Discussion Questions for Population Dynamics

[Questions may be added or deleted as we go along]

 

Part I of Course:

 

Overview of World Population

 

Historically, how fast has world population grown?  The population has not grown evenly across time -- what are some of the historical factors that have caused the pace of population growth to change?  Historically, what role has medical technology played in population growth?

 

What causes fertility to go down?  When mortality first starts to go down, what group typically benefits the most?

 

What are some of the major ways in which world population today is different than it was 50 to 100 years ago?

 

 

Population, resources, environment, food

 

What are the causes and consequences of population growth?  Besides growth, how important is over-consumption of resources? What are the (real or alleged) effects of climate change today? Why are many people skeptical about the threats of global warming?

 

How are problems like global warming related, or not related, to population growth? Is over-population the problem or over-consumption?

 

People like Thomas Malthus, Julian Simon, Frances Moore Lappe, and Karl Marx have radically different perspectives on population issues.  Make sure you understand their most critical arguments, and think about the evidence that seems to either support or refute their positions.

 

Ross Douthat, Bjorn Lomborg and others agree that global warming is human-made and real but still argue against many of the most prominent proposals for combating it. What arguments support and oppose the conservative case against climate legislation?

 

 

Fertility Concepts & Trends

 

* What is the average number of children a woman would have, if she did everything she could to maximize her fertility?

 

* True or false: Contraception is the main reason women have far fewer children than their biological capacity.  Why? [NOTE: Yaukey discusses this a lot.  See, in particular, the discussion of Davis and Blake's work on the proximate determinants of fertility.]

 

* According to Bongaarts, what percentage of couples will manage to be completely successful in achieving their exact family building goals?  What are the unplanned events that make success so difficult?

 

* What factors motivate people to want or not want children in the first place?

 

Birth cohorts

 

What do you think are some of the demographic, social, political, and cultural factors/events that will continue to influence you and/or that you will still remember 20, 30, 40 years from now? Baby Boomers may talk about things like Vietnam, the assassinations of JFK/RFK/MLK, the Beatles and music from the 1960s, Watergate, Joe Namath and Super Bowl III, the 1969 New York Mets, etc. For your generation 9/11 may or may not be one obvious choice (how well do you really remember it?). What else comes to mind?

 

* Malcolm Gladwell talks about "demographic luck." Explain what he means.  Think about how historical and demographic circumstances have affected various birth cohorts, and how birth cohorts, in turn, have affected the rest of society.  Related to this, why is it that a group born during the depression came to be called the "good times" cohort?  What was the "baby boom", what caused it, and what impact has it had?  What have later birth cohorts, e.g. Millennials, Generation Z, been affected by, and what effect are they having on society?  The readings packet section on "birth cohorts" should be very helpful here. Some specific things to think about:

            *     What effect, if any, the relative size of the cohort has had on it and the rest of society

            *     The economic and social circumstances the cohort has faced (or will face) as it moves through the life cycle (i.e. from infancy to old age).  In what ways has the cohort been relatively advantaged or disadvantaged?

            *     Some of the unique historical events that have been important for shaping the cohort

NOTE: I wouldn't expect you to give extremely detailed answers for every question for every cohort. But an exam question might ask you to go over some of these questions for at least two of the cohorts.

 

Several authors suggest that the youth of today are spoiled. Review the major arguments both for and against their positions.

 

In her 2016 ASA Presidential Address, Ruth Milkman discusses Millennials and the post-2008 wave of protest. Explain why and how Millennials are different politically from previous generations. Then go over the key details of one of the social movements she discusses.

 

 

Fertility: Issues, Problems and Controversies

 

* To what extent are teenage pregnancy and unwed pregnancy problems, and why?  What are the reasons teenagers don't use contraception more?  Describe the major changes that have taken place in teenage and unwed pregnancy over the last 30 to 50 years.  Discuss possible reasons for these changes, and the consequences of these changes for American society in general and for children in particular.  What policies might be considered for dealing with teenage and unwed pregnancy, and why are they controversial?  For example, what are the arguments for and against abstinence-only education? [NOTE: In class I -ll be providing some supplementary material about historical trends and background that is not in your readings.  The readings should be sufficient to give you a feel for the contemporary situation and the issues surrounding it.]

 

* Why has the Pill been controversial? What has its social impact been? How has the Catholic church struggled over it? Why did some think the church would approve the pill and why didn't it happen?

 

* There has been growing controversy about high tech fertility practices. These include, but are not limited to, concerns about the safeness of procedures (including implanting multiple embryos), who should have access to these technologies, the use of egg donors, the destruction of left-over embryos and/or their use in stem cell research, the rights of the parties involved, and whether clinics are going too far in trying to provide “designer” babies. Discuss at least two of these controversies in depth, noting arguments both for and against the practice.

 

* There is a raging and ongoing controversy over whether or not Catholics and Pro-Life advocates can, in good conscience, vote for a candidate who is pro-choice. Discuss the major facts and arguments on both sides of this debate.  (If you prefer, you can talk about whether Catholics and Pro-Life advocates can, in good conscience, support an organization like Planned Parenthood.)

 

* Your readings included discussions of Donald Trump, Barack Obama, George Tiller, Tim Tebow (and his parents), Shirley Chisholm, and Susan B. Anthony (along with other early feminists). Choose two of these individuals. Explain how your choices felt about pro-life versus pro-choice issues and why your choices were/are important and controversial figures in this debate. (In order to show how they are controversial, you’ll of course need to discuss the arguments that have been made both for and against their positions, e.g. if you talk about Shirley Chisholm’s support for abortion you’ll probably also want to discuss the claims of those who equate abortion with black genocide.)

 

* Because of relatively recent technological advances, stem cell research, and abortions involving Down Syndrome, have become increasingly controversial in the last few decades. Choose one of these areas and explain what the controversies are and summarize the key arguments of each side.

 

*  The Catholic Church has been criticized for its positions on contraceptive and reproductive technologies. Discuss some of the major battles that have occurred in the Church over these issues. Then explain the Church’s positions in these areas and the facts and arguments that are used to defend them. Include in your answer a discussion of the controversy over whether Humanae Vitae has helped the church or hurt it.

 

Some specific points you may want to consider as you go through the above questions (but there are other points as well):

Reproductive technology - What are the technologies? Why does the Catholic Church oppose most of them?  Why are these technologies so popular? Who should have access to them. e.g. what issues are raised by giving older women, gays, and other non-traditional groups access? Are these technologies sufficiently regulated? Should these technologies be used for gender selection or to create designer babies? What are the rights of the parties involved, e.g. should sperm donors have the right to see their children, should surrogate mothers have the right to renege on a deal, should those paying the surrogate mother have the right to demand that she get an abortion? What concerns are raised by all the left over embryos from in vitro fertilization? As noted in the readings, college students often serve as egg or sperm donors.  Why do people do this?  What are the health and ethical issues involved?  How do you think an effort to recruit Notre Dame students as donors would be received?

 

Abortion - What have the splits been within the feminist movement? What are the arguments for saying that abortion is or is not a form of genocide against blacks? Is it acceptable or not acceptable for Catholics to support pro-choice candidates? What have been some of the controversies at Notre Dame surrounding abortion (Obama is the obvious example, but there are many others, some of which are mentioned in the readings). Why was George Tiller a hero in some people's eyes and a baby killer in others? Why was the Tebow's seemingly innocuous Super Bowl ad considered so controversial? Why do some object to stem cell research while others strongly support it?

 

Status and Roles of Women and Men

 

* What factors affect the status and roles of women?  How have the status and roles of women changed across time, and why?  Some points to consider are:

            a. Changes in the status and roles of women in the US in recent decades. Be sure to consider women's labor force participation and any other factors you think are relevant. 

b. In what ways have women caught up with men, and in what ways do they still trail?  How have women's status and roles become more similar to men, and in what ways do they still differ?

c. The impact these changes have had on household life and the division of labor within the family.

 

* Christina Hoff Sommers has declared that there is a "war against boys."  What does she base her claims on?  In what ways are men disadvantaged compared to women?  Why do some counter that the "Boy Crisis" is a myth?

 

* Similarly, why does Hannah Rosin ask if we are seeing "The end of men?" What arguments support or refute her claims that modern postindustrial society is better suited to women?

 

 

 

Part II of Course:

 

Demographics

 

Discuss how policy makers and/or business leaders need to be aware of demographic factors when making their decisions.  Indicate major demographic trends that you think are especially important for such decision-makers.  Suggest how policies can be affected by knowledge of demographic factors, and how policies can fail when demographic variables are not adequately considered.  Keep in mind that, while there are specific readings on demographics, material from other parts of the course may provide insights here. Some factors you might consider include

            * The size and market interests of various cohorts, e.g. the Baby Boomers, children.

            * The "true" purchasers of products, e.g. the people who buy a product are not necessarily the ones who use them.

            * The importance of women, multicultural markets, gays and any other sometimes-overlooked groups that markets should pay attention to.

 

Several of the readings (e.g. Gloria Steinem's Sex, Lies & Advertising) showed that businesses sometimes ignore demographic facts.  Give examples of these failures, explain why they happen, and discuss the adverse consequences that follow.

 

What do you think are some of the best and worst ads you have seen? Why was the ad effective or ineffective? What demographic groups was the ad targeted at? How did it try to appeal to them?

 

Marriage, Divorce, Families and Households

 

* Describe the major changes that have taken place in marriage, divorce, and cohabitation over the last 30 to 50 years.  What are possible reasons for these changes? How are things like education, race and age related to the likelihood of getting married?

 

* At the same time that many are saying that marriage is unnecessary or even undesirable, others are trying to give marriage rights to groups that have been historically denied them. Discuss the arguments for and against

    a. Getting married in the first place

    b. Cohabiting before marriage

    c. Getting divorced versus staying together for the children

    d. Gay marriage

 

Health & Mortality

 

Laura Helmuth asks, why are you not dead yet? How and why have the causes of death changed over the past several centuries?  What are important changes in health and mortality that have occurred in the last few decades, and why have they occurred?  Among the things to consider:

McGinnis and Foege estimated that half of all deaths can be attributed to preventable causes.  In what ways is our behavior related to our health and mortality?  What are some of the choices we make as individuals and as a society that affect how long and how healthily we live? See if you can think of examples of people you knew who might still be alive, or be healthier, had they made different choices.

 

Everyone dies eventually, but some groups of people tend to be sicker and/or die a lot sooner than others.  How and why are demographic characteristics related to health and mortality in the United States?  Among other things, consider how and why gender, occupation and race are related to mortality.

 

For the first time in almost a century, life expectancy has started to decline in the United States. Discuss how the Deaths of Despair, drug addition, obesity, guns, and other factors have contributed to this reversal.

 

Guns have a major impact on health and mortality in the United States. Discuss what that impact is, and what doctors, the NRA, and statisticians have to say about gun control.

 

Childhood immunizations have played a major role in reducing mortality.  Yet, today, there are major controversies involving vaccines, HPV and autism.  Explain what these controversies are and the evidence surrounding them.

 

Optional questions if you are interested: These are covered in the optional readings but probably won't be discussed in class.

 

* Breast cancer is one of the leading killers of women worldwide. Why, then, has the battle against it attracted both criticism and praise?

 

* The United States has some of the highest health costs in the world, yet is far from being the leader in quality of health. Why are costs so high? What might be done about them?

 

* What are the controversies over health care policy in the United States? Is obamacare succeeding or failing? How might the health care system be reformed?

 

 

The Elderly

 

Many Americans picture the elderly as being poor, in ill health, and abandoned by their families.  How accurate are these stereotypes?  Discuss the demographic characteristics of the elderly in the United States, and how favorable or unfavorable their life circumstances generally are.  How do government programs attempt to help the elderly, and how much impact do they have?  How do families try to help their elderly members, and what impact does this have on the caregivers?

 

Samuel Preston has argued that conditions for children have deteriorated over the past few decades, while the condition of the elderly has improved.  What arguments support or refute this viewpoint?  Why has this shift occurred?  How might demographic changes have contributed to this shift?

 

Optional: What are some of the issues, controversies and problems concerning social security?  Among other things consider (1) the fairness of the program to different groups, e.g. minorities, unmarried people, the young who have to pay for it (2) the long-term financial solvency of the program, and (3) possible reforms of social security, including cuts in benefits, a higher retirement age, and partial privatization.

 

Poverty and Wealth

 

How widespread is poverty in the United States?  How does poverty differ across demographic groups?  What have been the major trends in poverty in recent years, and why? 

Elizabeth Warren and others (e.g. Robert Reich, Joseph Stiglitz) all express concerns about the decline of the middle class and/or the problems created by income inequality in the United States. Summarize their arguments as to (1) why and how the middle class has declined (2) how government policy contributes to income inequality, and (3) why less inequality would benefit everyone, including the better off. Be sure to cite evidence that supports and/or refutes their positions (including, possibly, the views of Paul Ryan and the Republican Party.)

 

America is the wealthiest nation in the world, and yet it suffers from exceedingly high levels of impoverishment. Drawing on the work of Mark Rank and others (e.g., Robert Reich, Joseph Stiglitz, Paul Ryan) explain why this paradox occurs, what the consequences are, and what might be done about it.

 

What challenges do the poor face as they try to work their way out of poverty? Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed should provide some insights here.

 

Optional: There have been dramatic increases in personal bankruptcies over the past few decades.  Much of this increase occurred during periods of national prosperity.  Why did this occur?  What groups were affected?

 

There is much discussion of how government programs benefit the poor.  How do other groups of individuals, as well as corporations, benefit from government entitlements and tax subsidies?

 

Race

 

Why is the very concept of race controversial?  How meaningful and useful is race as a concept? Do you ever have trouble answering when asked what your own race is? Do others have trouble when asked about you? Do you ever have trouble identifying the race of another person?

 

Residential segregation is alleged to be one of the major causes of racial and economic inequality in the United States.  What are some of the factors that caused American neighborhoods to be so segregated?  How has segregation contributed to poverty and inequality in American society?  Why have poor blacks suffered more from segregation than poor whites?

 

Optional: How have demographic trends and other factors caused the multiracial identity movement to grow in strength?  What are the advantages and disadvantages of having and allowing people to self-identify with more than one race?

 

Affirmative action is one of the most controversial issues involving race today.  What are the key arguments for and against it?

 

Migration

 

What are the arguments for and against building Trump's Wall?

 

What are the major reasons (both voluntary and involuntary) migration occurs?  What have the major trends been?  How and why have these trends changed across time?  How have legal and social changes affected these trends? 

 

What are the major social costs and benefits produced by migration, both legal and illegal? 

 

Urbanization & Suburbanization

 

What are the major reasons urbanization occurs?  What have the major trends been?  How and why have these trends changed across time?  What are the major social costs and benefits produced by urbanization?

 

Why has suburbanization occurred?  What are the costs, consequences and benefits associated with it?  How are the issues of gentrification and urban sprawl related to concerns about suburbanization?  Why do so many people like to live in the suburbs?  Would you prefer to live in the suburbs yourself, or somewhere else?

 

The Future

 

What does Massey mean when he says a "new age of extremes" is upon us?  How does this new age differ from the times that came before it?  Be sure to consider such issues as the geographic concentration of poverty and wealth, racial segregation, the urbanization of poverty, and the harms that result.  Do you think the future is as bleak as Massey makes it out to be?

 

Year in Review

 

Jane Van Winkle started a nap at the end of World War II and has just woken up.  Discuss in depth the three or four demographic changes that you think will most amaze her.  In your discussion, indicate how these changes have led to demographic issues, problems and controversies that few people anticipated when she started her rest.  One of the many sources you may wish to refer to is Massey's classic article on The Age of Extremes.

 

Much of our discussion has focused on problems created by demographic changes.  Discuss three or four demographic changes over the past several years that you feel have led to improvements in America or in the world.  Feel free to pick controversial choices that not everyone would see as improvements; for example, you might argue that changes in family structure or suburbanization have helped to better meet what people want.  Describe what the changes have been and explain why you feel they have been beneficial.  Alternatively, you can include in your discussion changes that, while they may not be positive, are not as "bad" as they are commonly perceived to be.  For example, you might argue that divorce has helped to free people from bad marriages.  The changes you discuss can be from material covered in either half of the course.