Fraternity
Encyclopedia
A fraternity
is a brotherhood, though the term usually connotes a distinct or formal organization. An organization referred to as a fraternity may be a:
Fraternity may also refer to various types of organizations found at colleges and universities:
In North America
In Europe
Other uses include:
Fraternity
A fraternity is a brotherhood, though the term usually connotes a distinct or formal organization. An organization referred to as a fraternity may be a:*Secret society*Chivalric order*Benefit society*Friendly society*Social club*Trade union...
is a brotherhood, though the term usually connotes a distinct or formal organization. An organization referred to as a fraternity may be a:
- Secret societySecret societyA secret society is a club or organization whose activities and inner functioning are concealed from non-members. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence agencies or guerrilla insurgencies, which hide their...
- Chivalric orderChivalric orderChivalric orders are societies and fellowships of knights that have been created by European monarchs in imitation of the military orders of the Crusades...
- Benefit societyBenefit societyA benefit society or mutual aid society is an organization or voluntary association formed to provide mutual aid, benefit or insurance for relief from sundry difficulties...
- Friendly societyFriendly societyA friendly society is a mutual association for insurance, pensions or savings and loan-like purposes, or cooperative banking. It is a mutual organization or benefit society composed of a body of people who join together for a common financial or social purpose...
- Social club
- Trade unionTrade unionA trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
Fraternity may also refer to various types of organizations found at colleges and universities:
In North America
- Fraternities and sororities, also called Greek letter organizations or social fraternities, initiatory organizations which unite students through the undergraduate college course
- Honor societyHonor societyIn the United States, an honor society is a rank organization that recognizes excellence among peers. Numerous societies recognize various fields and circumstances. The Order of the Arrow, for example, is the national honor society of the Boy Scouts of America...
, an organization which recognizes achievement - Collegiate secret societies in North America, organizations in which membership is limited by year of study
- Literary societyLiterary societyA literary society is a group of people interested in literature. In the modern sense, this refers to a society that wants to promote one genre of literature or a specific writer. Modern literary societies typically promote research about their chosen author or genre, publish newsletters, and hold...
, an organization formed as a student-directed supplement to the academic curriculum - Professional fraternityProfessional fraternityProfessional fraternities, in the North American fraternity system, are organizations whose primary purpose is to promote the interests of a particular profession and whose membership is restricted to students in that particular field of professional education or study...
, an organization which promotes fellowship among those in a particular academic discipline or career field - Service fraternities and sororitiesService fraternities and sororitiesService fraternity may refer to any fraternal public service organization, such as the Kiwanis or Rotary International. In Canada and the United States, the term fraternal organization is more common as "fraternity" in everyday usage refers to fraternal student societies.In the context of the North...
, organizations whose primary purpose is community service - North American fraternity and sorority housing, large group housing for members of a fraternity or sorority
In Europe
- Corporation (university)Corporation (university)Corporation refers to different kinds of student organizations worldwide.Generally, universities in the various European countries have student organizations called corporations. The name is derived from the Latin corporatio meaning a body or group...
, often considered the European equivalent of an American college fraternity - Studentenverbindung, several types of student organizations in Germany
- Nations at Swedish universities, an older type of student organization
Other uses include:
- Fraternity (band)Fraternity (band)Fraternity were an Australian rock band which formed in Sydney in 1970 and relocated to Adelaide in 1971. Former members include successive lead vocalists Bon Scott , John Swan , and his brother Jimmy Barnes...
, an Australian rock group from the early 1970s, featuring AC/DC's Bon Scott - Fraternity RecordsFraternity RecordsFraternity Records was a small record label based in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was started by Harry Carlson and silent partner Dr. Ashton Welsh in 1954.The first hit was local girl Cathy Carr's rendition of a Tin Pan Alley song, "Ivory Tower" in 1956...
, a record label
See also
- List of general fraternities
- List of social fraternities and sororities
- List of fraternities and sororities in the Philippines
- List of fraternities and sororities in Puerto Rico