Eng

Part 1:

First, complete the social identities exercise- see handouts. As you think about the differences between personal and social identities, the connections  between the two, and the groups that you belong to consider the following questions:  

· Which aspects of social identities feel especially meaningful to you and why?

· Which aspects of your social identity feel especially meaningful to you and why?

· Which aspects of your social identity don’t feel as meaningful to you and why?

·  Are there any that you hadn’t thought of before today, and if so, why do you think that is?

· What experiences have you had that make the identities in your inner circle more salient to you? 

·  Why do you think more about some of your identities than others?

· How do your identities influence your sense of belonging in the groups you’re part of?

You don’t have to answer all these questions- choose one or two that you are most comfortable with and draw from your experiences.  In your answer be sure to explain, from a sociological perspective, the importance of social identities and group belonging in today’s society.

Part II:  Choose an issue about which you hold a very different opinion than your parents, or grandparents (i.e.  Religious Practices, Dating, Marriage, Fashion, Cannabis Use).  How might this difference of opinion be a result of your experiences with various groups that you belong to and/or existing agents of socialization? 

Response: Read all the posts and choose one to respond to. In your response, think about the power of groups, and how humans are driven by social interaction and group belonging. With this in mind, in your response to your colleague do one of the following:

· Question:  Pose a question that came up for you (from the post, or from the reading that you think may have a relationship to what your colleague has written)

· Thought: Tell us what your colleagues’ response made you think about? Did you agree?  Disagree?  Or extend their argument.

· Epiphanies: As you read the response, did you have any aha moments? What did you learn from your colleague?