PUBPOL 2030 - Population and Public Policy

(crosslisted) SOC 2030
(SBA-HE) (CU-SBY)

Multi-semester course: Spring, Summer. 4 or 5 credits, variable. Letter grades only.

Forbidden Overlap: due to an overlap in content, students will receive credit for only one course in the following group: GDEV 2010, PUBPOL 2030, SOC 2030, SOC 2202.
There is an optional one-credit faculty led field study that gives students an opportunity to explore population issues from an international perspective. Students travel to Copenhagen, Denmark to explore several of the issues covered in class. This 10-day trip requires permission from the instructor, and generally runs from late May through the first week of June. Students must maintain a B average in the lecture to participate in the field study. Field trip fee: approximately $2400-2800 for optional trip lodging and course activities. Students are responsible for flight and food. Spring: Ithaca; Summer: Copenhagen, Denmark.

S. Sassler.

Population and Public Policy exposes students to the logic and skills of demographic research and policy analysis. The course emphasizes the nature, collection, and interpretation of demographic data, the application of demographic techniques, the major components (i.e., fertility, mortality, and migration) of national and global population change, and contemporary population problems (e.g., population aging, teen childbearing, the rise in non-marital childbearing, immigrant adaptation). The course also emphasizes public policies that can influence demographic change. The format primarily involves lectures and class discussion. Students are expected to attend each class and be prepared to discuss assigned materials.

Outcome 1: Gain a broader understanding of the demographic forces that shape our daily lives.

Outcome 2: Apply basic tools of demographic analysis to population data.

Outcome 3: Develop skills for assessing and synthesizing evidence in social demography.