Poverty
Step 1: Think critically about the readings, notes, and class discussions about stratification and structures of inequality.
Step 2: Explore the website www.playspent.org, an interactive web-based platform that simulates the experiences of individuals trying to live “paycheck-to-paycheck.” It is recommended that you go through the simulation at LEAST twice.
Step 3: Reflect on the experience. Be sure to not only discuss the outcome of your game but also include the scenarios presented to you as well as the decisions that you made as you navigated the simulation. Here, it is crucial to include discussions of social institutions and social structures and their role in perpetuating socioeconomic stratification.
Step 4: Reflect on your experience in light of your understanding of relative vs absolute poverty. Also, compare and contrast the ways in which local poverty differs from global poverty.
Step 5: Generate a report summarizing your findings. Minimum length is 3 double-spaced pages with normal font (Times New Roman, 12 pt.) and margins (1”). Submit online as a .doc, .docx, or .pdf file. Do NOT use the text entry option. Attach your file, from your computer. Click on the title of the assignment to submit.
Grading Rubric (what I’m looking for):
1. Follow all instructions (Minimum 3 FULL double-spaced pages (no max), normal 12 pt. font, normal margins, submit file as instructed above). Approx ~1200 words.
2. The majority of the paper should be a detailed description of the questions you were asked in the simulation, and the decisions you made, and why.
3. You should also include a few paragraphs defining absolute vs relative poverty and local vs global poverty, and discussing which of these seems most relevant to the simulation. What did you learn from this simulation? Describe.
4. Your writing should be clear, coherent, and grammatically correct. Informal style (use of “I” and active voice), is encouraged.
NOTE: Paper should be IN YOUR OWN WORDS. If you quote from any source, including the website or our textbook, be sure and indicate that with quotation marks and proper citation. Your submission may be processed through a plagiarism checker software. If you have any questions about what counts as plagiarism, please let me know.
Solution Preview
Stratification is the system through which members of the society are ranked in a hierarchy. For instance, in the United States, it is clear that some individuals have more wealth, greater power and status than other groups. The existing differences lead to social stratification within the society. Notably, the simulation replicates the experiences of people who try to live “paycheck-to-paycheck.” As a waiter working at a restaurant, vital decisions had to be made to guarantee survival in the increasingly challenging society. I managed to make it through the month with a balance of $282, but my rent was due in a day. Considerably, I chose not to pay for important aspects such as my child’s school trip which could affect his education, my medical checkup, the car’s insurance and the additional rental fees. From this, it is evident that low-income workers opt to avoid additional expenses irrespective of the fact that they are important undertakings.
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