This document provides instructions for an assignment to write an analytical essay exploring one's own identity and how it is shaped by group memberships. Students are asked to focus on how they represent their identity in relation to social expectations of the groups they belong to. The document provides examples of topics students could explore, such as tensions between group memberships, how joining new groups affects existing values, and how identity is communicated to others. Students are provided questions to guide their reflection on the social groups they belong to and how these groups influence their identity construction and representation. The intended audience is those interested in identity and people struggling with their own identity negotiation.

1. Identity and Representation: You will write an analytical essay
that explores your identity in terms of your own group
memberships.
Identity and Representation
Context and Description
When we are asked about our identity, often we describe it in
terms of the groups that we belong to, such as a sports team,
club or other kinds of social groups. We may also mention our
school, occupation or a specific workplace. We may think of our
identity in terms of our gender, ethnicity or nationality. Where
we live--the neighborhood or type of residence--may also
influence our sense of who we are. The languages we speak in
those groups also shapes our sense of who we are and how
others see us. When we encounter a member of groups other
than our own, sometimes it becomes necessary to reflect on and
explain the values, assumptions and practices of the groups we
belong to in order to resolve conflicts and to facilitate
communication. Joining a new social group may also challenge
those values, assumptions and practices that come from our pre-
existing membership in other groups. The purpose of this
project is to explore how identity is shaped, negotiated, and
represented in relation to our membership in various groups.
Write an analytical essay that explores your identity in terms of
your own group memberships. For this project, you may focus
on any of the following:
the complex construction of identity through membership in
various (and sometimes conflicting/competing) groups
how you represent your identity in relation to the social
expectations or stereotypes of being a member of a group

2. (expectations vs. reality)
the tension or struggle you encounter as a member of certain
groups (e.g., how you represent yourself to others from
different groups)
how entering a new, possibly unfamiliar group (for example,
moving away from home and/or starting college) affects the
values and assumptions you brought with you
As you explore your ideas, consider the following questions:
What social groups do you belong to? How are these groups
categorized (social groups, organizations, athletic teams, ethnic
groups, or religious groups; by nationality, gender,
neighborhoods, or communities)? What aspects of the group
memberships are negotiable? Which ones are fixed or difficult
to change? What aspects, characteristics, or expectations, if
any, of these groups overlap with one another? Do they
compete with one another? How are these groups perceived by
people who are not members of those groups? Are there
stereotypes associated with a certain group or groups you
belong to? If so, what are they, and to what extent do you see
those stereotypes occurring in others or yourself? How do those
stereotypes affect you and people around you? How do your
group memberships affect the ways in which you communicate
with others? How do your memberships influence how you
relate to others or how others relate to you?
Explore all possible communities to which you belong and look
for the one or ones that seem to have the richest potential for
exploring your cultural identity.
Learning Objectives
In this project, you will learn to:
reflect upon your own background and experiences to convey
and articulate specific thoughts, ideas, and knowledge to your

3. audience
select, arrange and develop details from your personal
experience and the perceptions of others to generate insights
think critically about your identity and how it is shaped by your
membership in different groups
think critically about the facets of identity construction and
representation in various situations
Process Genres
Here are a few process genres that might help you develop ideas
for the profile essay:
Write a list that explores the various memberships or social
groups that you belong to (past and present). Then, identify any
places where these memberships interact, intersect, or overlap.
List moments when memberships in multiple groups created
conflict in your identity construction or representation.
Write short paragraphs that:
explain your transition into a new social group, and how that
experience affected the values and assumptions you originally
had.
identify when you felt that you did not “fit in” to a certain
group, and how that experience influenced your perception of
that group.
articulate ways in which a significant life change (for example,
moving away from home, starting college, moving to another
country) has affected, altered, or reshaped your identity (and
how you represent it).
Audience
The primary audience for this project will be people who are
interested in learning about identity construction and
representation. Additionally, your audience will include people
who are also struggling to negotiate their identity. By reading

4. your profile, the audience may become more aware of how their
own identity is influenced by group memberships and even find
ways to negotiate their identity. The secondary audience is your
instructor and peers, who may want to learn more about who
you are and where you are coming from.
Analytical Essay
The analytical essay addresses an issue or question by breaking
down the topic into its key components and examining each of
the components as well as how they relate to the issue or
question at hand.
The introduction sets the stage by calling attention to a
particular issue or question. This goal can be accomplished by
describing a situation--such as a personal experience or a recent
event--that illustrates the issue or question to be addressed. It
could also begin by stating the conventional understanding of
the topic to be challenged through the analysis. By the end of
the introduction, the reader should have a sense of what kind of
argument is going to be presented and how the argument is
going to be developed--that is, what people, things or ideas are
going to be analyzed. The main body of the analytical essay
may begin with an overview of the object of analysis followed
by point-by-point analyses of its components that are closely
related to the main argument. The conclusion resolves the issue
or question by providing insights that can be drawn from the
analysis.
In this project, the issue or question will be related to the
concept of identity in relation to membership in various groups.
The object of analysis will be your own identity--how it is
shaped by prior or pre-existing memberships in social and
cultural groups as well as how your identity is negotiated and
represented by yourself or by others as you move from one
cultural context to another.

5. my essay about my frind in my country uae and usa and the
diffrent in the relationship .