Demography and Social Policies
Code
711081068
Academic unit
Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas
Department
Sociologia
Credits
6
Teacher in charge
Paulo Machado
Weekly hours
4
Teaching language
Portuguese
Objectives
1. Ability to describe the main current demographic trends and to interpret it as social challenges;
2. Ability to analyze demographic phenomena as factors that constraing or facilitate the implementation of social policies;
3. Ability to interpret social policy documents and proposals, and to understand its relevance and timeliness for social change;
4. Basic knowledge to make sociodemographic diagnostics.
5. Ability to communicate knowledge, anlytical results and diagnostics in an accurate and significant way.
Prerequisites
None.
Subject matter
1. Demography and Social Policies
1.1. Demography as social science and policy science;
1.2. Public Policy: background and general concepts;
1.3. Demographic added-value for public policy;
1.4. Population policies and measures: international comparative perspective
1.5. The dilemma: growing or aging?
1.6. The challenge of migration
2. Theoretical approaches in population studies
2.1. Population control;
2.2. Demographic transition;
2.3. Optimum population
3. Contemporary demographic trajectories: World, Europe, Portugal
3.1. Recent trends and future challenges;
3.2. Population within the territory: the urban phenomenon and the desertification of the countryside;
4. Impacts of demographic change on the Portuguese society:
4.1. Economic growth and development;
4.2. Public health;
4.3. Housing;
4.4. Education;
4.5. Mobility and accessibility;
4.6. Safety and security.
5. Political parties and demography
Bibliography
Canning, D. (2008). The causes and consequences of demographic transition, in
Dicionário demográfico multilingue
http://pt-ii.demopaedia.org/wiki/página_principal
Fernandes, A. (org.), Questões demográficas: Demografia e sociologia da população, Lisboa: Colibri.
Instituto Nacional de Estatística, http://www.ine.pt/
Institut National dÉtudes Démographiques, http://www.ined.fr
Nazareth, J.M. (2004). Demografia: A ciência da população. Lisboa: Presença.
Nazareth, J.M. (2009). Crescer e envelhecer: Constrangimentos e oportunidades do envelhecimento demográfico. Lisboa: Presença.
Population Studies: A Journal of Demography (2011) 65 (3), pp. 353-361.
Pordata (PT), http://www.pordata.pt
Poston, D. & Micklin, M. (eds) (2005). Handbook of population. New York: Kluwer Academic.
Pressat, R. (1979). Dictionnaire de démographie. Paris: PUF.
Weeks, J.R. (2002). Population: An introduction to concepts and issues. USA: Wadsworth Group.
Teaching method
Teaching method:
- 1 lesson weekly (2 h) with a expositive profile, about theoretical material with teaching argumentation and presentation and discussion of texts, and demonstrative exercises.
- 1 lesson weekly (2 h) with a practical profile, including the resolution of practical exercises.
The annual distribution of time between expositive and practical lessons is equivalent, and students presence is mandatory.
Evaluation method
Method of evaluation:
Individual written test in class about the entire curricular unit subjects (worth 50%) and individual or work group on a choosen subject (worth 50%), with mandatory oral discussion. In general, the profile of these essays corresponds to a paper for submission to a scientific meeting.