NVC and Identity

Hello Comms people!

We have been bringing together some of our thoughts on identity, the presentation of the self and communication. Here is the example question for you to work on for homework - we have already come up with some ideas in class:

Which of the following statements about identity and personal communication do you find most convincing? Explain your choice.

• Successful personal communication depends on feedback and self-disclosure.
• We develop our identities in response to the ways in which others communicate with us.
• A person’s real identity is often revealed by unintended non-verbal signs.

This needs to be handed in on Thursday 7th November.

Here is a TED talk (a series of talks on new ideas) on NVC that I thought you might find interesting to further your thoughts on that area of study:

—http://video.ted.com/talk/podcast/2012G/None/AmyCuddy_2012G.mp4

And here are some thoughts on gender and NVC:

http://jezebel.com/gender-and-the-body-language-of-power-1292949003

Next term we will be looking at how to approach coursework. One of the areas you might like to investigate is Food: You are what you eat and I thought this article might be some food for thought. Be ready to feedback some ideas the first week back:

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2013/oct/15/judge-people-by-food-they-eat

Enjoy your break but keep working hard! As usual, please feel free to leave a comment about any of the articles!

Nina

Representation of Women in the Media

Good Morning!

The first thing you need to do is to complete your movie maker identity work. Please make sure you have engaged with some of the theories about identity and that you refer to them in your piece.

When you have finished that, have a read of the following articles, both of which deal with how young women are represented (or representing themselves) in the media.

One is on the problem with 'Lads' Mags', the extent to which they objectify women and what certain groups would like to change. Do tell me what you think by posting a comment.
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2013/jul/29/romola-garai-tesco-lads-mags

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/oct/13/lads-mags-problem-romola-garai


The other is on the issue of the sexualisation of women in the music industry. This has been in the news a lot recently, following some of Miley Cyrus' performances in her music videos and on stage. Many involved in the music industry have added their voices to the debate. Read the article and let me know what you think

.http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/charlotte-church-slams-music-industry-for-forcing-hypersexualised-and-cartoonish-images-on-young-female-performers-8879992.html

What issues are raised by certain representations of women in the media? To what extent do you think it has an impact on the identity of women (young and old) today and to what extent does it have an impact on how males view female identity? Just some food for thought.

Enjoy.

Nina

Identity Assessment

Good afternoon!

Today I want you to work on a short (1-2 minutes) MovieMaker presentation with a focus on your identity.

For example:

• a piece on starting at St Brendan's and how you have presented yourself
• the different people that make up your identity and the type of influence they have on your identity
• a piece on one of your role models and how they reflect your identity
• a piece on a hobby or interest and how this reflects your identity
• a piece on the clothes you wear; the food you eat etc
• a piece on your idiolect (the language you use)

In all of the above you can consider the key concepts of culture, communication, codes, power, value, representation, context alongside that of identity. Remember they all link together!

It also needs to show that you have engaged with the concept of identity through some of the ideas and theories associated with it - look back through your notes

You could include something about:

• the relationship between identity and culture. To what extent are we in charge of our identity and to what extent are we reliant on others? What cultural codes are associated with parts of your cultural practices that make up part of your identity?
• the idea of self concept; self image; ideal self and self esteem. You could refer to Rogers, Cooley's Looking Glass Theory, Self fulfilling prophecy, Johari Window
• how we protect our self image. You could refer to Johari Window and self maintenance strategies from Gergen and Gergen

This is your chance to show off your knowledge about identity.

Tattoos and Grand Theft Auto

I thought you might find these articles interesting. The article on tattoos explores how they link to someone's identity. Body Tattoos

The second article on tattoos also explores them as a cultural symbol and discusses the merging of popular and high culture through tattooing quotations from classic literature. Text and Tattoos

The article on Grand Theft Auto also considers the relationship between high and popular culture as it explores the rise of the video game and whether it can be classed as more than popular culture. Grand Theft Auto

Would love to hear your thoughts on any of the above!

Nina

MovieMaker

Good Morning Comms and Culture Peeps!

Today we are going to be playing around with MovieMaker in preparation for a small assessment based on identity (more info to follow!) What I want you to do today is to get yourself familiar with the software. So have a read of the tutorial; ask me (I know the basics); ask a friend! 

Aim to create a very short montage (about 1 minute) about your favourite book, animal, sport, song, film etc. You need to import some images and play around with how to transition them, adding text and music if you can. 

Here is an example from me - hope you enjoy it! You'll be singing the song all day!

My Favourite Song

You will work on your assessed task next week. You will need to create a presentation on an aspect of your identity. This could be a presentation on the clothes that you wear; a hobby or a passion of yours; your family; a group that you belong to etc. You could do something in the style of the Orange ad that we looked at last week - you should already have some ideas and text from that. Start thinking about what focus yours will have, so you are prepared for next week. It would be great if you could bring in a reference to a theory or include a couple of quotations about identity and culture. Attempt to link any ideas to the key concepts - we will be revisiting those next lesson. So..gather some thoughts and ideas!

Good luck!

Happiness

We touched very briefly on the happiness levels of whole countries as we discussed the concept of self esteem and how it links to happiness. I though you might be interested in the following clip. What makes society as a whole happy? Do you think we have problems overall in this country with happiness and how does this link to concepts of identity and the self? 

Bhutan and Happiness

Just some food for thought!

Nina

Resources for talking about culture!

Please find attached some of the resources we have used in our discussions about popular and high culture You can refer back to these when asked to write an essay or do some work on this topic. 

Some Thoughts on Culture

PowerPoint on High Culture

PowerPoint on High Culture 2

Useful Theories

Sub-Cultures and Cultural Codes

And finally - here is the essay question. You can always have another go at it as you get more confident with your subject knowledge and essay writing skills!

Essay Question and Planning Advice

This should all help you - but remember IT IS UP TO YOU to engage with the concepts and to provide relevant examples! Making notes during and after the class, drawing on any discussions we have had, will help you to build up a bank of resources and examples to support your writing.

Happy thinking!

Nina