DEMOGRAPHIC METHODS (2057)
ORGANISER: Professor Emily Grundy
TIMETABLE SLOT: Term 1, Thursday a.m., weeks 2-12; Monday a.m., weeks 8-12
AIM
To enable students to understand and apply basic techniques of demographic analysis relevant to the study of population and health and, in the second half of the module, enable students to understand how demographic data are collected and introduce slightly more advanced methods of demographic analysis.
OBJECTIVES
By the end of the first half (5-weeks) of this module students should be able to:
- demonstrate an understanding of some key techniques used in demographic analysis for the measurement of fertility and mortality;
- identify the key steps in interpreting basic demographic data; and
- explain the usefulness of a demographic approach for the study of population and health issues.
By the end of the whole module students should additionally be able to:
- demonstrate a wider understanding of techniques used in demographic analysis for the measurement of fertility, mortality, migration, and population structure and change;
- appreciate how different types of demographic information may be collected and used.
CONSTITUENCY
This module is compulsory for students on the MSc Demography and Health and is essential for those wishing to take the Population Dynamics & Projections (2429) module. The module is also very useful for students on other MSc courses who want to learn about population data and basic methods of demographic analysis. Such students may attend either the whole module or just the first five weeks. No statistical expertise is assumed but basic numeracy is required.
CONCEPTUAL OUTLINE
Demography is a quantitative discipline and the course will concentrate on methods of demographic analysis with an emphasis on teaching their application. This involves a substantial amount of calculation. The methods covered in the first half of the module include analysis of the structure of a population, basic fertility and mortality measures, life table analysis and standardisation. In the second half of the module attention is paid to how demographic data are collected and used and a wider range of analysis methods are taught. These include the use of model life tables, period and cohort analysis of fertility, determinants of fertility, healthy life expectancy and migration.
TEACHING STRATEGY
The first half of the module comprises five half-day sessions on Thursday mornings. Each session consists of a lecture followed by a practical session. Several practical sessions will be computer based, introducing the Excel spreadsheet as a utility for demographic analysis. The second half of the module is taught on two mornings per week (Mondays and Thursdays) most of which also comprise a lecture followed by a practical session.
LEARNING TIME
The module is made up of 150 Notional Learning Hours – 45 hours contact time, 30 hours directed self-study, 30 hours self-directed learning, and 45 hours assessment, review and revision.
ASSESSMENT
Demography and Health students have a formative assessment consisting of short answer and multiple-choice questions at the end of the module and are formally assessed by written examination in June.
