UCL - Demographic issues and challenges in the 21st century

[SPED1214]

[30h] 5 credits

This course is taught in the 1st semester.

Teacher(s): Catherine Gourbin, Dominique Tabutin

Language: French

Level: First

Aims
Main themes
Content and teaching methods
Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Aims

This course aims to give 2nd and 3rd year students on any Bachelor's degree programme a broad overview of the major socio-demographic challenges, which various Northern and Southern regions of the world will face in the 21st century. It also aims to teach students to take a certain critical distance from various commonly held prejudices and presuppositions.

Main themes

Each year, this course is structured around the study of eight to ten topics relating to major issues in contemporary Sociodemographics. These issues relate as much to socio-demographic developments and progress in health, as to their causes and economic, social, political and environmental consequences.

Content and teaching methods

Among the possible topics:
Social Demography: its place in the social sciences and the major social debates.
The population of the planet and the range of demographic dynamics throughout the world.
The world's aging population: trends, causes and consequences.
Accelerated urbanisation in southern countries .
Causes and consequences of international migrations.
Demography in present-day wars and conflicts.
Health, social and sexual inequalities.
Geography and demography of AIDS and other transmissible diseases.
Households, families and societies.
Demography, resources and environment.
Population policies.
Method:
The course will be primarily lecture-based (with illustrations), with an interactive component (dealing with questions and debates) and is backed up by a reading portfolio.

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Course entry requirements: This course does not require any specific statistical or demographic training.