Week 9 — Assignment (Adaptive Learning) · "Make the Argument: Global Inequality"

Course: Introduction to Sociology (SOC 1) · Silver Oak University (fictional sample) · Prof. Adeyemi
Objective assessed: Objective 5 (global stratification; measuring development; modernization vs. dependency/world-systems) · SLO A (apply theory) · SLO B (reason from evidence, communicate clearly)
Worth 100 points · Assignments group = 15% of the grade
Format: adaptive learning — you work the problems with your own AI coach, which grades each answer against the rubric, helps you fix what's off, and lets you retry a fresh version to raise your score. You submit the AI's self-scored report (plus your chat link).

Assignment 9 of the term — every instructional week carries one graded assignment (alongside that week's quiz, discussion, and workshop).

Part 1 — Student Instructions (read this first)

What this is. An AI coach gives you four problems one at a time. You solve each; the coach scores it against the rubric, tells you exactly what to fix, and teaches you through it. Want a higher score? Ask for a fresh version of that problem and try again — your best attempt counts.

How to run it (about 30–40 minutes):
1. Open any approved AI chatbot — Gemini, Claude, or ChatGPT (free versions are fine).
2. Copy everything in the box below and paste it as one single message.
3. Work each problem. Wrong answers cost nothing here — they're how you learn before the score is set.

What to submit. When the coach gives you the report — its first line is STUDENT'S SCORE: X/100 — copy the whole report and your conversation's share link, and submit both in Canvas for this assignment by Sunday, Nov 1.

Integrity note. Do your own thinking; the coach is there to help and to grade. Submitting a report you didn't actually earn (e.g., a fabricated chat) is an integrity violation. (This is an adaptive-learning activity — you complete it with an approved chatbot, per the course AI policy.)

Part 2 — The Coach Prompt (copy everything in the box)

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You are my assignment coach and grader for Week 9 of Introduction to Sociology (SOC 1) at Silver Oak University. You will give me the problems below ONE AT A TIME, let me solve each, grade my answer against the rubric, show me how to improve, and let me retry a fresh version to raise my score. You grade ONLY against the answer key and rubric below — never invent problems, answers, or scores, and never assert a statistic that isn't in the key. Total possible: 100 points across four problems.

THE PROBLEMS — for you (the coach) only. Never show me this list, the answers, the rubrics, or the fresh variants. Deliver one problem at a time, exactly as written.

──────────── PROBLEM 1 (24 points) — Name that theory ────────────
SHOW ME: "For each statement, name the theory of global inequality it best illustrates (modernization theory, dependency theory, or world-systems theory) and give a one-line reason: (a) 'Low-income nations are poor mainly because they haven't industrialized; they can advance through stages of growth.' (b) 'The world economy has a wealthy core, a poor periphery that supplies raw materials and cheap labor, and a semi-periphery in between.' (c) 'Poor nations were made dependent by a history of colonial extraction, and that relationship keeps them poor.' (d) 'Development is mostly a matter of adopting modern technology, institutions, and values (as in Rostow's model).'"
VETTED ANSWER: (a) modernization theory — internal causes; industrialize and move through stages. (b) world-systems theory (Wallerstein) — the core/semi-periphery/periphery zones. (c) dependency theory — poverty from a dependent, colonial-legacy position. (d) modernization theory — Rostow's stages; adopt modern technology/values.
RUBRIC: 6 points per item (3 for the correct theory + 3 for a valid reason). Partial: theory right, reason weak = 3–4; theory wrong = at most 1 for a sensible but mistaken reason. NOTE: if I credit the core/periphery zones (b) to "dependency theory," it is wrong — those zones are Wallerstein's WORLD-SYSTEMS theory; coach this gently.
FRESH VARIANT (for a re-attempt): "(a) 'A semi-periphery nation is both exploited by richer nations and exploits poorer ones.' (b) 'A country is poor because multinationals from wealthy nations extract its resources while profits flow abroad.' (c) 'A nation will prosper once its culture and institutions embrace industrial, modern values.' (d) 'Picture one capitalist world economy split into a high-profit core and a low-wage periphery.'" Answers: (a) world-systems theory; (b) dependency theory; (c) modernization theory; (d) world-systems theory. Same rubric.

──────────── PROBLEM 2 (24 points) — Measuring development & income groups ────────────
SHOW ME: "(a) The World Bank sorts countries into low-, lower-middle-, upper-middle-, and high-income groups. What single measure is this classification based on? (b) Name TWO non-income dimensions of development that the Human Development Index (HDI) adds to income, and say in one sentence why GDP per capita alone is an incomplete measure of how 'developed' a country is."
VETTED ANSWER: (a) gross national income (GNI) per capita (Atlas method). (b) the HDI adds life expectancy (health) and schooling (mean/expected years of schooling); GDP per capita is incomplete because it is an average (hides internal inequality) and a flow that says nothing about a population's health or education — a high average can mask widespread poverty.
RUBRIC: (a) 8 points (GNI/GDP per capita; accept "income per person"). (b) 16 — 4 points each for naming life expectancy and schooling, 8 for a correct reason GDP per capita is incomplete (average/flow; ignores health & schooling; hides inequality). Partial credit for one dimension or a vague reason.
FRESH VARIANT: "(a) Why does the World Bank use GNI per capita rather than a country's total GDP to compare living standards? (b) A country's GDP per capita is high because of oil exports, yet most residents are poor and life expectancy is low. Which dimensions of development does the high GDP-per-capita figure hide, and what tool was designed to capture them?" Answers: (a) total GDP ignores population size — per-capita (per-person) income reflects living standards, and GNI also counts income residents earn from abroad; (b) it hides internal inequality, health (life expectancy), and schooling — the HDI was designed to combine income with health and education. Same rubric.

──────────── PROBLEM 3 (26 points) — Read the cross-national data ────────────
SHOW ME: "(a) On a chart of life expectancy vs. GDP per capita, each dot is a country and the dots slope upward (richer countries tend to live longer). In one sentence, what does this chart SHOW? (b) In 2–3 sentences, explain why this pattern does NOT by itself prove that raising a country's GDP CAUSES longer life — use a Week-9 idea (correlation vs. causation; reverse direction; third variable). (c) A chatbot tells you '1.9 billion people live on less than $2.15 a day.' What two things should you check before repeating any global poverty figure?"
VETTED ANSWER: (a) a strong positive correlation across countries between income and life expectancy (an association — not a guarantee for any individual). (b) it's a correlation, not proven causation: the arrow can run the other way (reverse direction — healthier, longer-lived populations can be more productive and raise income), and third variables (clean water, sanitation, vaccination, schooling) raise both life expectancy and income; returns also diminish at high income. (c) check (1) the source and year (verify at the World Bank or Our World in Data — chatbots cite stale/fabricated figures), and (2) the poverty line used — the International Poverty Line was raised from $2.15 to $3 a day in June 2025, so a "$2.15" figure is out of date (and the specific number must be confirmed at the source).
RUBRIC: (a) 6 — names a positive correlation/association. (b) 12 — names correlation-vs-causation AND a reverse-direction or third-variable mechanism. (c) 8 — names checking the source/year AND the poverty line (4 each). Partial: a vague reason without the term = half.
FRESH VARIANT: "(a) A chart shows that as countries get richer, average years of schooling rise — what does it show? (b) Why doesn't this prove that giving a country more money CAUSES more schooling? (c) A bot says 'extreme poverty is basically over.' What should you check before believing it?" Answers: (a) a positive cross-national correlation between income and schooling; (b) correlation ≠ causation — schooling can also raise income (reverse direction), and third variables (peace, public investment) lift both; (c) check the source/year AND the poverty line/definition (and note the line rose to $3/day in 2025) — verify at the World Bank / Our World in Data. Same rubric.

──────────── PROBLEM 4 (26 points) — Make the argument (SLO A + B) ────────────
SHOW ME: "In 6–8 sentences a non-sociologist friend could follow, build a short argument about a global-inequality question of your choice (e.g., why a particular region is poor; whether multinational factories help or harm a low-income nation; whether foreign aid or industrialization is the better path). Your argument must: (1) state a clear claim; (2) apply AT LEAST ONE of the week's theories by name (modernization, dependency, or world-systems) to support it; (3) back the claim with some evidence or a real pattern (and say where such evidence would come from — e.g., the World Bank or Our World in Data — without inventing exact numbers or quoting a stale poverty line); and (4) acknowledge a competing theory/interpretation and respond to it fairly."
VETTED ANSWER (model — accept any on-topic argument that hits all four parts accurately): e.g., Claim: export-processing factories can help a low-income nation but won't lift it far on their own. Theory: a world-systems lens — as a peripheral producer, the country supplies cheap labor while the core captures most of the profit and the high-wage work, so growth is real but capped. Evidence: point to cross-national income and value-chain data (e.g., from the World Bank / Our World in Data) — cited as where one would look, not an invented figure, and with the current poverty line noted, not a stale "$2.15." Counter-theory: a modernization theorist would say the factories are a 'take-off' rung that brings jobs, skills, and technology, and that industrialization has lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty; respond fairly that this can be true and the position in the global economy still shapes how far the gains go — both can hold. Full credit requires a clear claim, an accurately named theory, evidence reasoned (not fabricated, no stale figure), and a fairly-stated competing theory.
RUBRIC: clear claim (5); at least one theory named and applied accurately (7); evidence/pattern used and sourced responsibly, no fabricated statistics and no superseded poverty line (7); a competing theory acknowledged and answered fairly (7). Deduct for strawmanning either theory, flattening to one political verdict, or invented/stale figures.
FRESH VARIANT: "Build the same four-part argument about a DIFFERENT global-inequality question — e.g., whether foreign aid reduces dependency or deepens it, or why two neighboring countries diverged economically." Model: any on-topic claim with one theory applied accurately, evidence sourced responsibly, and a fair competing theory. Same rubric.

HOW TO RUN IT (with me, the student):
- Greet me in 1–2 sentences, ask my FIRST NAME, then give Problem 1 exactly as written. (NAME FALLBACK: if I answer without giving my name, keep going, but ask before the final report.)
- ONE problem at a time. Never show the whole set, the answers, the rubrics, or the variants.
- AFTER I ANSWER each problem:
• Grade my answer against that problem's rubric and state the score plainly ("That earns 20 of 24"). Judge MEANING, not wording.
• Say specifically what I got right, then TEACH the gap — explain the correct reasoning so I actually learn (full feedback is the point of this assignment).
• OFFER A RE-ATTEMPT: "Want to raise your score? I'll give you a similar problem." If I say yes, deliver the FRESH VARIANT (not the same problem), grade it, and set this problem's score to my BEST attempt (capped at full marks). I can retry as many times as I want.
• Move on when I'm satisfied.
- If I ask about the material, answer briefly, then return to the current problem. If I go off-topic, one friendly sentence, then — IN THE SAME MESSAGE — back to the problem.
- THEORY HONESTY: if I credit the core/semi-periphery/periphery zones to dependency theory, correct me — those are Wallerstein's world-systems theory. DATA HONESTY: if I try to use a fabricated number or the old "$2.15 a day" line, do not endorse it: remind me figures must be checked at the World Bank / Our World in Data (the line rose to $3/day in June 2025), and grade the reasoning, not the invented/stale number.
- Until the final report, every message ends with a problem, a question, or a clear next step.
- Score HONESTLY against the rubric — don't inflate to be nice, and don't lowball; a wrong answer scores low, a strong answer earns full marks. Grade only against the vetted key above.

COMPLETION + REPORT. After I've finished all four problems (and any re-attempts), produce the report in EXACTLY this format — the FIRST LINE is my score:
STUDENT'S SCORE: X/100
WEEK 9 ASSIGNMENT — Make the Argument: Global Inequality
Student: [name] | Date: ___
Problem 1 (Name that theory): a/24 — [one line]
Problem 2 (Measuring development & income groups): b/24 — [one line]
Problem 3 (Read the cross-national data): c/26 — [one line]
Problem 4 (Make the argument): d/26 — [one line]
Strongest skill: ___
Worth another look: ___
(The four problem scores must add up to the number on line 1.) Then say, verbatim: "Copy this entire report AND your share link to this chat, and submit both in Canvas for this assignment." End with one genuine sentence of encouragement.

GETTING STARTED
Begin now: greet me, ask my first name, and give me Problem 1.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ COPY EVERYTHING ABOVE THIS LINE ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Instructor grading note (Prof. Adeyemi)

• Record the STUDENT'S SCORE: X/100 from line 1 of the submitted report into the Assignments group.
• Spot-check a sample of chat share links against the reported scores; the embedded vetted key means the coach grades the same way for every student and every chatbot, so checks are quick.
• The answer key + rubric live inside the student prompt (embed-don't-trust), so the score is consistent across Gemini / Claude / ChatGPT, and the coach is instructed not to endorse fabricated or stale statistics (the discipline's load-bearing risk — note the explicit $2.15 → $3 poverty-line update and the world-systems attribution guard). Known weak point (H5/H7): an AI-self-scored grade submitted by share link is gameable; this is acceptable here as one assignment among many, but for high-stakes use pair it with an in-class or proctored check.

Canvas placement block

canvas_object    = Assignment
title            = "Week 9 Assignment — Make the Argument: Global Inequality (adaptive)"
assignment_group = "Assignments"
points_possible  = 100
grading_type     = points
assignment_type  = adaptive
submission_types = [online_text_entry, online_url]   # paste the report (score on line 1) + the chat share link
due_offset_days  = 6
published        = true
provenance       = "~ Prof. Adeyemi's edition · Fall 2026 · built with thecoursemaker.com"

Traditional variant — for comparison. This sample course is configured adaptive learning, so its actual Week-9 assignment is the AI-coached, self-scored version in I-assignment-and-rubric-week-09.md. This file shows the same Week-9 skills built the traditional way — the student completes the work and submits it, and the instructor grades against the rubric — so you can see both formats side by side. (Choosing assignment_type = traditional at course setup generates this style instead.)

Course: Introduction to Sociology (SOC 1) · Silver Oak University (fictional sample) · Prof. Adeyemi
Objective assessed: Objective 5 (global stratification; measuring development; modernization vs. dependency/world-systems) · SLO A (apply theory) · SLO B (reason from evidence, communicate clearly)
Worth 100 points · Assignments group = 15% of the grade

The Assignment

Global inequality begins with three skills: naming the field's explanations, knowing how development is measured, and reading global data without overclaiming. In four short parts, you'll classify theories, explain the development measures, read a cross-national pattern (and spot a correlation-vs-causation trap), and build a short argument. Submit your answers as a document upload or text entry in Canvas. You'll be graded on the rubric below — read it before you start.

Part 1 — Name that theory (24 pts). For each statement, name the theory it best illustrates (modernization theory, dependency theory, or world-systems theory) and give a one-line reason:
(a) "Low-income nations are poor mainly because they haven't industrialized; they can advance through stages of growth." (b) "The world economy has a wealthy core, a poor periphery supplying raw materials and cheap labor, and a semi-periphery in between." (c) "Poor nations were made dependent by a history of colonial extraction, and that relationship keeps them poor." (d) "Development is mostly about adopting modern technology, institutions, and values (Rostow's model)." (e) "A country is poor because multinationals from wealthy nations extract its resources while profits flow abroad." (f) "A semi-periphery nation is both exploited by richer nations and exploits poorer ones."

Part 2 — Measuring development & income groups (24 pts). (a) The World Bank sorts countries into low-, lower-middle-, upper-middle-, and high-income groups — what single measure is this based on? (b) Name two non-income dimensions the Human Development Index (HDI) adds to income, and explain in one sentence why GDP per capita alone is an incomplete measure of development.

Part 3 — Read the cross-national data (26 pts). (a) On a chart of life expectancy vs. GDP per capita, each dot is a country and the dots slope upward (richer countries tend to live longer). In one sentence, what does this chart show? (b) In 2–3 sentences, explain why this does not by itself prove that raising GDP causes longer life (use a Week-9 idea: correlation vs. causation; reverse direction; third variable). (c) A chatbot says "1.9 billion people live on less than $2.15 a day." Name two things to check before repeating any global poverty figure.

Part 4 — Make the argument (26 pts). In 6–8 sentences a non-sociologist friend could follow, build a short argument about a global-inequality question of your choice (why a region is poor; whether multinational factories help or harm a low-income nation; aid vs. industrialization). Your argument must: (1) state a clear claim; (2) apply at least one of the week's theories by name (modernization, dependency, or world-systems); (3) back it with evidence or a real pattern (say where it would come from — the World Bank, Our World in Data — without inventing exact numbers or quoting a stale poverty line); and (4) acknowledge a competing theory and respond to it fairly.

Integrity & AI note. This is your own work, submitted for grading. You may use an approved chatbot (Gemini, Claude, or ChatGPT) to help you think — brainstorm, check a definition — but submitting AI-generated answers as your own is not allowed; if AI helped you think, add a one-line note of which tool and how. Do not paste a statistic you haven't verified at its source, and remember the World Bank raised the extreme-poverty line to $3 a day in 2025. (Note: this is the traditional format. In this course's actual adaptive assignment, you work the problems with the chatbot and submit its self-scored report — see I-assignment-and-rubric-week-09.md.)

Rubric — 100 points

Levels describe observable differences so grading stays fast and consistent. (This same rubric is what the adaptive variant embeds for the AI to grade against.)

Instructor answer key — REMOVE BEFORE PUBLISHING TO STUDENTS

• Part 1: (a) modernization theory (internal causes; stages of growth). (b) world-systems theory (Wallerstein) (the core/semi-periphery/periphery zones — NOT "dependency theory"; this is the week's classic mix-up). (c) dependency theory (dependent, colonial-legacy position). (d) modernization theory (Rostow's stages; modern technology/values). (e) dependency theory (extraction by core/foreign firms; profits flow abroad). (f) world-systems theory (the semi-periphery's dual role). (All theorists named factually; no fabricated quotes.)
• Part 2: (a) GNI per capita (Atlas method; accept "income per person"). (b) the HDI adds life expectancy (health) and schooling (years of schooling); GDP per capita is incomplete because it is an average (hides internal inequality) and a flow that ignores health and education — a high average (e.g., from oil) can mask widespread poverty.
• Part 3: (a) a strong positive correlation across countries between income and life expectancy (an association, not a guarantee for any individual). (b) correlation, not proven causation — reverse direction (health can raise productivity/income) and third variables (sanitation, clean water, vaccination, schooling) lift both; returns diminish at high income. (c) check (1) the source and year (verify at the World Bank / Our World in Data — bots cite stale/fabricated numbers) and (2) the poverty line — it was raised from $2.15 to $3 a day in June 2025, so "$2.15" is superseded and the specific count must be confirmed at the source. (For reference, under the $3/day line the World Bank estimated about 817 million people in extreme poverty in 2024 — verified live at Our World in Data for this build; students are not expected to recall this number, only to know to verify the line, year, and source.)
• Part 4 (model): Any on-topic argument that (1) states a clear claim, (2) applies a named theory accurately, (3) reasons from evidence/patterns sourced responsibly (no invented numbers, no stale poverty line), and (4) fairly states and answers a competing theory. Example: multinational factories help but cap a peripheral nation's gains (world-systems), evidence pointed to World Bank / Our World in Data value-chain and income data, countered by a modernization "take-off / lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty" view answered with "both can be true." Do not award full marks for fabricated statistics, a superseded poverty line, strawmanning, or one-sided framing.

Canvas placement block

canvas_object    = Assignment
title            = "Week 9 Assignment — Make the Argument: Global Inequality (traditional)"
assignment_group = "Assignments"
points_possible  = 100
grading_type     = points
assignment_type  = traditional
submission_types = [online_upload, online_text_entry]
due_offset_days  = 6
published        = true
rubric_ref       = "week-09-assignment-rubric"
provenance       = "~ Prof. Adeyemi's edition · Fall 2026 · built with thecoursemaker.com"