Discussion Questions for Population Dynamics
[Questions may be added or deleted as we go along]
Part I of Course:
Overview of World Population
Historically, how fast has world population grown? The population has not grown evenly across time – what are some of the historical factors that have caused the pace of population growth to change? Historically, what role has medical technology played in population growth?
What causes fertility to go down? When mortality first starts to go down, what group typically benefits the most?
What are some of the major ways in which world population today is different than it was 50 to 100 years ago?
Population, resources, environment, food
What are the causes and consequences of population growth? What policies are called for in response?
As you'll see, people like Thomas Malthus, Julian Simon, Frances Moore Lappe, and Karl Marx have radically different perspectives on these questions. Make sure you understand their most critical arguments, and think about the evidence that seems to either support or refute their positions.
Fertility Concepts & Trends
* What is the average number of children a woman would have, if she did everything she could to maximize her fertility?
* True or false: Contraception is the main reason women have far fewer children than their biological capacity. Why? [NOTE: Yaukey discusses this a lot. See, in particular, the discussion of Davis and Blake's work on the proximate determinants of fertility.]
* According to Bongaarts, what percentage of couples will manage to be completely successful in achieving their exact family building goals? What are the unplanned events that make success so difficult?
* What factors motivate people to want or not want children in the first place?
Birth cohorts
* Malcolm Gladwell talks about "demographic luck." Explain what he means. Think about how historical and demographic circumstances have affected various birth cohorts, and how birth cohorts, in turn, have affected the rest of society. Related to this, why is it that a group born during the depression came to be called the "good times" cohort? What was the "baby boom", what caused it, and what impact has it had? What have later birth cohorts, including yours, been affected by, and what effect are they having on society? The readings packet section on "birth cohorts" should be very helpful here. Some specific things to think about:
* What effect, if any, the relative size of the cohort has had on it and the rest of society
* The economic and social circumstances the cohort has faced (or will face) as it moves through the life cycle (i.e. from infancy to old age). In what ways has the cohort been relatively advantaged or disadvantaged?
* Some of the unique historical events that have been important for shaping the cohort
Fertility: Issues, Problems and Controversies
* To what extent is teenage pregnancy a problem, and why? What are the reasons teenagers don't use contraception more? Describe the major changes that have taken place over the last 30 to 50 years. Discuss possible reasons for these changes, and the consequences of these changes for American society in general and for children in particular. What policies might be considered for dealing with teenage pregnancy, and why are they controversial? For example, what are the arguments for and against abstinence-only education? [NOTE: In class I’ll be providing some supplementary material about historical trends and background that is not in your readings. The readings should be sufficient to give you a feel for the contemporary situation and the issues surrounding it.]
* Fertility-related issues and policies have often been a source of conflict. For each of the following, discuss why there has been controversy, how groups have fought over the issue, and what the prospects for future conflict are.
a. Contraception: the battle within the Catholic Church
b. Abortion: the pro-life vs. the pro-choice movements
c. Reproductive technologies (be sure you can briefly describe what the technologies are first).
* As noted in the readings, college students often serve as egg or sperm donors. Why do people do this? What are the health and ethical issues involved? How do you think an effort to recruit Notre Dame students as donors would be received?
Status and Roles of Women and Men
* What factors affect the status and roles of women? How have the status and roles of women changed across time, and why? Some points to consider are:
a. The long-term historical impact of fertility, mortality and urbanization on the status and roles of women.
b. Changes in the status and roles of women in the US in recent decades. Be sure to consider women’s labor force participation and any other factors you think are relevant.
c. In what ways have women caught up with men, and in what ways do they still trail? How have women’s status and roles become more similar to men, and in what ways do they still differ?
d. Other than fertility, what are the biological factors that may affect differences in the roles of women and men?
e. The impact these changes have had on household life and the division of labor within the family.
* Christina Hoff Sommers has declared that there is a “war against boys.” What does she base her claims on? In what ways are men disadvantaged compared to women? Why do some counter that the "Boy Crisis" is a myth?
Marriage, Divorce, Families and Households
* Describe the major changes that have taken place in marriage, divorce, cohabitation and household structure over the last 30 to 50 years. What are possible reasons for these changes? What are the consequences of these changes for American society in general and for children in particular?
Part II of Course:
Demographics
Discuss how policy makers and/or business leaders need to be aware of demographic factors when making their decisions. Indicate major demographic trends that you think are especially important for such decision-makers. Suggest how policies can be affected by knowledge of demographic factors, and how policies can fail when demographic variables are not adequately considered. Keep in mind that, while there are specific readings on demographics, material from other parts of the course may provide insights here. Some factors you might consider include
* The size and market interests of various cohorts, e.g. the Baby Boomers, children.
* The “true” purchasers of products, e.g. the people who buy a product are not necessarily the ones who use them.
* The importance of women, multicultural markets, gays and any other sometimes-overlooked groups that markets should pay attention to.
Several of the readings (e.g. Gloria Steinem’s Sex, Lies & Advertising) showed that businesses sometimes ignore demographic facts. Give examples of these failures, explain why they happen, and discuss the adverse consequences that follow.
Health & Mortality
It has been estimated that half of all deaths can be attributed to preventable causes. In what ways is our behavior related to our health and mortality? What are some of the choices we make as individuals and as a society that affect how long and how healthily we live?
Everyone dies eventually, but some groups of people tend to be sicker and/or die a lot sooner than others. How and why are demographic characteristics related to health and mortality in the United States? Among other things, consider how and why gender, occupation and race are related to mortality.
How and why have the causes of death changed over the past several centuries? What are important changes in health and mortality that have occurred in the last few decades, and why have they occurred? (You’ll certainly want to note differences by age and sex, and perhaps how the causes of death differ across groups and/or have changed with time. Another thing you’ll probably want to consider is why mortality has declined across time while various health problems have started to increase.) Consider such issues as obesity, AIDS, and threats to children’s health. Where are future improvements in health and mortality most likely to come from, and why?
Childhood immunizations have played a major role in reducing mortality. Yet, today, there are major controversies involving vaccines, HPV and autism. Explain what these controversies are and the evidence surrounding them.
The Elderly
Many Americans picture the elderly as being poor, in ill health, and abandoned by their families. How accurate are these stereotypes? Discuss the demographic characteristics of the elderly in the United States, and how favorable or unfavorable their life circumstances generally are. How do government programs attempt to help the elderly, and how much impact do they have? How do families try to help their elderly members, and what impact does this have on the caregivers?
Samuel Preston has argued that conditions for children have deteriorated over the past few decades, while the condition of the elderly has improved. What arguments support or refute this viewpoint? Why has this shift occurred? How might demographic changes have contributed to this shift?
What are some of the issues, controversies and problems concerning social security? Among other things consider (1) the fairness of the program to different groups, e.g. minorities, unmarried people, the young who have to pay for it (2) the long-term financial solvency of the program, and (3) possible reforms of social security, including cuts in benefits, a higher retirement age, and partial privatization.
Race
Why is the very concept of race controversial? How meaningful and useful is race as a concept? How have demographic trends and other factors caused the multiracial identity movement to grow in strength? What are the advantages and disadvantages of having and allowing people to self-identify with more than one race?
Affirmative action is one of the most controversial issues involving race today. What are the key arguments for and against it?
Residential segregation is alleged to be one of the major causes of racial and economic inequality in the United States. What are some of the factors that caused American neighborhoods to be so segregated? How has segregation contributed to poverty and inequality in American society? Why have poor blacks suffered more from segregation than poor whites?
Poverty and Wealth
How widespread is poverty in the United States? How does poverty differ across demographic groups? What have been the major trends in poverty in recent years, and why?
What challenges do the poor face as they try to work their way out of poverty? Barbara Ehrenreich’s Nickel and Dimed should provide some insights here.
There have been dramatic increases in personal bankruptcies over the past 25 years. Much of this increase occurred during periods of national prosperity. Why did this occur? What groups were affected?
There is much discussion of how government programs benefit the poor. How do other groups of individuals, as well as corporations, benefit from government entitlements and tax subsidies?
Migration
What are the major reasons (both voluntary and involuntary) migration occurs? What have the major trends been? How and why have these trends changed across time? How have legal and social changes affected these trends?
What are the major social costs and benefits produced by migration, both legal and illegal?
Urbanization & Suburbanization
What are the major reasons urbanization occurs? What have the major trends been? How and why have these trends changed across time? What are the major social costs and benefits produced by urbanization?
Why has suburbanization occurred? What are the costs, consequences and benefits associated with it? How are the issues of gentrification and urban sprawl related to concerns about suburbanization? Why do so many people like to live in the suburbs? Would you prefer to live in the suburbs yourself, or somewhere else?
The Future
What does Massey mean when he says a “new age of extremes” is upon us? How does this new age differ from the times that came before it? Be sure to consider such issues as the geographic concentration of poverty and wealth, racial segregation, the urbanization of poverty, and the harms that result. Do you think the future is as bleak as Massey makes it out to be?
Year in Review
Jane Van Winkle started a nap at the end of World War II and has just woken up. Discuss in depth the three or four demographic changes that you think will most amaze her. In your discussion, indicate how these changes have led to demographic issues, problems and controversies that few people anticipated when she started her rest. One of the many sources you may wish to refer to is Massey’s classic article on The Age of Extremes.
Much of our discussion has focused on problems created by demographic changes. Discuss three or four demographic changes over the past several years that you feel have led to improvements in America or in the world. Feel free to pick controversial choices that not everyone would see as improvements; for example, you might argue that changes in family structure or suburbanization have helped to better meet what people want. Describe what the changes have been and explain why you feel they have been beneficial. Alternatively, you can include in your discussion changes that, while they may not be positive, are not as “bad” as they are commonly perceived to be. For example, you might argue that divorce has helped to free people from bad marriages. The changes you discuss can be from material covered in either half of the course.