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.
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)
Masquelier Bruno; Schnor Christine;
Language
French
Main themes
The first part of the course is an introduction to the principal theories of interaction between population, environment and development, including the Physiocrat school, the classic approach (Malthus and Ricardo), the Boserupian model and the systemic approach.
The second part of the course is devoted to contemporary analyses of these problems: the nexus approach (poverty - environment, poverty - demographic growth, environment -demographic density, etc.), more physical approaches like the capacity of a given space to support a population, the balance of advantage of exploiting/exporting resources, approaches based on analyzing the spatial and/or temporal context, specifically by comparing the texts issued by the large international organisations with the scientific literature on the subject.
Aims
At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to : | |
| 1 | This aim of this course is to develop an interdisciplinary and integrated approach to the issue of population, environment and development and introduces students to the principal theories and contemporary debates on these issues. |
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
LSPED1221 provides an introduction to the study of the interactions between population, environment and development in the world, focusing on the main theories and contemporary debates on this issue. After a first part devoted to the main concepts and indicators, and to population projections by 2100, the course presents in a second part the Malthusianist doctrine and its criticisms. A third part of the course focuses on demo-ecological models and demo-economic models. The fourth part deals with major themes related to the relationship between population and the environment: water, food, air pollution and threats to biodiversity. The last two sessions are devoted to the reactions of the international community and the people.
At the end of this course, students will be able to
to understand the influence of changes in the components of population dynamics (fertility, mortality and migration) on environment and development at different geographical levels and time horizons,
explain and compare the main theories and doctrines used to give meaning to these interactions,
to develop an informed and critical view of current global issues involving populations.
At the end of this course, students will be able to
to understand the influence of changes in the components of population dynamics (fertility, mortality and migration) on environment and development at different geographical levels and time horizons,
explain and compare the main theories and doctrines used to give meaning to these interactions,
to develop an informed and critical view of current global issues involving populations.
Teaching methods
Lecture course with classroom voting system (bring your smartphone, tablet or PC).
Evaluation methods
The evaluation is based on a written exam organized in session, combining open questions and MCQs, as well as on the writing of a brief literature review on a chosen theme, in groups of 3 students.
Other information
Bibliography
Véron, J., 2013, Démographie et écologie, La Découverte
Teaching materials
- Jacques Véron, Démographie et écologie, La Découverte, Collection Repères, 2013, accessible sur Moodle
Faculty or entity
ESPO
