Honors Program Theses
Award/Availability
Open Access Honors Program Thesis
First Advisor
Marybeth C. Stalp
Abstract
This research compares social and cultural myths about the prom with the reality of the high school prom experience. Data include content analysis of prom-related popular media, and ten qualitative interviews with individuals aged 20-25 about their high school prom experiences. Perceptions of what prom is supposed to be like are influence heavily by the media; study participants' real prom experiences were quite different. Additionally, participants' prom experiences related less with popular media depictions and more with their actual social status in high school culture. Findings support that the media present a narrow, idealized depiction of the prom that rarely reflects the actual prom experiences of American teenagers.
Year of Submission
2008
Department
Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology
University Honors Designation
A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the designation University Honors
Date Original
5-2008
Object Description
1 PDF file (57 pages)
Copyright
©2008 Sarah C. Brandt
Recommended Citation
Brandt, Sarah C., "The Myth and Reality of Prom: A Qualitative Examination of the American High School Prom Experience" (2008). Honors Program Theses. 826.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/hpt/826
Comments
If you are the rightful copyright holder of this thesis and wish to have it removed from the Open Access Collection, please submit a request to scholarworks@uni.edu and include clear identification of the work, preferably with URL.