Augustana College: Heteronormative Culture Analysis

Augustana College was a very different place back in the mid-1900s. It was a more heteronormative culture than it is today. A heteronormative culture is a “culture in which heterosexuality is accepted as the normal, taken-for-granted mode of sexual expression” (Newman 130). There were stricter rules set in place for the different gender roles and more formalities involved in society. The expectations for the different gender roles have changed over the years to be what it is today. There were expectations placed on the women at that time period and they were treated differently. Overall the students had different expectations put on them and lived their life in a more conservative way. By looking at the student handbook from the 1946-1947 …show more content…
There were many clubs and events that were planned throughout the year. Students were encouraged to be involved in many different clubs and groups. It was required for the students to participate in events. There was the point system that was put into place to monitor the activities that students participated in (Student Handbook 30). It was also put into place to make sure that the students didn’t overdo themselves with the activities. It was more than likely to make sure that the students didn’t make it too hard to complete the school work well. It was also the schools way of keeping the students involved with campus life. Fraternities and sororities were encouraged for both men and women. In the student handbook there is a section encouraging the students to join. They were thought to promote students to be social with others and to give them a support system. The men and women’s sections were written differently. For the men it seemed like it was assumed that they knew what how fraternities worked but for the women it was written in a way that showed that they believed that it was a lot for the women to understand (Student Handbook 36). There is even a picture of a confused girl with frivolous items swirling around her head (Student Handbook 36). It shows how it was the norm to see women as unable to understand what is going in their lives without the help of others. Many events were hosted by the Greek life. …show more content…
Back in that era the rules were stricter for the students and more so for women. It was the norm for women at that time to be viewed as unable to manage their own lives and was watched over by adults closer than the men were. This caused a more heteronormative culture than what it is today. The expectations set for the different genders at the time were more extreme than they are today. There wasn’t as much fluidity among the different things they could do. The way that Augustana College treated there students was a lot stricter. They had rules that were similar to the rules that were more than likely seen in the students’ home lives. The faculty at the school played more of a parental role in the students’ lives. Curfews were set to make sure the students didn’t stay out late and more than likely so they would complete their school work. The culture at Augustana was more formal and reserved. The events that were put on at the school were often formal and people were given invitations to the event. It was the norm back then to be conservative in their