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380.600.01
Principles of Population Change

Location
East Baltimore
Term
2nd Term
Department
Population, Family and Reproductive Health
Credit(s)
4
Academic Year
2017 - 2018
Instruction Method
TBD
Class Time(s)
M, W, 1:30 - 3:20pm
Auditors Allowed
Yes, with instructor consent
Available to Undergraduate
No
Grading Restriction
Letter Grade or Pass/Fail
Contact Name
Frequency Schedule
Every Year
Prerequisite

None.

Description
Each year in the world there are about 146 million births, 57 million deaths, and the world population grows by 89 million people--about 243,000 per day, or 10,000 an hour. In some countries, the "population problem" is persistent high birth rates and rapid population growth. In other countries, however, it is very low birth rates, an aging population, and population decline. These trends affect public health, the economy, national security, and the environment in many ways. This is an introduction to how demographers study the determinants and consequences of population trends.
Provides students with a basic understanding of the field of demography—the study of human populations and how they change by birth, death, and migration. Examines how and why birth and death rates change, and how governments and other groups attempt to take into account the effects of birth rates, death rates, and migration on public health, the economy, the environment, and other aspects of human well-being.
Learning Objectives
Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
  1. Describe the major trends in birth rates, death rates, population growth, and age composition historically until recent years
  2. Identify the major explanations for changes in birth and death rates historically and in recent years
  3. Describe several ways in which demographic trends and population distribution affect the health of populations and individuals
  4. Describe some of the major public policy issues related to birth rates, death rates, and migration affecting both more developed and less developed countries