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Demography of Lusophone Countries

Objectives

a) Apprehending the main concepts used in demography;
b) Recognizing the elements of population growth;
c) Understanding both the main causes and the socio-economic and spatial effects of changes in demographic structures;
d) Realizing the significance of the relations between population, development and environment;
e) Highlighting the objectives and effects of population policies or its absence;
f) Identifying identical and specific features of the Portuguese speaking countries population structure and dynamics;
g) Building solutions to problems associated with the triangle population/ development/ environment;
h) Developing demographic analysis and diagnoses at different scales.

General characterization

Code

711041056

Credits

6

Responsible teacher

Available soon

Hours

Weekly - 4

Total - Available soon

Teaching language

Portuguese

Prerequisites

None

Bibliography

Aryeetey-Atthoh, S. (2003). Population Geography of Sub-Saharan Africa (120-146). In Geography of Sub-Saharan Africa. Nova York: Prentice Hall.

Bandeira, M. L. (1996). Demografia e Modernidade: Família e Transição Demográfica. Lisboa: INCM.

Canning, D., Raja, S.; Yazbec, A. S. (ed.)(2015). Africa´s Demographic Transition: Dividend or Disaster? World Bank Publications.

Livi Bacci, M. (2002). 500 Anos de Demografia Brasileira: uma Resenha, Revista Brasileira de Estudos de População, 19(1), 141-159.
http://www.abep.nepo.unicamp.br/docs/rev_inf/vol19_n1_2002/vol19_n1_2002_8pontodevista_141_159.pdf

Nazareth, J. M. (2004). Demografia: a ciência da população. Queluz: Presença.
Sanchez Barricarte, J. J. (2008). El crecimiento de la población mundial. Implicaciones socioeconómicas, ecológicas y éticas. Valencia: Tirant lo Blanch.

Weeks, J. R. (2011). Population: an introduction to concepts and issues. Belmont: Wadsworth.

Teaching method

Teaching method
Lectures and participatory classes. Practical classes aim at: i) monitoring and controlling the development of a group work, developed on several stages; ii) debate, with the teacher intervention, on several themes of the discipline, with the support of texts or other resources.

Evaluation method

Evaluation method
Each student is required to:
Read selected bibliography, which contents will be the support of written tests:
- Full test (35%);
- 5 short tests (approximately 30 minutes), being the 4 best selected for evaluation (35%)
- Develop a written essay (group work - 20%) and its oral presentation (individual action - 5%);
- Attendance and class participation (5%)

Note: Students may choose to concentrate the 70% of the individual evaluation on the Full test, if they don´t do the 4 short tests.

Subject matter

1) Significance and objectives of Demography
2) Key concepts in demographic studies
3) Natural and migratory trends on population growth
4) The demographic situation in Portuguese speaking countries
4.1) Spatial distribution of the population - regional inequalities, urban and rural population
4.2) Population structures
4.3) Relation between population, environment and development
4.4) Explicit and implicit population policies.