Sociology of family- Spent

Instructions

SPENT (opens in a new window) at plain text link:  <http://playspent.org/>

(50 points possible, 150 word minimum):  “Spent” is a simulated experience assignment that allows you to make choices about how to secure an income and housing for you and your family.  Consider the following scenario and then play through the “spent” game.  You may want to play through a few times and make different choices.  After you have played the game, answer the questions below in your initial post.

You are 29 years old. You’ve lost your job. After a couple of months of unemployment, your savings are depleted. You’ve lost your house, or you’re about to. You’re a single parent. You have $1,000 to your name.

1. Which job or jobs did you take?
2. Several of the choices involved spending money that would benefit your child. What types of choices did you make here and how did the expectation that as a parent you “should” put your child first enter into your thinking?
3. A couple of the choices involved behaving in a way that might challenge norms, laws, or your moral values. What issues did these choices raise?
4. In the end, how long did you survive before you ran out of money? If you didn’t make it through the month, what could you do differently in order to keep from going broke sooner?
5. How does the SPENT simulation relate to this week’s video on Social Reproduction?

6. What norms have you been “socialized” to follow, and how do you make choices to either follow them or perhaps depart a bit?

Important:  Be sure to use proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation, etc.