Assignment Overview:
Our identity is something that evolves over time. From the time we are born we are shaped by our family, friends, community, and the broader institutions in our society, a process known as socialization. It’s important to acknowledge that we are socialized to have certain ideologies, or beliefs and values. These ideologies are the lens through which we understand how the world works. Our ideologies also influence our behavior and the decisions we make. In this reflection assignment, you are being asked to think critically about the sources of your own ideologies and the impact they have on our actions and identities.
Instructions:
Answer all of the following questions:
Identify one ideology that you consider a core value to your identity, then describe the factors of socialization in your life that shaped it.
Briefly recount a decision or action that directly resulted from that ideology.
Critique that action—was it justified, rational and fair, or would you do things differently now that you know how your beliefs have been influenced by forces outside of yourself?
Upload to the Reflection Assignment 1 Dropbox.
Formats:
You can submit this reflection
You can record your reflection and upload the audio file. It should be 3 to 5 minutes long. Do not exceed 5 minutes.
You can answer the questions in a graphic or artistic representation, as long as the images are accompanied by written or recorded explanations that address the criteria of the rubric. The design should fit on one page, and recorded explanations should not exceed 2 minutes in total.
Tips:
Tasks: You are being asked to do 4 things: identify, describe, recount and critique. The most important element is the critique, which will indicate that you understand how your identity and ideologies (beliefs and values) are the product of socialization and are likely to evolve over time.
Content: Your answers to these questions need to use the concepts and terminology from the lessons and the OER textbook
Considerations: does knowing that our ideologies are shaped by forces outside of ourselves—forces we may not be consciously aware of—change your outlook on that decision/action you will recount?
Reminders: ideological beliefs also include the dominant narratives about the world that influence you whether you agree with them, or not, like the messages you see in the media. Combined with the influence of your family, culture, education, etc., there are many ways that our identity and ideologies are socially constructed.
