Degree Type
Honors Capstone Project
Date of Submission
Spring 5-1-2018
Capstone Advisor
Amos Kiewe
Honors Reader
Kathleen Feyh
Capstone Major
Communication and Rhetorical Studies
Capstone College
Visual and Performing Arts
Audio/Visual Component
no
Capstone Prize Winner
no
Won Capstone Funding
no
Honors Categories
Social Sciences
Subject Categories
Communication | Social and Behavioral Sciences | Speech and Rhetorical Studies
Abstract
This Capstone project focuses upon the central theme of masculine expression in American society. It is a rhetorical analysis exploring the question of what it means to be a man in American society. The investigation provides evidence that dismantles the preconceived notions that masculinity can only be exhibited in conventional ways. Through the dissection of stereotypical masculine activities like playing football, joining the military, and pledging fraternities, and a study of the evolution of American film characters, the project suggests that the hegemonic masculine superiority complex is beginning to be challenged and reconfigured in present-day American society. The significance of this project is to provide detailed evidence to American men that masculine performance can be expressed in a variety of capacities. A millennial man does not have to play football, join the military, or pledge a fraternity to exhibit masculine traits. An individual’s masculinity should be judged by one’s character rather than their physicality. Today, being considered a man has less to do with participation in certain sports or “manly” organizations like the military or fraternities, and far more with how one represents himself in the public sphere.
Recommended Citation
Sinykin, Sam, "What Does It Mean To Be A Man? The Social Construction of Manhood" (2018). Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All. 1197.
https://surface.syr.edu/honors_capstone/1197
Creative Commons License
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