The Game of Life Assignment Instructions SOC 245 Families in Transition Linnenbe

The Game of Life Assignment Instructions
SOC 245 Families in Transition
Linnenberg
Fall 2021
Play The Game of Life (the board game…the online version doesn’t work well for this). Ideally, I would like you to play with at least one other person from the class if at all possible. No more than four people should play the game together. A game with two people from class and two other friends or roommates is completely fine. If what works for you is playing the game with family members while you are at home for Thanksgiving, that is okay as well.
There are at least two copies on reserve at the library. It is also available at the Powerhouse. I have one copy in my office that students can check out as well. There is no need for anyone to purchase the game. If you own a copy of the game and are willing to share it, please let the class know.
Even though you may play the game with other classmates, you will each write up your own version of the assignment. Individually, respond to the following questions:
1. Name five assumptions the game makes about family life.
2. Are those assumptions accurate portrayals of family life today in the U.S.? Explain.
(hint: you need to use information and statistics from class readings to support your responses).
3. Name five changes you would make to the game in order for it to better reflect contemporary family experiences. Again, use course readings to support your reasoning for these changes.
This paper should be 3-5 pages in length, double-spaced. Please use 12-point font. It is due on Thursday, December 2nd at the beginning of class via Moodle. Think and write sociologically! Be sure to use at least 3 different course readings as support throughout the paper. (You could easily use more). You don’t need to include full citations. Instead, insert e.g. (Coontz 2005) at the end of the sentence in which you’ve used their work to inform your argument. If you include a direct quote, insert e.g. (Longo 2018: 472).
Idea for assignment taken from:
Holcomb, Jeanne. “Using “The Game of Life” as an End-of-Semester Assessment.” Assignment published in TRAILS: Teaching Resources and Innovations Library for Sociology. Washington DC: American Sociological Association. (http://trails.asanet.org)