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Understanding Population Change

When you'll study it
Semester 1
CATS points
15
ECTS points
7.5
Level
Level 7
Module lead
Ann Berrington
Academic year
2025-26

Module overview

This module is an introduction to the substantive concepts of demography, how populations change and grow or shrink, and the transitions that populations make in various stages of their development. An introduction to the past, present and future world population trends will be followed by a discussion on importance and implications of age structures, population momentum and population growth. The theoretical underpinnings of demography will be also covered, including the demographic transition, the fertility transition, proximate determinants of fertility, mortality, epidemiological and health transitions, "lowest-low" fertility, changing family structures, the second demographic transition and the mobility transition. Theories and evidence on preconditions and onset of transitions in different contexts, as well as on why and how transitions happen, will be provided.