COMM 1001 Week 1 Application
Communication and Identity Worksheet

Directions: Please download this worksheet by saving the document to your own computer using the naming convention "COMMWK1Assgn+last name+first initial" as the Submission Title. The file name identifies you and indicates to your instructor that your worksheet is available to grade. Please fill in the answers in the boxes provided by TYPING in your answers. If you need more space than is provided, the box will expand as you write. So, no need to worry about space. Do not write your answers in a separate document because your instructor uses the rubric after each question to grade that section of this worksheet. You may use the rubric as a guide to make sure you completed that question correctly.

1. Find the term “self concept” in your Communication in a Changing World textbook and write the definition in here so that you can easily refer to it:

Insert your answer below

In light of that definition, in 50-100 words, describe where your self-concept came from in the space below.

Insert your answer below

For Instructor Use Only

Question #1 Rubric Points

Did the student list the definition of “self-concept”? _____/ 2 points

Did the student have a description of where their self concept came from that paralleled the definition? _____/15 points

Was the student’s description 50-100 words and in complete sentences? _____/5 points

Instructor Comments:

22 Points

_____/22

2. Find the term “self-fulfilling prophecy” in your Communication in a Changing World textbook and write the definition in here so that you can easily refer to it:

Insert your answer below

Using the figure 2-1 in your Communication in a Changing World textbook as a reference, in the space below, in 50-100 words, give an example of how self-fulfilling prophecy can play a part in defining someone’s self concept.

Insert your answer below

For Instructor Use Only

Question #2 Rubric Points

Did the student list the definition of “self-fulfilling prophecy”? _____/ 2 points

Did the student have a description of how self-fulfilling prophecy can play a part in defining someone’s self-concept? _____/15 points

Was the student’s description 50-100 words and in complete sentences? _____/5 points

Instructor Comments:

22 Points

_____/22

3. You have learned about “self concept,” but “identity” is a little different. Identity is defined as “the conception of yourself as a member of a group or category” (Dobkin and Pace, 2006, p.42). This means your identity is made up of a combination of factors from many areas of your life. To understand your identity, it is important to begin by defining the different categories or groups that contribute to making you who you are. Figure 2-2 in chapter 2 of the Communication in a Changing World textbook shows the Identity Wheel. Below, all the possible categories or groups that are on that wheel are listed. Choose 10 of them and fill them in with your personal information.

Sex
Family
Academic major
Religion
Political Affiliation
Education
Age
Regional Origin
Hobby/Recreation
Occupation
Sexual Orientation
Ethnicity

For Instructor Use Only
Question #3 Rubric Points

Did the student list their specific answers for at least 10
of the items above? 1 point for each item

Instructor Comments:

10 Points total

_____/10

4. You have learned from your reading that both men and women can be either masculine or feminine, as Dobkin and Pace (2006) explain, “we develop a gender identity based on our conception of ourselves as male or female” (p. 44). Thus the gender identity is not necessarily tied to the sex of the person.

For example, sometimes little girls who do not want to wear a dress and like to climb trees might be called a “tomboy” and thus be seen as more masculine at that time of their lives.

In the space below in 100-200 words, describe how you communicate your gender identity nonverbally in a face-to-face situation at this point in your adult life. In other words, how do you nonverbally communicate that you are masculine or feminine?

Insert your answer below

For Instructor Use Only

Question #4 Rubric Points

Did the student have a description of how they nonverbally communicate their gender identity presently? _____/16 points

Was the student’s description 100-200 words and in complete sentences? _____/5 points

Instructor Comments:

21 Points

_____/21

5. As you also read in the Communication in a Changing World textbook, our social identity is just as important to our self-concept. In fact, we likely have many, many social identities. These might have to do with our workplace, family relationships, friendships or anytime our social context changes. We will communicate differently in each of these social contexts. And the channel that we use when we communicate in that social context will also help determine how we communicate.

In the space below in 50-100 words, describe how you might communicate differently by email as you go between two different social identities. For instance, how does your email communication change from communicating with co-workers than when communicating with friends? Feel free to use this example or describe how you change between any two other of your social identities. Be sure to use specific examples for each social identity.

Insert your answer below

For Instructor Use Only

Question #5 Rubric Points

Did the student have a description of how they communicate differently via email between two different social identities? _____/10 points

Did the student include two specific social identity examples?_____/10 points

Was the student’s description 50-100 words and in complete sentences? _____/5 points

Instructor Comments:

25 Points

_____/25

Worksheet Total Points 100 points

_____/100.