from The Open University
Alternatively you can skip the navigation by pressing 'Enter'.
Identity in question
Why is identity important and how are identities formed? This unit looks...
Why is identity important and how are identities formed? This unit looks at the many different ways in which identity can be categorised. By examining the requirements of the state, how a child views gender, and the importance of race or place of birth, you will start to understand how each individual can have more than one identity.
After studying this unit you should be able to:
- provide a definition of identity;
- recognise how gender and socio-economic categories such as class can be used as a source of identity;
- discuss social structures in terms of gender, class and nation.
- Duration: 12 hours
- Published on: Friday 19th November 2010
- Level: Introductory
- Posted under: Sociology
Identity in question
Introduction

This unit looks at identity, focusing upon the individual's perception of self in relation to others; the relationships between multi-ethnicity, cultural diversity and identity; and the effects of inequality and social class upon identity. It also looks at inequality and social class as they relate to perceived identity.
This material is from our archive and is an adapted extract from Introducing the social sciences (DD100) which is no longer taught by The Open University. If you want to study formally with us, you may wish to explore other courses we offer in this subject area [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] .
Archive content
This is an extract from an Open University course which is no longer available to new students. If you found this interesting you could explore more free Sociology course units or view the range of currently available OU Sociology courses.
Other pages You might like

Try: Coping with Depression
“You just want to step out of it, to step out of the whole race, the whole business....

Try: Learning from audio-visual material:...
Looking at the theme of surveillance as a multifaceted everyday practice, this unit will...

Study: Contemporary Wales
Explore what is distinctive about Wales and Welsh identity in terms of culture, society,...

Try: This Sporting Planet
Sport is a massive global phenomenon. Events and sporting heroes attract an enormous...

Try: Social construction and social...
Within the field of social sciences the terms social construction and social...

Try: Mapping Britain
Maps are an intrinsic feature of the modern world - they hold both intellectual and...

Try: Reading and note taking - preparation...
Reading and note taking are two essential study skills. How do you read? This unit will...

Try: Social Science
What are the Social Sciences? One definition is that they are specialised systematic...

Try: Learning from audio visual material:...
This unit focuses provides you with a further opportunity to practise the learning from...

Try: Exploring Sports
Six audio interviews with sports enthusiasts, an amateur footballer, Olympic cyclist,...

Try: Does prison work?
Does prison work and what purpose does it serve? This unit allows you to listen to a...

Try: The dot.com bubble
Sir Isaac Newton observed that he could track the movement of the stars but not the...
Comments
Be the first to post a comment
Copyright & revisions
Copyright information
- Creative-Commons: The Open University is proud to release this free course under a Creative Commons licence. However, any third-party materials featured within it are used with permission and are not ours to give away. These materials are not subject to the Creative Commons licence. See terms and conditions. Full details can be found in the Acknowledgements section.
Feeds
If you enjoyed this, why not follow a feed to find out when we have new things like it? Choose an RSS feed from the list below. (Don't know what to do with RSS feeds?)
Remember, you can also make your own, personal feed by combining tags from around OpenLearn.
Alternative Formats
Tags, Ratings and Social Bookmarking
Taking off
Free stuff to your door
International Alphabet Soup
OU TV & Radio
-
Airport Live, Episode 4BBC Two
Thursday 20:00 -
The Bottom Line - Ep 4BBC Radio 4
Thursday 20:30 -
The Bottom Line - Ep 4BBC Radio 4
Saturday 17:30
Views
Votes
Comments
Tags
- climate change (374)
- business (278)
- diaries (194)
- food (170)
- bottom line (169)
- Rough Science (162)
- BBC Two (150)
- BBC Radio 4 (149)
- internet (145)
- BBC (136)
- listings (122)
- Scotland (121)
- points for debate (120)
- Bang goes the Theory (116)
- children (116)
- Creative Climate (116)
- English Civil War (115)
- Thinking Allowed (109)
- astronomy (108)
- religion (98)
- marketing (94)
- 20th century (94)
- Charles I (93)
- communication (92)
- evolution (91)
- research (89)
- sustainability (89)
- architecture (86)
- energy (83)
- Charles Darwin (78)
OpenLearn Links
Copyrighted imageCredit: Background image Lucian Milasan | Dreamstime.com 

