Competitive Cheerleading, A Misunderstood Discourse Community (Portfolio)
Sugene Shin, Summer 2019
Director: Jennifer Maher
Committee Member: Lucille McCarthy
My portfolio is an auto-ethnographic study of competitive cheerleading, a misunderstood discourse community. With cheer characterized by many derogatory stereotypes, I explore what constitutes a sport and what present day competitive cheer actually is, as well as why people engage in cheer. I also explore the evolution of this sport as it has become more physically demanding, yearly, through rubric guidelines.