As students of the University of Illinois, this research group has been bombarded with pressures to join a registered student organization. This made us question how student organizations affect a student’s college experience. We define the college experience as the social, physical, academic, and personal image aspects of ourselves that are affected by attendance at a university. The focus of our research is to find the benefits of these registered student organizations both during and after college. Our research is focused on prospective University students along with current students because we think the benefits, or even downfalls, of student organizations will help others become more aware of what a student organization can do for them. In turn, this can help prospective students and current students become involved around campus if it suits their needs throughout their college experience.
Series/Report Name or Number
RHET 105, Spring 2012
Instructor, Cody Caudill
Rhetoric 105/Principles of Composition introduces students to the practices of research-based writing for academic audiences, such as formulating a researchable question, locating sources, constructing an argument, drafting, revising, and editing. This course uses writing, reading, observing, and critical thinking to develop scholarly curiosity. To do this, instructors focus on: deepening research skills, developing students’ abilities to read and respond to difficult texts, and, most importantly, helping students through the writing process in a social, collaborative, revision-focused environment. This particular section of Rhetoric 105 was focused around the theme of “Exploring Student Communities at the University of Illinois.” The assignments and discussions asked students to explore their own experiences as students and consider how various student communities shape our campus culture and identities as students. Over the course of the semester students formulated research questions about a particular campus community and answered them by doing semester-long ethnographic research (observations, interviews, archive analysis, and surveys), including a short video presentation. The kinds of writing studies and conducted were formulated around reflections on these communities.
The university offers an extraordinary opportunity to study and document student communities, life, and culture. This collection includes research on the activities, clubs, and durable social networks that comprise sometimes the greater portion of the university experience for students.
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