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Vincent, read Alex deTouqueville on American fraternal organizations (Democracy in America, 1835). He considered them one of the half dozen fundamental, defining structures of American society. In their present form, college fraternities & sororities probably are uniquely American. They probably derived originally from German college societies, along with similar British and French models.
American college fraternities (some sororities call themselves fraternities) began in 1776, the year of American Independence. The social fraternities are almost exclusively undergraduate organizations, but many reamin close to their alumni.
Fraternities have been traditionally not quite in sync with university administrations. Across the last 200 + years, faculty have considered fraternities something of a threat to their authority. In the 19th Century, faculty thought fraternities were not sufficiently conservative, not religious enough, and considered them to be hedonistic. In the 20th Century, faculty think of fraternities as not sufficiently liberal, as too religious, and consider them to be hedonistic. The point is: fraternities have remained hugely popular because they express the constancy and values of the dominant American upper middle class. Fraternities express the fundamental American personality traits of anti-intellectualism (in the European sense), democracy, adherence to tradition, and the entrepreneural spirit. The fact that they have never been fully embraced by the ruling acedemic elite is just another source of their popularity.
Most movies featuring fraternities are exploitive, but several have been discussed on these message boards (someone else can give you the thread). Animal House is one of the most popular fraternity movies ever, but the broad humor is drawn from severe stereotypes. There are some decent movies.
The strength of fraternities derives from the friendships formed with each other while in college. Those life-long relationships give fraternities their most powerful attraction. Anyone can do service projects or make floats for homecoming or play sports. Nothing lasts but the "brotherhood".
I'm sure others on this board will give you plenty of information about the current college atmosphere. Good luck to you.
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