A Population Course Syllabus

ENV-205.H1                                                                                        World at Seven Billion
T-Th; Bush 202                                                                                                J. V. Siry Ph.D.
2:00 PM - 3:15 PM                                                                                         407-646-2648.

"Evil exists in the world not to create despair but activity."
                                                                Thomas Malthus 1798

We ask a central question in this class: if the world's population is too large for the planet's capacity to sustain basic human needs for all its inhabitants, how do we know that, and what are the indications that this assumption is correct or incorrect?

Understanding population growth and decline in a world of over seven billion people is both timely and revealing. We discover the world through analytically examining the measures of population, impact, and human well being from a regional and international perspective so you learn about where, when, and how people adjust to density changes in foreign nations. As an introduction to demographic methods and geographical literacy we investigate population migration in China and India as developing societies, global instability due to uneven development, and population dynamics in the developed world such as Japan and France.

This class explores the means to measure, assess, and explain demographic facets of land use, consumption, fertility, and health from a cross-boundary perspective. The subjects covered in the course content are: population and society, economy, culture and aerial space, through an introduction to demographic measures and practice using geographical analysis. We describe and critique conflicts generated from population growth in developing societies, globalization versus regionalism, and inequality through the application of research methods in the social and ecological sciences. In addition to studying migration, geographies of wealth, total fertility measures, reproductive health, and sustaining environmental services, the course asks you to decide "how do we effectively stabilize population without destroying humane values?"

All students will select a set of 12 nations or more to evaluate fifteen different demographic data points and what they reveal about this cluster of countries when compared to the dozen largest nations on Earth.

Active participants will explain verbally and in writing the trends in their data weekly, as it is pertinent to that week's focus of the class discussions in clarifying & organizing the factors in the population and impact formulas.

Students after recalling the population and impact formulas will apply those equations to their respective set of nations and define the data that describes common and divergent trends among those countries.

Better students will want to understand that demography is more than an array of data sets, measures and density related problems. To do really excellent (A– or A work) you will need to read critically, compare all the authors, and understand the utility of spreadsheets and the matrix symbolizing the power of population momentum.  Be able to identify in writing and verbally, five to seven cases of population's overt power and unseen influences to transform society during distinctly different historical periods from 1721 to 2012.

How do I evaluate [grade] your performance, or how do you earn a quality mark?
In addition to all the work done in the course which I track, I ask you to draft, and then redraft your essays based on frequent, incisive, and clear references to the basic and complicated arguments in the books. You are encouraged to participate and are rewarded for your risks in pulling ideas from different evidence rich disputes together from all authors to support your essays & projects. We use Blackboard for your assignments.

Clifs
Keys
C;   Clarity in applying evidence to one or more sides of an argument; grammar & syntax.
L;    Length of logical analysis based on quantity & quality of thesis, examples, or complexity described.
I;     Informative value of the cases, examples, evidence & stories pulled together from texts.
F;    Frequency of references to the authors and the ideas used by texts to convey concepts.
S;    Summaries of themes in precision & relation of thesis to arguments in written & verbal work.

This course carries 4 hours of credit and counts as an Environmental Studies elective or as the general education's requirement elective course because learning is focused on international analysis of crucial social problems.

Total Fertility Rate:   

 

 

 

 

 

Course Requirements:
Blackboard, frequent use:                      5%
Pretest   & postest                               5%
Reading and recitation in class.            10%
Active Class Participation.                      15%
Writing & posting to Wiki.                     21%
Writing initial essay (Sangar)                20%
Final essay based on data sets.           20%
Final presentation of findings                 4%

1. Your actively engaged participation with alert, brief, & critical analysis verbally, in class, daily. 15 percent 
2. Long essay is redrafted.  Based on your data set and the arguments in the books                        (20 percent)
3. Final Essay based on data sets presented: September 30, October 30 & revised November 20 (20 percent).
4. Population debate essay Margaret Sangar vs. US. (6-7) November 13, post to wiki.

SHORT SCRIPTS (wiki posts) The best material from blackboard gets posted to wiki.  (7% each  21 percent)
5. What is your interest and how is that found in the 12 countries you have selected (3) September 9
6. What did Swift describe; & what would he say to Malthus & You? Verbal interpretation;  (2) September 18
7. What would you do to limit population's impacts in your regions and countries? (see Sangar) November 13.

Presentations:                                                                      (5 percent each verbal four minute talk; 20 percent)
        a. What did you experience in contrast to the regions & ten largest nations?  September 30.
        b. How do you and your parents diverge & converge on family sizes? October 30
        c. Wealth, health and poverty data from your selected nations November 20.
        d. Verbal presentations at December 2, 4, Hardin's arguments for limited land-use & water as constraints.

8. What is human population and consumption's impact on people based on the data you collected in the 12 or more nations selected? } post to wiki { You verbally explain findings at the final exam.             (4 percent)

                                                                                                              Calendar
August
26      Who you are in relation to the density and character of places; mapping a world.
28      Demography is? Pretest – Scope, significance of learning. Olin 220, creativity lab.
                      Siry, Swift, Malthus, Mill, Sangar, Hardin, & McKibben.
September
2        Siry,  Introduction: the pace, rate and dynamics of transitions.
4        Swift's "A Modest Proposal", What is global vs. regional in actual perspectives? You pick a twelve nations.

9        What is your story?  Your experience in contrast to regions & ten largest nations (Post to Wiki).
11      Metrics (measures) One: Population formula. Siry, 1 on Be Fruitful and Multiply

16       Metrics Two: Impact formula (SS-1) &  Rev. Thomas Malthus: "Essay on Population"
18       A Great Debate: Swift vs. Malthus & their critics. Swift MP, 1722, & Malthus, Essay 1798
A shorter 1798 version of An Essay on Population, by Reverend Thomas Malthus; Fordham University. 
23       McKibben: Maybe (only) One, pp. 9-43.
25       Siry, 2 on Fertility: How we got Here. Reproduction: How differently it is measured?. 

30       √ Triumph of vision: Regional analysis of 12 nations & ten largest countries due. (Post to Wiki).

October
2        McKibben, Chapter 2; Family Size and Planning. pp. 44-87.

7        Siry, 3 on Mortality, When we die & on Death Certificates 
9        Siry  the causes of mortality in developing and developed nations.  
11-14 Fall Break, no class on Tuesday.
16        McKibben: pp. 88-178 & Siry on Margaret Sangar, Birth Control – Pivot of Civilization, 1922.

21        Siry, 4 on Migration: Revising the I=PAT formula & affluence; I = PAT & Mckibben, pp. 72-104, 125.
23        Population dynamics: What is it and how do we explain population dynamics with regards to A generation's experiences of Wars, famines, & birth control

28        Siry, 5 & 6. Density a double shot of difficult challenges.
30        √ Reports: How do you and your parents diverge & converge on family sizes? (Post to Wiki).

November
4        Hardin's claims pp. 1-30.
                http://social.rollins.edu/wiki/population/index.php/Hardin_Ostrich_Factor
6,       Hardin, pp. 31-62.

11        Fertility control is not population control, Hardin, pp. 63-98.
13        √ Essay Due "Population debate" on Sanger and based on all authors is due 2d Essay.

18        Family planning 2;  What did the Chinese do?  McKibben pp. 44-50, 107-108. 204-206.
20        √ "So did it teach us anything? Siry, 7 A Pyramid of Numbers, Hardin, pp. 99-140.

25     How is India growing up?  McKibben, pp. 67-68, 74-75,106-108, 206-208. The loss of demographical perspective.  Siry 8 Gender Determination, "population thinking" as the basis for social conditions.

27        Thanksgiving holiday, no class

December
2        Reports – Is Hardin's challenge realistic?,
4        Reports – Food & nutrition, the costs of agriculture and environmental impacts. 

9,      Tuesday,  Final Exam 2-4 PM. You stay for the entire 2 hours.

Class time is important for all of us to learn as a group and to excel as individuals interested in improving your skills, enhancing comprehension, and practicing formulating arguments, so always listen carefully to others.
So arrive on time, with the assigned readings completed, and a readiness to write about the key concepts from the readings (often posted on the web site that accompanies the course). Classes usually include free writing, group discussion, and computer work; so do come prepared to express your understanding or misunderstandings of what the assigned readings have meant and the questions these authors raise.

My policies:

I invite you into an ongoing conversation. I am here to excite & encourage you to excel in learning new concepts while practicing your writing, analytical, and speaking capabilities in a supportive setting in an effort to create meaningful discourse. My purpose is to nourish your inquiring intellect with significant concepts in a coherent and challenging manner. I anticipate you will ask questions based on the readings and actively work together to overcome the challenges the course material may pose for you in achieving excellent performance levels based on an improved analysis and synthesis of the authors. I recommend you to discuss ideas, passages, and assignments during my office hours noted at the bottom of each page.

Active learning

Keep in mind that participation in this course involves not only alertness and verbally contributing your ideas, but also listening respectfully without interrupting other speakers who are presenting their views on the assigned readings. Paying attention to others and to me is a sign of respect that I will reward. The use of electronic media, texting, or web browsing for other than class purposes is treated as an absence since texting, internet surfing, e-mailing, or being digitally inattentive to our discussion during class meetings robs us of your intellect’s contributions to our discourse. Attendance earns you 15% of your grade and that amounts to .5 or 1/5 of a percent for every day you come to class. Points cannot be awarded for days you are surfing the web, texting, inattentive, or not present, regardless of the reason. Active participation may include meeting me to confer during office hours.

Late papers

Submit all assigned work at the beginning of the class on the day the assigned work is due. Late papers cannot earn the same credit as those received on time in fairness to the punctual students. This is really because we discuss what you have said in the class the day the essays are due. While late papers are marked down, turning in the tardy assignment is better than not turning your work in at all. Each essay is worth 20%; late essays can only be with 17%. Should you lose your work, always back-up your work as you write, start at least one full week before the essay is due, and keep a printed copy of all drafts of all essays.

Paper format

The look of any college paper is always a professional document with an accurate date and page numbers indicating when the work was completely written. I ask you to place a cover page with your name, phone number, essay title, and an abstract of two to four sentences covering the substance of your essay for purposes of privacy because I make extensive comments on your work, that you must read in order to revise the essays. Spelling and grammar errors are unacceptable. All papers are to be typed, double spaced, in Arial or Times New Roman fonts, have one inch margins with 23 lines to the page as a minimum.

Academic honesty and writing with integrity

None of us are utterly original thinkers. In any college work you must always show from where you derived concepts, read about ideas, or did factual research. Failure to attribute the source of your writing and spoken work is a lapse in trustworthiness that academics call plagiarism. If you copy ideas without attribution you have plagiarized & can fail the assignment (a zero), or get no credit for the course due to dishonesty. Cheating, borrowing ideas, or copying without proper citation diminishes the integrity of any writing. The habitual resort to these less than responsible practices amounts to plagiarism–a most serious academic offense of novices and experts alike. By the use of words or ideas that are not your own and are either insufficiently accredited or not acknowledged at all, you undermine the essay’s reliability. These offenses are a violation of the College’s honor code. As such, I am obligated to report such violations to the Dean.

College Policies

Expectations for Student Learning outcomes for ecological history:
A Rollins student's submission of work for academic credit indicates that the work is the student's own. All outside assistance should be acknowledged, and the student's academic acquisition of information truthfully reported at all times.

• Information literacy as the use of computer assisted learning by your identifying and describing key sources of evidence presented by primary sources and texts used in the class and displaying them on the Internet.
• Communication Skills. Active participants will learn to organize and express their thoughts clearly and logically in writing and verbally by frequent informal and ungraded exercises tied to formal writing.  
• Critical Thinking. Active participants will practice written analysis to apply demographical methods to critically evaluate the record of statistical evidence and how the text's authors have interpreted significant ecological, social, and economic consequences of population dynamics, growth, aging, and decline.  
• Research Skills. Active participants will acquire and use basic data collection, interpretation, and analytical research skills, including the effective use of spreadsheets to display facts from the Internet, libraries, archives, and museums with appropriate texts or databases to portray well their information literacy.  
• Writing and Intellectual Integration. Active participants may demonstrate their mastery of the knowledge and skills involved in analysis of population ecology by conceptualizing and executing a significant piece of interpretive writing based on more than five author's explicit arguments and related ideas on a clearly defined topic that refers to the data sets collected on one dozen or more nations' population profile.
• Active participants will have repeated opportunities to demonstrate an accurate knowledge of demography where biological factors influenced how people responded to common conditions and the significance of population and consumption's impacts on the ecological, economic, and social improvement of nations.

 

A statement about accommodating students with significant concerns.
Rollins College is committed to equal access and does not discriminate unlawfully against persons with disabilities in its policies, procedures, programs or employment processes. The College recognizes its obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 to provide an environment that does not discriminate against persons with disabilities.
If you are a person with a disability on this campus and anticipate needing any type of academic/medical accommodations in order to participate in your classes, please make timely arrangements by disclosing this disability in writing to the Disability Services Office at (Box 2772) – Mills Building, 1000 Holt Ave., Winter Park, FL, 32789. Appointments can be scheduled by calling 407-646-2354 or by e-mailing: mailto:gridgeway@rollins.edu

Membership in the student body of Rollins College carries with it an obligation, and requires a commitment, to act with honor in all things. The student commitment to uphold the values of honor - honesty, trust, respect, fairness, and responsibility - particularly manifests itself in two public aspects of student life. First, as part of the admission process to the College, students agree to commit themselves to the Honor Code. Then, as part of the matriculation process during Orientation, students sign a more detailed pledge to uphold the Honor Code and to conduct themselves honorably in all their activities, both academic and social, as a Rollins student. A student signature on the following pledge is a binding commitment by the student that lasts for his or her entire tenure at Rollins College: The development of the virtues of Honor and Integrity are integral to a Rollins College education and to membership in the Rollins College community. Therefore, I, a student of Rollins College, pledge to show my commitment to these virtues by abstaining from any lying, cheating, or plagiarism in my academic endeavors and by behaving responsibly, respectfully and honorably in my social life and in my relationships with others. This pledge is reinforced every time a student submits work for academic credit as his/her own. Students shall add to the paper, quiz, test, lab report, etc., the handwritten signed statement

"On my honor, I have not given, nor received, nor witnessed any unauthorized assistance on this work."
Material submitted electronically should contain the pledge; submission implies signing the pledge.

 

Primary sources:

Jonathan Swift, see notes here

Thomas Malthus, see this index

Margaret Sangar, see notes here

 

 

Population thinking