Choose one of the following social factors that has played a significant role in shaping your personal identity: race/ethnicity, gender/sexuality, age, religion, media, consumption, or social class. The task is to explain how the selected social factor has influenced your identity, that is, your experiences, choices, expectations, life chances, attitudes, morality, values, and worldview. If you’d like to choose a social factor other than the ones listed above, you need to confirm it with your tutor.
Seek to apply sociological theories and concepts that are relevant to the social factor that has shaped your life experiences. For example, if you choose race/ethnicity, you may apply relevant sociological concepts such as: racism, ethnocentrism, and cultural relativism. Make sure you define your key concepts. You need to cite at least 4 ‘academic’ sources in your essay; citations could be used for definitions (e.g. definition of ‘social identity’), and in explaining the relationship between the selected social factor and identity in a more general sense. For instance, if you are focused on sexuality, then you need to find sources that address the relationship between sexuality and personal identity, comparing their findings with your own life experiences. Please note that this is to be a sociological essay and not a biography, so try to use analytical language, not emotive.