Guided Fantasy: The Titanic Game PDF

Guided Fantasy The Titanic Game John R. Bowman, University of North Carolina at Pembroke Rationale This exercise is designed to introduce you to the topic of social stratification, or social inequality in society. This guided fantasy...

Guided Fantasy The Titanic Game John R. Bowman, University of North Carolina at Pembroke Rationale This exercise is designed to introduce you to the topic of social stratification, or social inequality in society. This guided fantasy is based on events that actually happened a few minutes before midnight on April 14, 1912. On her maiden voyage to New York, the luxury ocean liner Titanic struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic. Of the more than 2,200 passengers and crew onboard, only about one-third survived. Similarly, you find yourself on a smaller ship that is about to sink. In the case of the Titanic only 30% of those onboard survived; therefore, only 4 of the 12 individuals on your boat will survive. Although the actual sinking of the Titanic took nearly three hours, this group activity will be conducted in about 30–50 minutes. Instructions 1. You are on a luxury liner and the ship’s captain announces the fol- lowing message. “Please do not panic! The ship has just hit an iceberg and we are about to sink. Unfortunately, there is not enough room on the lifeboat to save everyone. Because we won’t sink for at least another twenty minutes, we must decide who among us will be saved. Only four of us will survive.” 2. Each person in the group will be assigned a number that will corre- spond to the following person or occupation: 1. Retired person 7. U.S. Senator 2. Ship’s captain 8. President of the Titanic ship line 3. Physician 9. President’s spouse 4. Nurse 10. President’s baby 5. Migrant worker 11. U.S. Army captain 6. Welfare mother (or father) 12. Elementary school teacher 105 106 STRATIFICATION 3. Begin this activity by first identifying yourself to the other group members. Tell them who you are and try to convince them why you should be allowed to get on the lifeboat. Remember that everybody wants to live and you are fighting for your life! 4. After the introductions and appeals, each group must decide how it will make its decision as to who is to survive. 5. The group should then discuss who should be permitted to get on the lifeboat. Keep in mind that each person selected for the lifeboat means one less seat for you. 6. After completing this group exercise, individuals should then answer each of the discussion questions on the “Titanic Game Worksheet.” 7. Be prepared to provide the instructor a list of the survivors and share your answers to the worksheet discussion questions with the rest of the class. Grading See your instructor for details on grading this exercise in your class. Often the grade will be based on the level of your participation in this group activ- ity. You should actively assume the role of your assigned position and you should actively participate in the discussions and deliberations. You should provide a thorough description of the events that took place in your group, as well as answer the other discussion questions.  Guided Fantasy: The Titanic Game Worksheet Name: _______________________________________ Discussion Questions 1. Who were the survivors selected by your group? 2. How did you personally reach a decision on who you thought should survive? 3. In your group deliberations, what were some of the comments made about some group members? 107 108 STRATIFICATION 4. Are there certain people in society who are more important than others? If so, who are they? Do you believe that this was a consideration in your group’s choices of who should live and who should die? 5. Are there situations in real life where life-and-death decisions are made about people solely on the basis of their position or occupation? Provide examples.