Erving Goffman's Theory Of Presentation Of Self

Analysis of the Culture of First Generation students at DePauw through Erving Goffman’s Theory of Presentation of Self

“First-generation,” a term that has recently began to permeate through our discourse surrounding education. Yet, secondary education institutions have found difficulty settling on a definition that fully captures the distinct and incomparable experiences and backgrounds of students. The definitions of a first-generation college student varies from institution to institution; ranging from having no parental figures who ever attended postsecondary education, to having one or more members in the immediate family who did not obtain a bachelor degree.

Definitions of a first-generation student are so diverse that each definition encompasses a different population of students. Longitudinal research conducted on 7,300 students in 2002 by University of Georgia’s Institute of Higher Education found that, “The number of students defined as ‘first generation’ could vary from as small as 22 percent to as large as 77 percent,” (Smith). Defining what a first-generation student looks like constricts the discourse

This paper will discuss the different ways in which first-generation students at DePauw participate in presentation of self. Specifically I will look at the ways in which first-generation students interact with their peers who are non-first-generation students, as well as, their families and friends who did not attend college, and I will examine if DePauw University can take further steps to aid first-generation students in their acclimation to college and bridge the gap between first-generation and non-first-generation students’ access to