Communicating/Muting Date Rape: A Co-Cultural Theoretical Analysis of Communication Factors Related to Rape Culture on a College Campus

Abstract

Previous studies suggest that college campuses foster a rape culture in which date rape (most commonly, rape of women) is an accepted part of campus activity (Buchwald, Fletcher, & Roth, 1993; Sanday, 2007). In focus groups at a Midwestern university, researchers asked students about rape as they experienced it or knew about it on campus. The study revealed attitudes and perspectives about rape communicated from cultural, social, and individual levels. Co-researchers’ comments indicated such attitudes exist in relation to and are expressed through behaviors preceding potential incidences of rape, during rape itself, and in response after rape occurs. Throughout this process, college students, especially females, were muted, potentially contributing to the creation and perpetuation of a campus rape culture.

Keywords:

• Date Rape
• Co-cultural Theory
• Muted Group Theory

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Deanna Baranko, Linda Short, and Mary Frances Casper for their assistance with the focus groups, as well as the anonymous reviewers for their feedback.

Notes

1. We chose to interview female athletes as a unique group of college women who may have experienced the rape culture as victims or as perpetrators. We were not able to secure a similar group of male athletes.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jody L. Mattern

Dr Mattern has since graduated and is a faculty member at Minnesota State University-Moorhead

Liliana L. Herakova

Herakova is now a PhD student at the University of Massachusetts

David H. Kahl

Kahl is a faculty member at Penn State at Erie, The Behrend College

Susan E. Bornsen

Bornsen is now staff member at Concordia College. All authors were initially located at North Dakota State University