House Signs and Collegiate Fun: Sex, Race, and Faith in a College Town

It's no secret that fun is important to American college students, but it
is unusual for scholars to pay attention to how undergraduates represent and reflect
on their partying. Linguist and anthropologist Chaise LaDousa explores the visual
manifestations of collegiate fun in a Midwestern college town where house signs on
off-campus student residences are a focal point of college culture. With names like
Boot 'N Rally, The Plantation, and Crib of the Rib, house signs reproduce
consequential categories of gender, sexuality, race, and faith in a medium students
say is benign. Through his analysis of house signs and what students say about them,
LaDousa introduces the reader to key concepts and approaches in cultural
analysis.