SOC 312: Population & Society
“Demography is destiny”
Demography is the study of human populations. The demographic characteristics of a population, including its growth, decline, fertility, mortality and age and sex structure, fundamentally influence and are influenced by its other social and cultural characteristics. We will focus on the interaction between demographic behavior, population composition and social change in this course. Population size, composition and change affect how governments, families and individuals divide scarce resources, and shape the politics and economic vitality of nations. Demographic change affects the choices you make about whether and when to marry, have children, where to live, when to retire and more. Major social concerns such as AIDS in Africa, the “graying”
of America, migration, and environmental degradation are all intimately related to the study of human populations. We can also consider a demographic perspective on other controversial issues such as gay marriage and adoption, reinstitution of a military draft, the building of a fence along the U.S.-Mexico border, genetic engineering, globalization and many others. During this course we will focus on the social, political and economic determinants of fertility,
health, mortality and migration and the effects of population size, composition and structure on economic and social conditions.
Demography is the study of human populations. The demographic characteristics of a population, including its growth, decline, fertility, mortality and age and sex structure, fundamentally influence and are influenced by its other social and cultural characteristics. We will focus on the interaction between demographic behavior, population composition and social change in this course. Population size, composition and change affect how governments, families and individuals divide scarce resources, and shape the politics and economic vitality of nations. Demographic change affects the choices you make about whether and when to marry, have children, where to live, when to retire and more. Major social concerns such as AIDS in Africa, the “graying”
of America, migration, and environmental degradation are all intimately related to the study of human populations. We can also consider a demographic perspective on other controversial issues such as gay marriage and adoption, reinstitution of a military draft, the building of a fence along the U.S.-Mexico border, genetic engineering, globalization and many others. During this course we will focus on the social, political and economic determinants of fertility,
health, mortality and migration and the effects of population size, composition and structure on economic and social conditions.
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