What is Social Identity?

Overview and Purpose on What is Social Identity?

This assignment is a critical reflection which highlights how a student’s social identity might impact their work with diverse communities in the field of social work (CLO 3). This assignment asks students to examine the ways in which their social identity shapes their personal and professional beliefs and behaviour towards diverse communities (CLO 5). This assignment also builds upon students working knowledge of the terms associated with diversity.

Instructions

What is Social Identity?

An individual’s social identity refers to a sense of who they are and how others may see them (Ellmers, 2020). This can be based on the groups to which they belong and some of the major social categories. These are often identifiers or descriptors that a person thinks is important in defining themselves and could include some physical, social and mental characteristics. This might include gender, age, sex, race, ethnicity, religion/spirituality, social class, citizenship, sexual orientation, (dis)abilities or descriptors with which students identify or by which others perceive us. Social identity can also vary based on contexts and can change over time (Northwestern University, n.d,).

What is Social Identity?

Instructions:

Develop an 8-page double-spaced assignment (not including the title page or reference list) that addresses all of the required criteria outlined below. Remember to follow APA format and include all of the following subheadings.

Introduction — 3 marks

Clearly state the focus of your paper and what the paper will be covering and addressing in this assignment. Be specific. This should not be more than a paragraph. This prepares the reader for what is ahead and the purpose/rationale of the assignment.

Identifying and Explaining your Social Identity — 6 marks

Identify your social identities (culture, race, ethnicity, orientation, nationality, language, religious practices/beliefs, gender, orientation and/or class). Talk briefly about your upbringing and how you learned what you know, who you are and how others may perceive you.

Students are encouraged to research more about what social identity means to support them in writing for this portion of the assignment. Remember, to source any idea, opinion, definition that is not your own immediately after using it. Please refer to appendix below for more help with this.

Notes:

• Students are not required to talk about all social identities and may choose to focus on some key areas.
• Make sure to use the correct terms (culture, ethnicity, race and visible minority). Make sure to define the terms as you use them and reference the textbook. This section is marked on your ability to reflect upon your own social background and tie it into the textbook definitions (i.e defining what culture is and talking about your own).

Research Connection — 5 marks

Students are required to also tie in broader statistics and information. For example, students could research demographics and statistics of their culture or religion in Toronto/GTA. This is an opportunity for students to connect their own social identities with the greater diverse community. This is often referred to as social comparison: a process through which people identify/evaluate their own abilities, beliefs and values in comparison with others.

Implications for SW Practice — 6 marks

Based on the social identities that you discussed, how do you think these will impact you in your future career in social work?

In this section, tie in 2 course concepts/terms that you have learned from readings in the textbook and in class that highlight how your social identities (who you are), will assist you in social work. Consider how parts of your social identity might be seen as a strength or a challenge when working with diverse communities. Consider the key skills, qualities and competencies required in the field of social work. Do they match with your social identity? Remember, diversity in social work matters. Make sure to use research to support your reflections. Both reflection and research is needed in this section.

Privilege and Professional Development — 6 marks

This section is an opportunity for students to critically reflect on areas of privilege. Privilege is defined as a right or a benefit to some people and not to others. Privilege is often the advantage that people (i.e wealthy) have over other people in a society. It is given and unearned (Mirriam-Webster, 2015).

Students are asked to critically reflect on the areas of privilege that they carry as they enter careers in social work. Define your privilege and further consider how this could create different experiences when working with diverse communities.

Ongoing Professional Development is key in social work. What are personal areas of professional development that you will need to work on to ensure that you possess the ability to address the unique needs of the diverse community by which you will work in? Discuss specifically what professional development you need to do to ensure that you are able to work with historically oppressed, marginalized and vulnerable persons within the community.

Note: saying “I will be respectful of everyone” is not specific enough. Demonstrate critical reflection and provide specific, measurable and attainable professional development steps.

Conclusion — 3 marks

This section is a concluding paragraph that highlights and summarizes the focus of the paper. Be specific. This should not be more than a paragraph.

APA Format and References – 3 marks – Students need to use a minimum of 5-6 academic references.

Spelling, Grammar, and Use of Headings – 3 marks – Ensure that your paper is proofread and is free of spelling and grammatical errors. Students are required to use headings in this paper.

Important Notes and Considerations:

• 8 pages double-spaced in length, plus a Title Page and Reference List
• Students are able to use first person “I” for the reflection portion of the paper when exploring their own social identity.
• Assignment must be typed in APA format, 12 font, Times New Roman, double spaced, 1” margins.
• Submission that do not have a reference list will not be marked and will receive a grade of zero.
• Students must submit in a PDF or Microsoft word format. No other format will be accepted. This includes Pages as defaulted by Mac computers.
• Students need to use at least 5-6 scholarly/academic references (Wikipedia and other personal opinion websites do not count!). Students are encouraged to use the textbook as 1 of the sources (Counseling & Diversity by Choudhuri, Santiago-Rivera, & Garrett)
• Please include the subheadings included above in your assignment for easy and clear organization of thoughts/information.
• Review all additional supports and references as provided in the Appendix section below.
• Do not source an entire class for the purposes of your paper. Go to the original material (i.e. Textbook or the research that your professor sourced in class).
• Review the late policy mentioned in the approved course outline.

Note: use APA style for citations

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Table 3: Grading Expectations for Social Identity Assignment
Criteria	Not Acceptable	Needs Improvement	Meets Expectations	Good	Excellent
Introduction	0 No thesis. No context. No summary of points to be explored in body.	0.25 Introduction very briefly included. No thesis. No context. Minimal summary of points to be explored in body.	1.5 Thesis stated. Little or no context and/or no summary of the argument to be explored in the body or thesis is unclear.	2.25 Thesis clear. Context addresses what and why summary of argument is included. Overview of points to be discussed in body.	3 Introduction engages the audience and signals the intent of the paper. Clear, relevant thesis stated. Context is clearly developed. Summary of argument is included.
Social Identity	0 Section is incomplete or not provided.	1.5 Unsupported opinions used to develop argument. No use of text references to support ideas.	3 Ideas connected to Introduction but organization is unclear. Claims based on texts but ideas not explored, or claims made but do not support an overall argument. Some use of text references to support claims.	4.5 Section is clearly connected to introduction. Claims based on texts. Claims build an argument. Good use of text references	6 Great connection to introduction. Appropriate use of text references to support claims. Thorough development and exploration of claims. Addresses all criteria required.
Research Connection	0 Section is incomplete or not provided.	1.5 Unsupported opinions used to develop argument. No use of text references to support ideas.	3 Ideas connected to Introduction but organization is unclear. Claims based on texts but ideas not explored, or claims made but do not support an overall argument. Some use of text references to support claims.	4.5 Section is clearly connected to introduction. Claims based on texts. Claims build an argument. Good use of text references	6 Great connection to introduction. Appropriate use of text references to support claims. Thorough development and exploration of claims. Addresses all criteria required.
Implications	0 Section is incomplete or not provided.	1.5 Unsupported opinions used to develop argument. No use of text references to support ideas.	3 Ideas connected to Introduction but organization is unclear. Claims based on texts but ideas not explored, or claims made but do not support an overall argument. Some use of text references to support claims.	4.5 Section is clearly connected to introduction. Claims based on texts. Claims build an argument. Good use of text references	6 Great connection to introduction. Appropriate use of text references to support claims. Thorough development and exploration of claims. Addresses all criteria required.
Professional Development	0 Section is incomplete or not provided.	1.5 Unsupported opinions used to develop argument. No use of text references to support ideas.	3 Ideas connected to Introduction but organization is unclear. Claims based on texts but ideas not explored, or claims made but do not support an overall argument. Some use of text references to support claims.	4.5 Section is clearly connected to introduction. Claims based on texts. Claims build an argument. Good use of text references	6 Great connection to introduction. Appropriate use of text references to support claims. Thorough development and exploration of claims. Addresses all criteria required.
Conclusions	0 No thesis. No context. No summary of points to be explored in body.	0.75 Conclusion very briefly included. No thesis. No context. Minimal summary of points to be explored in body.	1.50 Thesis stated. Little or no context and/or no summary of the argument to be explored in the body or thesis is unclear.	2.25 Thesis clear. Context addresses what and why summary of argument is Included. Overview of points to be discussed in body.	3 Conclusion engages the audience and signals the intent of the paper. Clear, relevant thesis stated. Context is clearly developed. Summary of argument is included.
Grammar, APA Format, and References	0 Contains numerous grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors. Posts do not meet the word count criteria.	1.25 Written responses contain numerous grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors. The style of writing does not facilitate effective communication.	2.5 Written responses include some grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors that distract the reader.