Theories of socio-demographic change

ldemo2130  2019-2020  Louvain-la-Neuve

Theories of socio-demographic change
Note from June 29, 2020
Although we do not yet know how long the social distancing related to the Covid-19 pandemic will last, and regardless of the changes that had to be made in the evaluation of the June 2020 session in relation to what is provided for in this learning unit description, new learnig unit evaluation methods may still be adopted by the teachers; details of these methods have been - or will be - communicated to the students by the teachers, as soon as possible.
5 credits
30.0 h
Q2
Teacher(s)
Bocquier Philippe; Rizzi Ester Lucia;
Language
French
Main themes
The main topics are the following:
General elements of terminology (theory, explanation, causality, level of analysis, conceptual framework, etc.) ;
The main contemporary paradigms, from hard-line Malthusianism to anti-Malthusianism ;
Theories of demographic transition, from old to recent forms ;
The main theoretical approaches to fertility, classifications and typologies ;
Factors associated to nuptiality ;
Explanatory theories of mortality ;
An insight at the theoretical field in internal and international migrations ;
Interests, difficulties and limits of general or universal theories.
Aims

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

1. Master theories and explanations in the field of social and economic demography, to develop a critical view on the related literature, ability to build hypotheses, and to interpret changes.
 

The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.
Content
This course addresses the broad challenge of understanding, explaining and theorizing in demography. At the end of the course, students will be able to:
  • Identify the major theories, doctrines and explanatory approaches specific to each major demographic phenomenon (fertility, union formation, mortality, migration, urbanization) or population-development relations;
  • Identify the causal relationships between variables;
  • Identify the advantages and disadvantages of micro, meso and macro analysis levels;
  • Help identify one or the other theoretical or explanatory approach for the Master's dissertation.
Teaching methods
The active pedagogy method is based on just-in-time teaching, work on small groups, and interactions via an online tool (Wooclap).
Evaluation methods
The 7 intermediate works are to be posted on the Wednesday before the course, at 4 pm at the latest. They are evaluated on 20 and contribute to the final score with a weight of 0.05 each.
The critical reading of an article presents a theory related to the subject of the dissertation, accompanied by a proposal of 5-6 empirical articles related to the subject of the dissertation. This work is rated out of 20 and contributes to the final grade with a weight of 0.05.
The 2 oral presentation sessions will focus on a theoretical article and on the progress of the final work. Each presentation is evaluated on 20 and contributes to the final score with a weight of 0.05. The evaluation criteria of the oral presentation (15 min) are:
  • Clarity of the oral presentation and the slide show
  • Quality of the presentation.
  • Conclusion and answers to questions and criticisms
The written work is rated on 20 and it contributes to the final grade with a weight of 0.50. Each of the (5) parts of the work will be evaluated according to criteria of clarity and quality of the analysis.
Other information
Introduction to demography (SPED 1211) is recommended.
Online resources
Presentations and other resources are available on MoodleUCL.
Bibliography
Bibliographie mise à disposition à chaque séance en fonction du thème abordée.
Bibliography available at each session depending on the theme.
Faculty or entity
PSAD


Programmes / formations proposant cette unité d'enseignement (UE)

Title of the programme
Sigle
Credits
Prerequisites
Aims
Advanced Master in Gender Studies

Master [120] in Journalism

Master [120] in Communication

Master [120] in Population and Development Studies

Master [120] in Anthropology

Master [120] in History

Master [120] in Ethics

Master [120] in Philosophy

Master [120] in Sociology

Master [120] in Psychology