Fall 2009

SOC 321K • Population Processes and Models

Course Description

This advanced course provides grounding in the principal techniques of demographic analysis together with an understanding of how mortality and fertility determine the growth and structure of human populations. Topics include demographic rates and measures, the life table, population projection, and indirect estimation of demographic rates from incomplete data.

Grading Policy

Weekly or bi-weekly homework assignments 30%
Mid-term 30%
Final exam 40%

Texts

Demography: Measuring and Modeling Population Processes, by Samuel Preston, Patrick Heuveline, and Michel Guillot (Malden, Mass.: Blackwell, 2001).

In addition to chapters from this text, some journal articles will be assigned to complement the text, either as background, or as additional material. A slightly more accessible basic text that corresponds fairly well to the subject matter we will cover is Colin Newell's Methods and Models in Demography,(Guilford, 1990), which participants may wish to consult for an alternative presentation of some material. Many of the classroom presentations and homework exercises will use Mathcad, a versatile and easy to learn computer program for working with formulas, numbers, text and graphs that is available in the lab in the Population Research Center. You may also want to purchase a copy of Mathcad for your own computer from the Campus Computer Store.

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