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Lyndsi Grose
Professor John Chrisman
17 March 2015
Unit 3 Paper: Annotated Bibliography
Part 1
Source 1
Gee, James Paul. Identity as an Analytical Lens for Research in Education. Review of
Research in Education, (2000-2001): 99-125. Print.
This source written by James Paul Gee focuses on how today, many people use identity to
understand society. Gee first explains identity, but he makes it clear that he is not simply
looking at the definition of identity, but rather examining how it can be used as an
analytic tool for studying important issues of theory and practice in education (100). He
shows the reader that we can use identity as a lens to view people and groups of people.
He also gives some really great insight into the different ways that identity can arise, four
of them including nature-identity, institution-identity, discourse-identity, and affinityidentity (100). We are not limited to viewing just one of the four identities, but they can
co-exist together as well. Gee says specifically, these four perspectives are not separate
from each other (101). Nature-identity is essentially created although a person has never
done or accomplished anything (101). That signifies the nature behind the identity; it just
seemed to have naturally been created and recognized. Institution-identity is described by
Gee through his example of him being a professor at a university. He says The process
by which this power works is authorization; that is, laws, rules, traditions, or principles of
various sorts allow the authorities to author (101). The next perspective Gee allows the

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reader to look into is discourse-identity. He explains the source of this as the power
that determines it or to which my friend is subject- is the discourse or dialogue of other
people (103). Lastly, we view the affinity-identity. Gee says here one must actively
choose to join (106).
I chose to use this source because it is scholarly and appropriately sets the
foundation for an understanding of identity. Gee outlines several different aspects of
identity for the reader, which I will connect with other articles of my research.

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Source 2
Eckert, Penelope. Jocks and Burnouts: Social Categories and Identity in the High
School. New York: Teachers College Press, 1989. Print.
This source was a book written by Penelope Eckert. She spent several years
traveling and visiting different high schools, as noted in the preface of the book. She
notes that each school was significantly different based n several conditions, especially
the social makeup of each. She takes a look at the jocks and the burnouts as social
groups that have identity based on different things that have over time, created their
identity. Although these stereotypes may or may not still be in play today, they prove
good points on identity throughout her book. Eckert says The term jock originated in
sports, and burnouts are basically druggies (3). Besides looking at the jocks or the
burnouts, Eckert talks about identity in the high schools from a broader standpoint. She
says it is the day-to-day cultural differences, and the possibilities of acceptance and
rejection, that fill in the class outlines of life in the high-school (6).
I chose to use this source because I think that even though it does not directly talk
about cheerleading, the author makes good connections about high-school identities. He
compares two main identities of the jocks and the Burnouts, but discusses some of the
reasons behind these identities and how they have become identities. This research is
important for my final paper because I will discuss how identity can be created in a highschool and how they are created. I plan to apply the direct research I have found about
my discourse community, and look into how it was created or what factors go into
identity.

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Source 3
Moberg, Amanda. Personal Interview. 18 March 2015. Email.
I conducted this interview with the current captain of the HHS Varsity
cheerleading team, Amanda Moberg. I emailed her a set of specific questions regarding
the identity of the squad, directly and indirectly. For example, I directly asked her what
she thinks the physical identity of a HHS Varsity cheerleader would be. Amanda
responded Some of the larger physically aspects that identify us as cheerleaders besides
our uniform is wearing our huge bow in our hair and the tall white socks with our white
cheerleading shoes. We generally always look uniform by wearing the same practice
clothing and the same backpacks to games and competitions. These are aspects that a
person may be able to use to differentiate a cheerleader from a different athlete, per say. I
asked her other similar questions regarding the identity as an individual, as a team, as a
squad in the school, and throughout our city.
When responding to my questions, Amanda made a really great point that I would
like to recognize and make note of for future use in our unit four paper. She said, Not
only have we been named back to back state champions and 2014 national champions,
we have also won many leadership and sportsmanship awards. We tend be the team that
cheers with and for other teams in and out of our division, and we try to spread positivity
across the sport of cheerleading as a whole. As a previous member of this squad, I think
that our past achievements have really contributed to our identity as a whole. We have
won several titles across the board of our different competitions, so therefore our identity
has grown in several ways. We became more recognized in our school, in our town, and
in the cheerleading community as well. Several people have come to think of HHS

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Cheerleaders as positive, encouraging individuals who lead by example. This is due to
our accomplishments, and our rules and goals outlined in the new member packet each
year.
During this interview, I also asked Amanda about the new member packet and its
role that it plays with the squad. I asked her if the new member packet outlines rules and
expectations that essentially contribute to the overall identity of the squad. She
responded, It does to a certain extent. It lays out important dates and events we will be
attending/competing in. It does list a set of rules/requirements we are expected to follow
as cheerleaders. If someone were to break a rule, it is generally followed with a
consequence. But we usually never have to deal with that. We are role models and usually
behave ourselves in and outside of school. I find this an important piece of information
as well because it stresses the importance of the new member packet given out at the
beginning of each season. I found myself wondering what the squad might be like if these
sets of rules and guidelines were not laid out at the beginning of each season.

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Source 4
Hagerty Varsity Cheerleading. Observation. 11 March 2015.
I went back to my high school over my spring break to observe the Hagerty Varsity
cheerleading team that I was most recently involved with. I arrived when the bell rang,
and I immediately could see the cheerleaders start to stand in the courtyard together. They
met up with each other, getting a few minutes to talk about their day, and walk out to their
cars together to get their clothes for the practice that was going to start within the next
thirty minutes. Moving forward to when the actual practice had started, I could notice that
everyone had the same practice wear on. Everyone had similar, but not identical,
hairstyles. Their hair was required to be up in a high ponytail, for athletic purposes. They
also were using similar mannerisms throughout the whole practice. For example, they are
required to follow coachs rules and not participate in any horseplay or disrespectful talk.
They listened mostly to the coach, and secondly their captains. In addition to their
physical identity I observed through their uniform clothing and hair, I also noticed that
most of them had similar body types.
All throughout the practice, I took note of the different skills that were being
demonstrated. I asked the coach if those were what they had set out to be their goals from
the beginning of the year, as outlined in the new member packet. Each teammate was
required to keep up with the basic skills, such as a standing back-tuck or roundoff
backhandspring backtuck, but also skills set out as a team, such as stunting skills. I also
noticed that a few girls were sitting out on the sides. These girls were noted as the
alternates, who were not as capable of the required skills who could incase of an
emergency, fill the spot of a cheerleader on the mat.

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Source 5
Moritz, Amy. Cheerleading: Not just for the sidelines anymore. Sport in Society:
Cultures, Commerce, Media, Politics. Ed. Routledge. New York: Taylor and
Francis Group, 2011. 660-669. Print.
This secondary source was exactly what I was looking for. Written by Amy
Moritz, it immediately introduces cheerleading and identity has transformed through
different points in time. She says, For decades, female athletes were relegated to the
sidelines- physically and metaphorically speaking (660). She also talks about what
cheerleading has evolved to athletically, and how cheerleaders can be identified as today.
She makes the point that cheerleaders today are more athletic and involved in other types
of cheerleading, such as all-star teams, and are mainly in the sport for the competitions
rather than the sideline cheering.
One thing that Moritz said really caught my eye, and I find it a very vital piece of
information from her article. In her conclusion she said, Cheerleaders have embraced a
venue where they can blend and engage with multiple identities ranging from traditional
feminine markers of fashion and sexuality to traditional masculine makers of fierce
athletic competition (668). I think that this is vital when thinking about identity in this
discourse community because it is important to understand that there isnt just one
specific type of identity for a cheerleader, or any athlete in general.

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Source 6
Hansen, Mary Ellen. Go! Fight! Win!: Cheerleading in American Culture. Bowling
Green: Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1995. Print.
Mary Ellen Hansen thoroughly describes cheerleading throughout this whole
book. When I was reviewing this source, I think that it really relates to my topic of
identity and how identity is shown throughout cheerleading. For example, on one of the
first few pages (shown online), she says Cheerleaders at the scholastic level in particular
were expected to demonstrate personality and character traits appropriate to their roles as
student leaders (77). Hansen explains viewpoints and has her book organized into
sections. I find this helpful and makes the source easy to navigate and find relative topics
of interest. Hansen starts off with the spirit and support aspect of cheereleaders and their
identity, then goes more in depth to analyze the athletic side of things and their role in
society. She then goes to discuss the positive and negative stereotypes associated with the
community. I find all these comparisons to be very helpful when trying to choose a
standpoint and fully understand something.
As an emerging sport, cheerleading provides an athletic outlet as well as a focus
for school and community identity (Hansen 120). Hansen explains how cheerleaders
create an identity for themselves and are often even role models for many different
groups of people. Not only have cheerleaders become very athletic individuals
accustomed to hard work and discipline, having better general body awareness, and
usually superior body control (89), but they have created a positive identity for
themselves in several different cases.

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Part 2
In synthesis, it is obvious that not all the sources can relate to each other.
However, I am able to make certain specific connections between similar characteristics
while analyzing each. Other than the easy to see similarities such as topics
(identity/cheerleading/both), there were similarities in the way a reader was to view it
through a lens. I am using the lens identity for my unit four paper, so I think it really
helped to be able to find and use some of the great sources that I found, because they all
have to do with the identity lens.
For example, the more easy comparisons could be the interview that I conducted
with Amanda and the observation. Those two sources were easily relatable because I
could clearly see some of the things that Amanda had mentioned to me, firsthand. For
example, I had asked her what physical identity that a member of this discourse
community would portray and she talked about the uniforms, the body type, body
language, etc. While observing the cheerleading squad myself I was able to see all of this.
From my genre of the new member packet, I can also see the outlined requirements and
expectations for the season, and really make comparisons with how the team practiced
and acted on a daily basis.
Next, if you take a look at the work written by Amy Moritz, she makes the
comment of multiple identities that were created through time, but still occur today.
Looking at Gees article, he also mentions something about different forms of identity,
how they come to be, and how they can co-inside with each other. I also think that Moritz
article can be compared to Hansens article as well, because they are both discussing how

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cheerleading has changed over time identity wise, and the different ways that
cheerleading has been.
Overall, there really were not many gaps that I could think of when conducting
my research. All the research had given me a very strong basis for which I am going to
base my paper off of. I found scholarly articles on identity not in relevance to
cheerleading (which I am going to be able to relate to cheerleading in several different
ways), primary sources of an interview and observation (which really allowed me to get a
full understanding of what identity is in my discourse community), and secondary
sources that are allowing me to relate to my own personal experiences and giving me
more insight to view things I was not previously able to.