Population GEOGRAPHY Geog. 496
Population Geography.  Geog. 496,   Spring 2010. M 12-1:50. 
   Instructor:  Aynalem Adugna, Department of Geography. 
      Text: Population Geography:
      Problems, Concepts and Prospects. 9th Edition. (2008)
      By    Gary L. Peters and Robert P. Larkin.     Kendall/Hunt


In this course students will learn about:


** Key spatial population concepts, theories, and terms
** Core issues of population characteristics :
             Age, gender, marital status, ethnicity,  
             education, and occupation

** Popualtion data sources and how to analyze them

** Patterns of global and US population
   distribution

** Factors determining population distribution
   (physical factors  and  human factors)

** Population dynamics -why/how do
   populations change?

Fertility   - measures and spatial variations
       Mortality - measures, role in population dynamics
       Migration - measures and the driving forces


** Current population issues - population and the
      changing environment, the impacts of
      globalization, refugee movements, the
      global food crisis and water shortages


Upon completion of the course students will 
be able to:

            Critically examine population data, identify basic errors,
             and show inconsistencies

Identify population distribution patterns

Perform basic quantitave analysis to determine:
                                    individual contributions of the components of
                                    population change : births, deaths, migration

Interprete population maps

Relate current population events to social and
                     economic develoments, women's rights as well
                     as changes over time in these components and
                     the physical environment


Course Summary

Population geography is concerned with demonstrating how spatial (from the word space) variations in the distribution, composition, migration, and growth of populations are related to spatial variations in the nature of places. The key words here are distribution (density, settlement patterns, etc), composition (age, sex, marital status, education, occupation, etc), migration (in-migration, out-migration, international migration), and population growth/dynamics  (made possible by the forces of mortality, fertility, and population movement).   Population geography benefits greatly from the interdisciplinary nature of the field of population studies in which demographers, geographers, sociologists, anthropologists, psychologists, political scientists, economists, biologists, physicians, and even philosophers make daily scientific contributions.

In this course, you will also learn about the sources of, and problems associated with population statistics, how to measure fertility, mortality, and migration, the human and physical factors determining population distribution and dynamics, past theories of population change including Malthuse’s and neo-Malthusian thoughts, the demographic transition theory, population projection techniques and future prospects, family planning efforts around the world, the status of women and its crucial role in population dynamics, major causes of death around the world including AIDS, the role of migration in population dynamics, population and the environment, population and food supply, and the vital roles of the population geographer in  regional as well as population planning.

Unlike some industrial countries where population numbers are declining, the population of the United States is still growing. Older Americans represent the fasterst growing segment of the population. Those above the retirement age of 65 form 12.5 percent of the population. In Norway, Austria, Belgium, and Bulgaria the proportion of the population in this group is even higher (17%). Why the difference between these European nations and America?  More importantly, what are the implications for the future? In Syria, Gambia and Ethiopia only three percent are in this group! Why! In Kuwait only 2% of the population is in the 65+ group.

Over four million babies are born each year in the United States but 221 counties would not have grown this decade except for Hispanics (new Hispanic immigration and births), and  in 2006, 34% of Americans were classified among sub-groups other than “White”.

Now think of some answers to the following basic questions: (1) How many people live in the USA? (2) Which areas of the nation are densely/sparsely populated, why, and for how long? (3) Do you know the histories of the various population settlements in the US and the changes they have undergone over time? And now extend the same questions to the global level. You may also ask the following: (1) Why do some women have more children than others? What determines a person’s risks of illness and death? Who migrates; where do they move to and from? Why? And then, try to reflect on the importance of the following facts:

** We are adding nearly 220,000 people to the planet every day. 
** An American baby born this morning would consume as much energy during his/her lifetime as two
   German-born babies, and about a thousand times more than a baby born in Nepal today.
** In 1950, forest land (half of which was tropical rain forest), covered 30% of the earth. By the year 2000
   less than 7% of land was covered by tropical forests. 
** An estimated 25 million people die each year in developing countries because of water pollution –
   3/5ths of them children.

If you didn’t know any of these facts and their causes, or you are not sure of the answers to the questions above as well as a host of others routinely raised in population studies, you have made a great course selection in choosing Population Geography.


Course Outline

Lessons/ Weeks  I and II

Introduction

Population Geography defined
Demography vs. population geography
Trends in Population Geography
The growing population literature

Population Dynamics

Measure of population growth and change
US population growth / pick any city, county, state, and discuss its growth in the past decades.
World population growth
US and world population projections
Population studies and the world of business/ think of your own examples.

Lesson/ Week   III

Sources of Population Data

Problems of definition
Censuses /  The US decennial census
Vital registration
Sample surveys 

►     First Mid-term exam (15%)


Lessons/ Weeks   IV and V

Factors Determining Population Distribution and Composition

Today’s global distribution patterns
Ecumene and Nonecumene
Population density as a spatial measure of concentration
Human and physical factors determining population distribution
The role of sex composition and age structure in population dynamics


Lesson/  Week  VII


Past and Present-day Theories of Population Change

The role of theory
Robert Thomas Malthus
The Neomalthusians
Boserup
Marx
The Demographic Transition Model
The theory of Multiphase Response
Revolution as a catalyst: the case of Cuba
The Population Billionaires
Zero Population Growth ZPG: The case of Sweden

Lessons/ Weeks   VII and VIII

Global and US Patterns and Trends in Mortality

Measures of mortality
The Life Table
Major determinants of mortality
Spatial patterns and temporal changes in causes of death
Mortality differentials
Medical geography
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, AIDS
The patterns of world mortality

►    Second Mid-term exam (25%)


Lessons  / Weeks  IX and X

Global and US Patterns and Trends in fertility

Measures of fertility
The major determinants of fertility
Global examples: the case of Kenya
Fertility differentials
The patterns of fertility around the world and the causes past changes


Lesson / Week XI

Family Planning around the World

Global family planning programs: South Korea and Thailand; two success stories
The abortion debate in the US
Law and population policy

Lesson / Week XII

Global and US Migration Patterns and Trends

History of  US immigration
Global international migration
Measures of migration
Explaining migration and migrant selectivity
The causes and consequences of population movements
Internal vs. international migrations
Rural-urban migration
Urbanization in the Third World
Urbanization in the US

►  Submit term paper (20%)

Lesson/ Week  XIII

Population and the Environment

When did environmental damage begin?
The link between population growth and environmental degradation
Population and resources


Lesson/  Week  XIV

Population and Food Resources, and the Growing Water Shortage

Current trends in food production
The Paddocks and Triage
Hardin and the Lifeboat Ethic
The growing water crisis and water politics

►    Final Exam.  (40%)





Attendance matters  !

There is a very direct correlation between attendance and exam results. Even if you score high despie poor attendance, the fact remains that you have not achieved a good grasp of the subject matter, and you will be viewed as such in the determination of your final grades.