PUBPOL 5040

Social Demography

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2026-2027 Catalog.

The objective of this course is to provide a graduate-level substantive and conceptual overview for studying population dynamics. What is the demographic perspective? And how can it be applied usefully to important domestic and international policy issues (e.g., segregation, health and retirement, labor mobility and immigration, below-replacement fertility, school projections, etc.). The course will introduce students to various demographic data sources (e.g., decennial census and periodic fertility surveys), conventional measures (e.g., fertility rates and segregation), and conventional demographic techniques (e.g., life tables and population forecasting) used in social demography. It will also introduce students to the academic and professional field of population studies, highlighting key theoretical and methodological debates in population sciences. (MPA-DA, MPA-TPA, MPA-DATSCI, MPA-ECONPL, MPA-ENPO, MPA-INTPMN, MPA-PUBNON, MPASCITEC, MPA-SOCPOL)

Enrollment Information Enrollment limited to: graduate and professional students.

Last 4 Terms Offered (None)

Learning Outcomes

• Explain the demographic perspective and apply it to understanding population change and associated social, economic, political, and environmental processes.
• Calculate, interpret, and critically evaluate core demographic measures and methods.
• Identify and assess major sources of demographic data, including their relative strengths and weaknesses.
• Evaluate major theories, concepts, and empirical debates in social demography.
• Analyze the connections between population process es and public policy.

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