This module aims to provide a general introduction to the field of population geography, in which a basic demographic understanding of population change is placed within a spatial framework, allowing exploration of the nature and causes of national, societal and cultural differences in these changes. The module aims to move far beyond the basic population geography presented in GCSE and A-level syllabuses by providing: (i) greater breadth and depth of coverage; (ii) direct exposure to the population-related research of current staff; (iii) greater critical engagement with the material covered.

This module is also designed to serve as the foundation block for those interested in pursuing a population geography 'pathway', which would include one or more of ENVS275 'Social and Cultural Geographies', ENVS218 'Environmental Sustainability', ENVS311 'European Population Trends', ENVS315 'Human-Environment Interactions' and ENVS357 'Understanding Social Exclusion', potent ially culminating in our MA in Population Studies. The module is also of relevance to those interested in pursuing a GIS/Spatial Analysis pathway via ENVS257 'Applied GIS and modelling', ENVS363 GIS, potentially culminating in our MSc in Geographical Information Science.

Upon successful completion of this module a student will be able to:

• Understand and explain the main societal and cultural determinants of a wide range of demographic and other events, including being born; leaving home; moving home; partnering; having sex; having children; experiencing well-being, falling ill and dying.
• Describe and account for how these events lead to spatial and temporal variations in population growth rates and structures
• Critically examine the relevance of the demographic and epidemiological (health) transitions to developing countries.
• Critically assess the future global population prospects

Achievement of these outcomes will be assessed using coursework and examination.

The programme involves 2-hours of contact time per week, except for the mid-term assignment completion week.

Lecture 1 Population and Societies: an introduction to demography, geography, societies and their interface.

Lectures 2-3 Having children: Sex, birth spacing and the proximate determinants of fertility

Lecture 4 Death: Surviving Birth; trends in life expectancy and other measures of mortality

Lectures 5-6 Causes of population growth: the Demographic Transition revisited

Lectures 7-8 Moving home: employment and life-cycle related mobility and migration

2-hour Seminar on Migration

Assignment completion week

Lectures 9-10: Health: HIV/AIDS, the changing disease burden and the Epidemiological Transition

Lectures 11-12 Living arrangements: trends in household and family formation

Lecture 13 Partnering: how marriage has fallen from grace

Lecture 14 Parenting: work, women and parenting in the 21st Century

Lecture 15 Leaving home: the transition from home - flows into higher education and work

2-hours seminar on the Second Demographic Transition

Lectures 16-18 The global future? Matlthus, Boserup, Sen and the future for human-kind

Lecture 19 Revision session: Exam advice and a review of the module content < /p>

The module is taught by a specialist in the field of population geography, who will introduce both the basic building blocks of population geography and some of their own research contributions to this field.

Module material is delivered via a mixture of lectures, seminars and guided reading. All module materials are posted to VITAL to support learning, including links to electronic copies of all key readings.

Student understanding of module material is checked via interactive mid-lecture Q&A sessions, end-of-class 'post-it note' feedback and seminar discussions, and appropriate formative feedback provided.

A mid-semester summative assignement is used to monitor student progress, and to provide mid-module feedback on student progress.

Critical engagement with module material is supported via lecture, seminar and reading material, and via the mid-semester summative assignment.

No one textbook covers all of the material in this module. However, any of the following will provide useful insights to most of the main themes of the module:

Livi Bacci, M (2007) A concise history of world population, 4^th edition, Oxford : Blackwell.  [Sydney Jones Short Loan HB871.L79]

Poston D L and Leon F B (2010) Population and society : an introduction to demography, Cambridge : Cambridge University Press. [Sydney Jones Short Loan   HB849.4.P85]

Dyson T (2010) Population and development: the demographic transition, London : Zed Books.[electronic book]

Gould W T S (2009) Population and development, London : Routledge. [Sydney Jones Library HB884.G69 and Electronic Book]

Poston D L and Micklin M [eds] (2005) Handbook of population, New York  : Kluwer Academic. [electronic book]