In the Brooks School of Public Policy .
The Cornell Population Center manages a cross-college, interdepartmental minor in Demography for all Cornell undergraduates. The minor is a rigorous course of study on population-related topics and approaches, providing students a broad understanding of global population dynamics and tools for analyzing demographic data. In today’s rapidly changing society, a strong understanding of population is a valuable tool for making sense of the social and economic phenomena that affect our lives and our societies. Demography is the interdisciplinary study of human population dynamics, including the size, structure, and geographic distribution of populations, and how populations change over time due to births, deaths, migration, and aging. Demography provides information, for example, on the size and composition of consumer markets, labor markets, the electorate, and groups in receipt or need of social services. Demographic expertise will benefit undergraduates interested in wide-ranging careers in public policy, business, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), as well as those seeking to pursue graduate training in fields such as sociology, economics, public health, environmental sciences, and area studies. For questions contact: population@cornell.edu.
Faculty
M. Hall, Cornell Population Center Director (MVR 3M214, 607-255-1639); Faculty Affiliates: E. Adkins-Regan, F. Arguillas, R. Avery, L. Barré, C. Barrett, C. Barry, A. Basu, V. Beard, K. Bischoff, F. Blau, W. Block, J. Booth, N. Bottan, C. Brainerd, D. Brown, D. Burton, S. Byrne, J. Carmalt, M. Casasola, P. Casassano, J. Cawley, S. Ceci, N. Chau, M. Cook, B. Cornwell, E. York Cornwell, J. Cunningham, K. Dickin, M. Dudley, R. Dunifon, J. Eckenrode, P. Eloundou-Enyegue, P. Enns, G. Evans, J. Ezell, G. Fields, R. Figueroa, J. Finkelstein, M. Fitzpatrick, G. Flores-Macias, M. C. Garcia, R. Geddes, S. Gleeson, S. Giroux, M. Goldstein, A. Greiner Safi, M. Hall, K. Hansen, D. Heckathorn, T. Hirschl, W. Hobbs, L. Humphreys, T. Ivory, G. Jakubson, D. Just, L. Kahn, R. Kanbur, M. Kapustin, M. Katzenstein, D. Kenkel, R. Kerr, P. Kircher, C. Lawell, T. Leak, Y. Levitte, D. Lichter, S. Lindsay, M. Lovenheim, V. Maralani, A. Mathios, D. Matteson, S. Mehta, J. Michener, D. Miller, V. Nee, A. Ong, B. Park, P. Parra, M. Pfeffer, K. Pillemer, N. Place, A. Reyes, V. Reyna, P. Rich, D. Sahn, N. Sanders, S. Sanders, S. Sassler, S. Schmidt, L. Schnabel, W. Schpero, J. Sipple, E. Smith, J. Sobal, R. Stedman, L. Tach, F. Thoemmes, L. Turner, L. Vilhuber, J. Vink, J. Wallace, M. Waller, Q. Wang, M. Warner, K. Weeden, M. Wells, N. Wells, E. Wethington, J. Whitlock, L. Williams, S. Yale-Loehr, C. Yancy, D. Yang, C. Young, N. Ziebarth
Undergraduate Demography Minor Requirements
Demographic Introductory Course (Choose 1: GDEV 2010 /SOC 2202 ; PUBPOL 2030 ) (3 credits)
Statistics Course (Choose 1: AEM 2100 ; ILRST 2100 /STSCI 2100 ; PUBPOL 2100 ; PUBPOL 2101 ; or SOC 3010 ) (3 credits)
Demographic Overview Course (Choose 1: AMST 2070 /PUBPOL 2250 /SOC 2070 ; GDEV 2130 ; GDEV 3140 ; GDEV 4080 /PUBPOL 4080 ; PUBPOL 3120 ; PUBPOL 3230 ; PUBPOL 3250 ;PUBPOL 3280 ; PUBPOL 3040 /SOC 3040 , PUBPOL 3360 ; SOC 3030 ). (3 credits)
Additional Population Courses (Choose 2: AMST 2710 /EDUC 2710 /GDEV 2710 /SOC 2710 ; COMM 4760 ; CRP 1101; CRP 3430 ; CRP 4080 ; ECON 3440 /FGSS 4460 ; ECON 3480 /HIST 3480 /ILRLE 3450 ; ECON 3710 /PUBPOL 4280 ; GDEV 2090 /SOC 2208 ; GDEV 3060 ; GDEV 2130 ; GDEV 3700 /SOC 3710 ; GDEV 4080 /PUBPOL 4080 ; GDEV 4770 ; ILRLE 4450 ; PUBPOL 2370 ; PUBPOL 2390 ;PUBPOL 2810 ;PUBPOL 2820 ; PUBPOL 3120 ; PUBPOL 3180 ; PUBPOL 3230 ; PUBPOL 3390 ; PUBPOL 3620 ; PUBPOL 4160 /SOC 4160 ; SOC 2250 ; SOC 3030 ; SOC 3380 ; SOC 3570 ; SOC 3580 ). (6 credits).
At least two courses must be outside the student’s major department. Students must complete five courses total, each of which requires a grade of B- or better to count toward the minor.
Graduate Demography Minor Requirements
The campus-wide graduate minor in Demography is open to Ph.D. students in all social science fields. To qualify for completion of the minor, students must successfully complete the following courses:
- Principles in Demography (GDEV 6070 /PUBPOL 6050 ): (3 credits)
Provides a conceptual overview for studying population issues and introduces major subfields of study within demography.
- Demographic Techniques (GDEV 6080 /PUBPOL 6060 /DSOC 6080): (3 credits)
Develops basic methodological tools in demography, including rate construction, single- and multiple-decrement life tables, and survival analysis.
- Demography Training Seminar (PUBPOL 6810 ): (1 credit per semester)
Participation in the CPC seminar series and monthly training workshops. Consistent enrollment is encouraged; at least 3 training credits (i.e., 3 semesters) are required.
- Elective course from approved list of CPC courses
Substantive courses that incorporate trainings in demographic techniques or population processes. (*Students may petition for elective course to be added to the list of approved elective courses.)
In addition to these course requirements, graduate minors must include at least one CPC faculty affiliate on their special committee.