Introduction to Social Demography

The course is intended to serve as a general introduction to the field of demography from a sociological perspective. Demography is a scientific study of the size, composition and spatial distribution of human populations. Social demography examines how population processes (e.g. fertility, mortality, marriage, migration, etc.) interrelate with social institutions, such as family, society and economy. The primary goal of the course is to familiarize students with key demographic concepts, major debates and recent research by engaging in critical population issues from both the developed and developing worlds. The topics will be a balanced mix of academic research, contemporary relevance and policy concern. Students should come away with the course with an understanding of the range of global population issues in an informed and critical fashion.