Social network and positive impressions

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ASSIGNMENT

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SOCIAL STRUCTURE AND
SOCIAL INTERACTION
Due Week 6: 150 points

You’ve learned how important groups, roles, statuses, and social
networks are in the structure of society. In this assignment, you’ll
demonstrate what you’ve learned by identifying and describing
examples from your own life. You will also have a chance
to practice some smart strategies for managing your digital
presence in your own “online” social networks.

Instructions: Complete both parts of the assignment by following
the instructions below.

PART A: YOUR STATUS SET, ROLES, AND ROLE PROBLEMS
1) Status Set:

a) List a status set that includes at least five
statuses that you currently have.

• Remember: A status is simply a position you
fill in society. It may be a job title, but it could
also include a position you fill within a family
or a community. For more information,
review Section 4.3 in your webtext.

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b) Label each status in your status set as ascribed,
achieved, or master.

• Remember: An ascribed status is one you’re
born with and have no control over. An
achieved status is reached through your own
efforts or simply good or bad luck. A master
status is so important that it overrides your
other statuses. For more information, review
Section 4.3 in your webtext.

2) Roles:

a) Choose one status from your status set.

b) Describe the role that is associated with the
status.

c) Describe how you learned that role.

• Remember: A role is the behavior expected
of someone with a certain status. For more
information, review Section 4.4 in your
webtext.

3) Role Conflict:

a) Choose two statuses from your status set.

b) Describe a time when you experienced a conflict
because of the demands of your two different
roles associated with those statuses.

c) List at least two different ways you could have
resolved the conflict. For example, could you
ask someone for help? Or could you go online to
research a possible solution?

d) Describe the approach you took to resolve the
conflict. What was the result? Would you do
things differently next time?

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PART B: SOCIAL NETWORKS AND POSITIVE IMPRESSIONS
1) Social Networks:

A social network includes all of the relationships that
link you to other people and groups. Through social
networks, you can connect with people who may be
able to offer you valuable advice, introductions, or op-
portunities.

a) Identify an area of interest that you would like
to pursue, either professionally or personally. It
could be a job or industry, a volunteer position, or
a social group.

• Examples: accounting, volunteering with the
elderly, joining a book club

b) Identify and describe three people in your social
network (people you know personally) who
have a connection, or might know someone
connected to your area of interest. These three
people may be work colleagues, family members,
or close friends.

• Remember: For privacy reasons, do not list
their names in this assignment. Instead,
identify them as Person A, B, and C.

c) For each person, write a brief description of why
you selected them, and how they are connected
to your area of interest.

d) Identify the person who you think is the best
contact for you to communicate with about
your area of interest. Why did you choose that
person?

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2) Positive Impressions:
When you interact with other people in your social
networks, you usually want to make a positive
impression on them. Online, you can do that by using
certain strategies when you create profiles.

a) Read this beginner’s guide to using LinkedIn, a
professional social network:
http://www.opencolleges.edu.au/
blog/2016/11/07/ca-beginners-guide-to-linkedin/

b) Imagine that you are creating an online profile
on a professional social networking site, such
as LinkedIn. The first person who will see your
profile is the person in your social network that
you identified above. Write a detailed description
of the type of impression you would want to
create with your profile.

c) Identify five components of a professional
networking profile that others will use to get an
impression of who you are.

d) Create a headline for your professional
networking profile that targets the job,
opportunity, or industry you’re interested in. (See
“Headline” section of article above).

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

• Use Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch
margins on all sides.

• Use section headers (Status Set, Roles, Role Conflict,
Social Networks, and Positive Impressions) and write
left indented paragraphs under each corresponding
section.

• References are not required for this assignment as you
will use the assigned article and your webtext.

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• Include a cover page containing the title of the assign-
ment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the
course title, and the date.

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RUBRIC
Grading for this assignment will be based on the following rubric:

POINTS: 150 ASSIGNMENT 2: SOCIAL STRUCTURE AND SOCIAL INTERACTION

Criteria Unacceptable

Below 60% – F

Meets Minimum
Expectations

60-69% – D

Fair

70-79% – C

Proficient

80-89% – B

Exemplary

90-100% – A

1. List a status
set and label
each status.

Weight: 10%

Lists a status
set of less than
five statuses. All
statuses may
not be accurate,
or all status
labels may be
incorrect.

Lists a status set
of five statuses.
Three or four
statuses may
not be accurate,
or three or four
status labels may
be incorrect.

Lists a status set
of five status-
es. One or two
statuses may not
be accurate, or
one or two status
labels may be
incorrect.

Lists an accurate
status set of five
statuses. Each
status is labeled
correctly.

Lists an accurate
status set of at
least five status-
es. Each status is
labeled correctly.
Additional status
sets are includ-
ed or student
identified nontra-
ditional statuses
that may not be
obvious.

2. Describe a
role and explain
how you learned
it.

Weight: 15%

Does not de-
scribe how a role
is associated
with a status
and/or how the
role was learned
and does not
provide support-
ing details.

Inaccurately
describes how a
role is associated
with a status or
how the role was
learned and sup-
porting details
are sparse.

Partially de-
scribes how a
role is associated
with a status and
how the role was
learned, but some
of the support-
ing details are
missing.

Accurately
describes how a
role is associated
with a status and
how the role was
learned, includ-
ing supporting
details.

Accurately
describes how a
role is associated
with a status and
how the role was
learned, includ-
ing supporting
details. Demon-
strates strong
understanding by
using sociology
terms and provid-
ing logical, accu-
rate, and concise
information.

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POINTS: 150 ASSIGNMENT 2: SOCIAL STRUCTURE AND SOCIAL INTERACTION
Criteria Unacceptable

Below 60% – F
Meets Minimum
Expectations
60-69% – D
Fair

70-79% – C
Proficient

80-89% – B
Exemplary

90-100% – A

3. Describe a
role conflict
and provide two
possible solu-
tions.

Weight: 20%

Does not
describe a role
conflict, or does
not provide two
possible solu-
tions and the
approach taken.

Supporting de-
tails are sparse
to describe a
role conflict, or
to support two
possible solu-
tions and the
approach taken.

Supporting de-
tails are used but
some key details
are missing to
describe a role
conflict, or to
support two
possible solu-
tions and the
approach taken.

Includes sup-
porting details
to describe a
role conflict and
to support two
possible solu-
tions and the
approach taken.

Supporting de-
tails are provided
to fully describe
a role conflict
and to support
two possible
solutions and
the approach
taken. Demon-
strates strong
understanding
by using sociol-
ogy terms and
providing logical,
accurate, and
concise informa-
tion.

4. Identify three
people in your
social network
and describe
their connection
to one of your
interests.

Weight: 20%

Does not de-
scribe three peo-
ple in a social
network, or their
connection to an
area of interest,
or how the best
contact was
identified.

Supporting de-
tails are sparse
to describe
three people in a
social network,
or their connec-
tion to an area
of interest, or
to support how
the best contact
was identified.

Supporting
details are used
but some key
details are miss-
ing to describe
three people in a
social network,
or their connec-
tion to an area
of interest, or to
support how the
best contact was
identified.

Includes sup-
porting details
to describe
three people in a
social network,
their connection
to an area of
interest, and how
the best contact
was identified.

Supporting de-
tails are provided
to fully describe
three people in a
social network,
their connection
to an area of
interest, and how
the best contact
was identified.
Demonstrates
strong under-
standing by
using sociolo-
gy terms and
providing logical,
accurate, and
concise informa-
tion.

8

POINTS: 150 ASSIGNMENT 2: SOCIAL STRUCTURE AND SOCIAL INTERACTION
Criteria Unacceptable

Below 60% – F
Meets Minimum
Expectations
60-69% – D
Fair

70-79% – C
Proficient

80-89% – B
Exemplary

90-100% – A

5. Identify five
components of
an online profile,
and describe the
impression you
want to make
online.

Weight: 25%

Does not de-
scribe five com-
ponents of an
online profile, or
a profile headline
is not written.

Supporting de-
tails are sparse
to describe five
components of
an online profile,
or the type of
online impres-
sion desired, or a
profile headline
is written that
is not specific
or not aligned
with an area of
interest.

Supporting de-
tails are used but
some key details
are missing to
describe five
components of
an online profile,
or the type of
online impres-
sion desired, or a
profile headline
is written that
is not specific
or not aligned
with an area of
interest.

Includes sup-
porting details
to describe five
components of
an online profile
and the type of
online impres-
sion desired, and
a profile headline
is written that
aligns with an
area of interest.

Supporting de-
tails are provided
to fully describe
five components
of an online pro-
file and the type
of online impres-
sion desired, and
a profile headline
is written that
aligns with an
area of interest.
Demonstrates
strong under-
standing by
using sociolo-
gy terms and
providing logical,
accurate, and
concise informa-
tion.

6. Write in a
skillful manner
using stated
formatting and
correct gram-
mar and spell-
ing.

Weight: 10%

Writing does not
meet minimal
standards. Tone
is not appro-
priate. Wholly
lacking in logic,
clarity, and/or
stated format-
ting. Contains
many spelling
and/or grammat-
ical errors.

Writing meets
minimal stan-
dards. Tone is
not appropri-
ate. Lacking
one or more
of logic, clarity,
and/or stated
formatting. May
contain many
spelling and/
or grammatical
errors.

Writing is satis-
factory. Appro-
priate and/or
consistent tone
is developing.
Shows moder-
ate logic, clarity,
and/or stated
formatting.
May contain
more than a few
spelling and/
or grammatical
errors.

Writing is profi-
cient. Tone is ap-
propriate. Shows
logic, clarity,
and stated
formatting. May
contain few or
no spelling and/
or grammatical
errors.

Writing is ex-
cellent. Tone is
appropriate and
demonstrates
excellent word
choice. Shows
exceptional
logic, clarity, and
stated format-
ting. Contains no
spelling or gram-
matical errors.