Sociology

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SOC 41 Small Group Dynamics, Fall, 2022                                    Tonya L. Schuster, Ph.D.

EXERCISE #1: Symbolic Communication and Social Relationship Groups

15% of course grade, 100 points total – points indicated in [brackets]

General guidelines: 2 points = about a sentence; 6-8 pages total

Do NOT copy/paste the questions into your document.  Use headings (eg., I.A.1.) only.

DUE October 14 by 11:59pm

 

  1. Symbolic Communication
  2. Find and copy a comic strip (with multiple frames) online.
  3. Briefly describe the place/event/scene, and the participants/roles/relationships [4].
  4. How is the conversation/ communication initiated (or if in progress, how do you know?) [2].
  5. What non-verbal symbolic vehicles are used – gestures, body language, spacing, physical characteristics and personal effects [4]?
  6. How is paralanguage represented [2]?
  7. To analyze the verbal communication, consider the type of content, any jargon, the rules of conversation that are followed or not, and the purpose/success of the interaction [4].
  8. Consider the relative “talk time” of each participant, interruptions, topic changes, questions, and requests [4].
  9. Is one participant dominant – how do you know [2]?
  10. Are any social structural (gender, age, SES, ethnicity) differences indicated among the participants; explain [4]?

 

  1. Examine three recent conversations or exchanges you had with other people via either email, text, or other electronic media (Twitter, Facebook, online message boards). You do not need all the conversations to come from the same group of people, or use the same electronic media.
  2. Consider how the media shapes communication; in what ways does it restrict how you communicate compared to verbal communication (initiation, feedback, coordination)? [4]
  3. Are there any ways in which computer mediated communication allows for more clarity than in verbal communication? [4]
  4. How did members of the conversation compensate for any challenges to clarity or accuracy posed by the technology? [4]

 

  1. Listen to two separate casual conversations in a public place (eg., like a coffee shop); one of these conversations must be a dyad, and one must be a small group. For each:
  2. Indicate where the conversation took place, who was involved, and what it was generally about. What techniques were used to maintain smooth conversation. [4]
  3. Did the conversation flow break down? If so, how was it reestablished. How was the conversation concluded? [4]
  4. Now compare the dyad to the small group. [4]

 

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D. Observe two people communicating in a casual conversation.  You must use a different conversation from those analyzed in part 2.

  1. Indicate where the conversation took place, and what it was generally about. Record the nonverbal communication of these two people. [4]
  2. Based on your observations, what could you say about the status differences and intimacy levels between the two individuals? [4]
  3. Social Relationship Groups.

Select one primary group and one secondary group to which you belong, and address the following for each (answer 1-3 for a primary group, then answer 1-3 for a secondary group).

  1. Describe the membership, group goals, shared norms and culture (values, beliefs, language/jargon, rituals), and list the roles and relationships within the group. [12]
  2. How do you know it is primary/secondary? Is it held together by mostly task or social cohesion? How identified are you with that group (to what extent are you your “self” or a “role” in that group, and how relevant is that relation to your identity)?  [4]
  3. What is the Identity (name, purpose) of the group? [2]
  4. Now, for each group, make a comic strip of a typical (usual or important) interaction within the group (this is essentially a conversation). [12]

 

II. Communication in Small Groups and Teams (Rothwell Textbook Chapter 1)1. How are the content and relationship dimensions of messages different from each other?  [4]2. Why is communication a process? [4]3. Contrast individualism and collectivism; which is your culture? [4]

 

REMINDER:

Late assignments will not be accepted for credit unless consent has also been arranged and documentation provided.