rather than scientific study based. I think this was the case because it is easier to prove things to an audience with scientific facts and in the case of my topic, this could be more powerful. For the most part, I was able to draw parallels between my sources. I did struggle to connect my article about career development to the other articles. Once I started picking out different articles, it kind of had a cascade effect that easily led to more articles that were somewhat related. Once I found an article that I liked, I skimmed it for key words in order to refine my search terms and find better sources.
skimming resources is a good strategy to use when starting out
I was surprised that some articles seemed like they’d be about one thing, but then I’d click on it and it would open up different opportunities. For example, I found an article called “On Fraternities and Manliness.” I expected it to be about how fraternities create gentlemen. Instead it was more of a background source on how fraternities have developed a warped image of manliness that involves drinking a lot of alcohol to alert their dominance over women who physically can’t drink as much. Even though this article went in a different direction than I expected it would, it was still useful in explaining how things came to be in relation to fraternities.
Back when women first joined schools, men set themselves apart by showing that they could drink more.
There we some gaps in my research that could not be filled. The databases did not provide information on Santa Clara specific Greek life problems. I will have to return to the archives for more on this topic.