Example Of A Social Group Analysis

I belong to a social group that learns how to write poetry. The social group is a class taught at SPC, with an instructor who orchestrates the learning process: what the students learn; how the students will learn the presented material; how to write poetry; and how to interpret and analyze poems. Each student in the class is a novice when it comes to writing poetry. Because the class is an elective, each student must have had an interest pertaining to poetry, whether it be why poetry is important, or how poetry can enrich someone’s perspective. Indeed, everyone including the professor wants to socialize and learn from others. The social structure of the group consists of two tiers: the professor and the students. Of course, the professor …show more content…
Students listen and take notes, accordingly. The purpose of notes is to achieve the best grade possible, and of course retain the information. Taking notes requires the students to be attentive listeners. I play the student role. The lack of knowledge and experience in poetry determined my role. To engage in dialogue, the leader has the students participate in a workshop. Workshopping is when the students move the desks into a square, so that everyone can participate in discourse. To alleviate tension between students with different opinions, the teacher asks the students to only say what they liked about a particular part of a poem; or, to say what they think the student should work on, instead of bashing the poem and hurting the students’ feelings. Likewise, when students give advice on how to revise a poem, a student may become confused if the opinions clash. The teacher suggests to take notes on what students say about their poem. If they find something riveting and compromising that a fellow classmate noted on a particular poem, then the person who is having their poem analyzed can revise the poem accordingly. The teacher realizes that not every opinion is not suitable for the poems potential. This method quells confusion and …show more content…
The group members are permitted to say what they want openly, but with caution. Everyone is mindful when it comes to voicing different opinions. Still, I believe the students don’t truly speak their minds, because there are preventative measures taken to avoid confrontation. Several students actually talk with integrity: they are genuine in how they express themselves through conversation. For example, one student is fairly open about her problems outside of school, and talks to the class about them. At this point, -- I’m guilty of this to a certain extent – the students just nod their heads in agreement, acknowledging her words, but perhaps not listening and absorbing the meaning behind the words. One gentleman is remote in speech – he speaks only to the teacher. I try to take off the mask that hinders my speech, though at times this task can be