SOC 265 - Population & Society

There are now 6.8 billion people living on this earth.  This course is designed to introduce students to issues of world population.  We will begin by discussing demographic perspectives and the three core components of demography – fertility, mortality, and migration.  We will compare and contrast issues facing those countries which have experienced the demographic transition (and now have both low mortality and low fertility) and those countries which still have relatively high fertility (and high mortality) and thus rapid population growth.  We will also explore issues of aging, urbanization, the environment, and population policy.