Developed by the Eleanor Glanville Institute at the University of Lincoln, this four-week course will introduce you to the key concepts of identity in social and organisational contexts.

You’ll explore what makes us unique and how an identity can be formed based on group affiliation.

Your learning will inform your understanding of intersectionality and how multiple identities can overlap to create a fuller picture of an individual.

Examine how individuals experience disadvantage through an outsider identity

Our perception of identity contributes to our feeling of belonging in communities and groups.

Exploring the dynamics of ‘in-groups’ and ‘out-groups’, you’ll consider the idea of an ‘us vs. them’ mentality.

Using this knowledge, you’ll be able to identify key ways in which individuals or groups have detrimental experiences when classed as outsiders.

Consider how stereotypes and labelling contribute to the formation of an identity

Sometimes the way we’re viewed by others does not match our own identity.

You’ll examine the cultural signs, symbols, and objects that can help signal identities, and reflect on the impact of stereotypes and labelling on our sense of self and treatment of others.

Develop a shared understanding of lived experience

Examining privilege, oppression, and intersectionality, you’ll assess the complexities that arise when different identities converge.

You’ll reflect on your personal and professional experiences to identify the importance of intersectionality in contextualising identity concepts.

By the end of this course, you’ll understand identity as a multidimensional construct. You’ll be able to explain how people express their identities and discuss factors, both personal and social, that shape and impact an individual’s identity.