DSOC 3620

Population Dynamics and Policy Debates in Comparative Perspective

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2016-2017.

Population problems are central to societal change in numerous areas- inequality, immigration and diversity, race relations, family life, health and aging, and social welfare systems. This class explores the causes and consequences of population change, paying particular attention to how population processes interact with the social, economic, and political context in which they play out. Particular attention will be paid to contemporary debates unfolding in the US and Europe, how population "problems" are defined, and the policies intended to solve them.

When Offered Summer.

Prerequisites/Corequisites Recommended prerequisite: SOC 1101 or DSOC 1101, and DSOC 2010 or PAM 2030.

• Develop cognitive skill: increase understanding of social scientific perspectives on the causes and consequences of population change. Evaluate models of explanations for population changing, including fertility and family building, migration and immigration, morbidity and mortality, and aging, comparing the United States with European countries, and drawing from approaches in demography, sociology, and economics.
• Evaluate current social and political processes: critically assess existing policies on immigration and immigrant adaptation, family well-being, Poverty, aging, and work-family balance, and develop empirical and cost/benefit tools to evaluate their impacts.
• Collect and analyze data: assignments require use and examination of census data from across different countries, and uses basic descriptive statistical tools.
• Improve professional writing skills: assignments require writing oriented toward professional audiences, including demographic descriptions, a comparative paper, and a policy brief.
• Develop interpersonal skills: group discussions; group-based presentation of supplemental reading increase oral communication and interpersonal relationship skills.

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