Department of Sociology
College of Liberal Arts
Texas A&M University
(2020 Spring) SOCI 312 – Population and Society
– Video with instructions to online course
– Online course
Between March 24 and May 5, lectures will be pre-recorded and provided on this course website.
Online sessions for questions and answers will be conducted on Thursdays (March 26, April 9, April 16, April 23), 2:20–3:35pm. Students will have the opportunity to ask questions and participate in discussions with the professor and other students through video conference (Zoom).
During this period, all quizzes, exams, and assignments will be submitted through eCampus.
– Zoom video conference
Instructions to install Zoom in your computer
Link to online sessions for questions and answers (Zoom video conference)
– Course information
Meeting location: Harrington Education Center Classroom Building (HECC) 204, campus map
Meeting times: Tuesday and Thursday, 2:20–3:35pm
– Instructor information
Ernesto F. L. Amaral
Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology
Office location: Academic Building 415, campus map
Office hours: Wednesday, 1:30–3:30pm (link to office hours); and by appointment. Appointment requests must be made at least 72 hours in advance.
Phone: (979)845–9706
Email: amaral@tamu.edu
– Teaching and course evaluation
Students should complete teaching evaluations during the early feedback period (February 17–March 1), as well as during the end-of-term evaluation period (April 15–29).
If at least 90% of students complete each teaching evaluation on the Personalized Instructor/Course Appraisal System (PICA), the whole class will get two bonus points toward their final grade for each teaching evaluation.
– Quizzes
Quizzes 1–10
Students should read instructions about Quizzes 11–14 before starting them on eCampus.
– Lectures, exams, and other materials
Day 01 – January 14, 2020 – Tuesday
Day 02 – January 16, 2020 – Thursday
Syllabus & An introduction to demography
Lecture (chapter 1)
Joel Cohen: An Introduction to Demography (Malthus Miffed: Are People the Problem?)
Don't Panic: Hans Rosling Showing The Facts About Population
The Population Bomb? – by Retro Report – The New York Times
Break It Down – The Pop Song – Population Reference Bureau (PRB)
Day 03 – January 21, 2020 – Tuesday
Day 04 – January 23, 2020 – Thursday
Age and sex composition
Lecture (chapter 10)
Examples of age-sex structure and other indicators (in Excel)
Population Age Structure – Population Reference Bureau (PRB)
Day 05 – January 28, 2020 – Tuesday
Day 07 – February 04, 2020 – Tuesday
World population change over time
Lecture (chapter 12)
Day 06 – January 30, 2020 – Thursday
Population distribution
Lecture (chapter 14)
Assignment has to be submitted on eCampus
Assignment 1
Day 08 – February 06, 2020 – Thursday
Exam 1
Students should bring a 8.5"x11" Scantron testing form to the exam. Mark your responses on the Scantron testing form. Only No.2 pencils can be used to bubble in answers (not ink). These are the exam rules.
Day 09 – February 11, 2020 – Tuesday
Population change in the United States
Lecture (chapter 13)
Day 10 – February 13, 2020 – Thursday
Day 11 – February 18, 2020 – Tuesday
Theories of demography
Lecture (chapter 2)
7 Billion and Counting – Population Reference Bureau (PRB)
Human Population Through Time – American Museum of Natural History
Demographic Transition Model Song – D Sims
Day 12 – February 20, 2020 – Thursday
The sources of demographic information
Lecture (chapter 3)
Population and vital statistics report (United Nations, 2006) with information on countries with censuses conducted on a de facto or de jure basis.
Day 13 – February 25, 2020 – Tuesday
Day 14 – February 27, 2020 – Thursday
Fertility
Lecture (chapter 4)
Example of fertility rates (in Excel)
Extra readings
Fertility Changes in the United States
Male Fertility
Day 15 – March 03, 2020 – Tuesday
Exam 2
Students should bring a 8.5"x11" Scantron testing form to the exam. Mark your responses on the Scantron testing form. Only No.2 pencils can be used to bubble in answers (not ink). These are the exam rules.
Day 16 – March 05, 2020 – Thursday
Day 19 – March 24, 2020 – Tuesday
The family and sexuality
Lecture (chapter 5)
Extra readings
The Family
Sexuality and Family Partnering
March 09–13, 2020 – Monday–Friday
Spring Break, no class
Day 17 – March 17, 2019 – Tuesday
Day 18 – March 19, 2019 – Thursday
Texas A&M University classes cancelled
Day 20 – March 26, 2020 – Thursday
Day 21 – March 31, 2020 – Tuesday
Contraception and birth control
Lecture (chapter 6)
Extra readings
Contraception and Birth Control
Day 22 – April 02, 2020 – Thursday, 1–8pm
Exam 3
Students should read instructions about this online exam before starting it on eCampus. This is the online exam guide.
Day 23 – April 07, 2020 – Tuesday
Day 24 – April 09, 2020 – Thursday
Mortality
Lecture (chapter 7)
The New York Times article about child mortality.
U.S. life expectancy decreased after 2014.
Netflix documentary about Bill Gates (see part 1 about developing technology to provide better sanitation to developing countries).
Example of standardization (in Excel)
Example of life table (in Excel)
Extra readings
MortPak – The United Nations Software Package for Mortality Measurement
Site
Introduction and Measurement of Mortality
Standardization
Life Table
Short History of Mortality in the World
Mortality Trends and Causes of Death
Mortality and Longevity in the United States
Infant Mortality
Future Course of Mortality
Coronavirus Pandemic
Day 25 – April 14, 2020 – Tuesday
Day 26 – April 16, 2020 – Thursday
Internal migration
Lecture (chapter 8)
GeoDa: An introduction to spatial data analysis
Site
TableCurve 2D: Automated curve fitting analysis
Site
Examples of modeling migration rates
TableCurve2D by Prof. James Raymer
In SPSS
In Excel
Introduction to Internal Migration
Concepts and Definitions
Measures of Migration
Domestic Migration in the United States
Temporary ("Floating") Migration in China
Analysis of Spatial Association
Demographer William Frey Unpacks Why Fewer Americans Are Moving
Article at the Brookings Institution
For the first time on record, fewer than 10% of Americans moved in a year
Interview to NPR
Day 27 – April 21, 2020 – Tuesday
Day 28 – April 23, 2020 – Thursday
International migration
Lecture (chapter 9)
Extra readings about economic effects of immigration
Extra readings about U.S. Census citizenship question & Southern border wall
Definition and Concepts of International Migration
Patterns of World Immigration Over Time
Immigration to the United States
Undocumented Immigration
Economic Effects of Immigration
Nobel Prize-Winning Economist Esther Duflo: 'You have no reason to fear low-skilled migration'
Day 29 – May 05, 2020 – Tuesday, 1–8pm
Final exam
Students should read instructions about this online exam before starting it on eCampus. This is the online exam guide.
Extra reading
Race and ethnicity
Lecture (chapter 11)
Study about race and economic opportunity in the U.S.
The New York Times article about race and economic opportunity in the U.S.
Extra reading
Population Policy
Lecture (chapter 15)
Assignment has to be submitted on eCampus
Assignment 2
Extra reading
The Earth in the 21st and 22nd centuries
Lecture (chapter 16)
– U.S. Census Bureau
Census Bureau
Official website
Site
Explore U.S. Census Bureau Data
Data.census.gov
What is data.census.gov?
Explanation about transition from American FactFinder
Site
American Community Survey (ACS)
Official website
Site
American Community Survey (ACS)
Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS)
Site
Current Population Survey (CPS)
Site
Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP)
Site
Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) Program
Site
Migration/Geographic Mobility
Site
County-to-County Migration Flows
Site
Census Flows Mapper
Site
TIGER/Line Shapefiles
Site
Demographic Analysis and Population Projection System (DAPPS)
Site
Quick Facts about the United States
Site
– Demographic resources
Family Inequality
Demographic facts your students should know cold in 2018
Site
Population: A lively introduction
Joseph A. McFalls – Population Reference Bureau (PRB)
Site
Population Pyramids
Site
Population
Science special issue
Site
Material
Population Connection
America's Voice for Population Stabilization
Site
Rob J. Hyndman – Monash University, Australia
Demography: Forecasting mortality, fertility, migration and population data
R package
Site
Coherent population forecasting using R
Site
Applied Demography Toolbox
Department of Demography
University of California Berkeley
Site
Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS)
Minnesota Population Center (MPC)
University of Minnesota
Site
United Nations Manuals
Techniques for Demographic Estimation
Material
Population Division
Department of Economic and Social Affairs
United Nations
Site
Population.io
The World Population Project
Site
The Pudding - Human Terrain
World's Population in 3D
Data from the Global Human Settlement Layer
Site
Population Reference Bureau (PRB)
Site
Population Reference Bureau (PRB)
Data
Site
Population and Poverty Research Network (PopPov)
William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
Population Reference Bureau (PRB)
Site
European Social Survey (ESS)
Site
Eurostat - Your Key to European Statistics
Site
– Mortality data sources
The Human Mortality Database
Site
Latin American Human Mortality Database
Site
– Fertility data sources
The Human Fertility Database
Site
Human Fertility Collection
Site
European Fertility Project
Office of Population Research (OPR)
Princeton University
Site
– Migration data sources
World Migration Map
Site
Foreign-Born Population: A Nation of Overlapping Diasporas
Digital Scholarship Lab
University of Richmond
Site
Migration Policy Institute (MPI)
Site
Migration Policy Institute (MPI)
Tool to generate graphs of countries of birth for U.S. immigrants, 1960-Present
Site
Mexican Migration Project (MPP)
Princeton University & University of Guadalajara
Site
Mexican Family Life Survey (MxFLS)
Iberoamerican University (UIA)
Center for Economic Research and Teaching (CIDE)
Duke University
Site
The New Immigrant Survey
Princeton University
Site
Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX)
Site
– Resources about refugees
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Site
Syria Regional Refugee Response
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Site
Syrian Refugees - A Snapshot of the Crisis
Site
Asylum Quarterly Report
Eurostat Statistics Explained
Site
REACH - Informing more Effective Humanitarian Action
Site
– Other microdata and surveys
Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID)
Institute for Social Research
University of Michigan
Site
Health and Retirement Study (HRS)
Institute for Social Research
University of Michigan
Site
American Life Panel
RAND Corporation
Site
World Values Survey
Site
Latinobarómetro: Opinion Pública Lationamericana
Site
Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP)
Site
Comparative Study of Electoral Systems (CSES)
Site
– Aggregated-level data
Gapminder: Unveiling the beauty of statistics for a fact-based worldview
Site
Videos
World Bank Data
Site
Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Data
Site
World Wealth & Income Database
Site
Opportunity Insights
Site
National Vital Statistics System
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Site
Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME)
Data Visualizations
Site
Pew Research Center Data
Site
Global Attitudes & Trends
Pew Research Center
Site
OXFAM - The Power of People Against Poverty
Site
Doctors without Borders
Site
Brookings Institute
Site
– Academic associations
American Sociological Association (ASA)
Site
Population Association of America (PAA)
Site
American Political Science Association (APSA)
Site
American Marketing Association
Site
American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR)
Site
– Sources for literature review
Web of Science
Scientific citation indexing service
Site
JSTOR (Journal Storage)
Digital library of academic journals, books, and primary sources
Site
American Journal of Sociology
Site
American Sociological Review
Site
Annual Review of Sociology
Site
Science Direct
Source for scientific, technical, and medical research
Site
PubMed
Citations for biomedical literature, life science journals, and online books
Site
– Resources to write about numbers
Purdue Online Writing Lab
Manuscript formatting (American Sociological Association – ASA style)
Site
Purdue Online Writing Lab
Writing with statistics
Site
Examples of tables and figures
PDF file
– Stata Resources
Instructions for Accessing Stata Through the Virtual Open Access Lab (VOAL) at Texas A&M University
VOAL Instructions
Stata: Data Analysis and Statistical Software
Resource links
Institute for Digital Research and Education (IDRE)
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Stata material
Carolina Population Center (CPC)
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC)
Introduction to Stata
Generalized Linear Latent And Mixed Models (GLLAMM)
Stata Programs for estimating, predicting, simulating
Stata extra modules
Material
– Public-opinion polls
RealClearPolitics
Political news and polling data aggregator
Site
FiveThirtyEight
Statistical analysis about elections, politics, sports, science, economics and culture
Site
– Resources for migration syllabus
Migration and Citizenship Syllabus Bank
American Political Science Association
Site
Immigration Syllabus
Created by immigration historians affiliated with the Immigration History Research Center at the University of Minnesota and the Immigration and Ethnic History Society
Site
Syllabus in pdf
