GEOG 3381/GLOS 3701 Spring 2014

Population Geography
Tu/Th 1:00-2:15 Blegen 150 Instructor: Sara Nelson Office: 582 Social Sciences Tower Office hours: Tuesdays 2:45-4:45 email: nels6996@umn.edu TAs: Eric DeLuca Office: 360 Social Sciences Tower Office hours: Tuesday 10:00-11:00 email: delu0027@umn.edu Lea Schuster Office: 444 Social Sciences Tower Office hours: Thurs 11:00-1:00 email: schus211@umn.edu About the Course: This course aims to introduce students to the field of population geography, and to provide you with the basic conceptual tools with which to critically examine contemporary population phenomena. Working from a geographical perspective, we will ask how the dynamics of population fertility, mortality, and migration vary across geographical space. Our inquiries will be guided by the contention that population processes are always embedded in and shaped by broader political and economic relations. They should therefore be addressed not simply as biological processes dictated by natural laws, but as socio-economic problems subject to political negotiation and contestation. We will pursue this claim by working through a variety of thematic and geographical areas, focusing in particular on a) key debates about overpopulation and the relation between population and food supply; b) analyzing various policies that aim to control the growth, health, and movement of populations; and c) the role of income inequality in shaping the uneven geographies of fertility, mortality, and migration. In doing so, we will discover that what constitutes a population problem or issue is not as straightforward as it may seem, but involves a complex articulation of cultural, political, economic, and biophysical processes and actors. We will be particularly concerned with how the social meanings of race, gender, and sexuality shape demographic processes and efforts to govern these through public policy. This class meets the Liberal Education requirements for Global Perspectives Theme and Social Sciences Core. A description of what this means can be found in Appendix 2. It also meets the Liberal Education requirements for a Writing Intensive course. Descriptions of how we will be developing our writing skills appear throughout the body of the syllabus. Your Obligations: Read course materials on time. Do not fall behind. Reading is due on the date listed on the syllabus. You are expected to bring your assigned reading with you to class to facilitate discussion. The course will not work unless you do the reading in a timely fashion, meaning well

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enough in advance of class to leave time to reflect on what you read before coming to class this may sound obvious, but I really mean it! A key objective of this course is to learn what constitutes responsible and effective academic writing, and this requires that we also hone our critical reading skills. This means that our engagements with course readings will be focused not only on the content of what we read, but also on its structure and methods of argumentation. Daily mini-responses to the readings (explained below) will help to focus your attention on key points. Attend each class and report excused absences to your TA in advance. More than two unexcused absences will affect your final grade. For each unexcused absence after the first two, there will be a 5% deduction from the final grade. Students with more than five unexcused absences will not pass the class. It is my hope that this simply will not become an issue for anyone. If you miss class because you are ill or for some other extenuating circumstance beyond your control, please briefly explain in an email to your TA and provide us with documentation as soon as you are able. If you know in advance that you will be missing a class for a legitimate reason (e.g. religious observance recognized by the U), let your TA know ahead of time. It is also your responsibility to get notes from a fellow student and/or to attend office hours in order to catch up on the material you missed. Write: complete all course assignments. GEOG 3381W/GLOS 3701W is a Writing Intensive course designed to teach you the basics of academic writing. Academic writing requires you to draw upon and develop your powers of comprehension, analysis, communication, and argumentation. These are essential skills for any learned individual to have. Two of the primary goals of liberal education in general and of this class in particular are the cultivation of critical thought and the development of the self-motivated curiosity necessary for an ongoing pursuit of knowledge outside of formal schooling. Both of these goals require rigorous work, engaged guidance, and the development of concrete skills in writing and research. Participate in class activities and discussions. Participation requires attendance, attention, note-taking, and engagement in class discussions and group activities. Do NOT use the internet or check email or do Sudoku or crossword puzzles or text or sleep during class. These activities are disrespectful and distracting to anyone trying to pay attention. Do NOT pack up your belongings until class has ended. I respect your time and will not hold you past the end of class; please respect our collective time by being present for the duration of the class period. Your time in college is a rare (and costly) chance to think about the world without a lot of other pressure. Dont waste it. Respect your classmates (and your instructors). Over the course of the term, we will address a number of controversial topics that will (hopefully) promote debate and discussion. You may not agree with a colleagues argument or position on an issue (or mine), and you are free indeed encouraged to voice your disagreement in a respectful manner. You are not free to jeer at, denigrate, or attack the person who holds this position. Debate and critique are encouraged in this class, but must be aimed at the opposing argument or position, not the person making said argument. Discriminatory speech or action towards any individual or group will not be tolerated and repeated instances of disrespect will result in your being asked to leave the class.

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Communicate with the instructor or your TA about any questions, problems, or concerns you have about meeting course requirements. I take seriously the fact that all students have external family and work-related obligations. I cannot stress this enough: if you are forthcoming in your communications about any obligations or issues that prevent you from meeting the timeline for completing course assignments, we will do our best to help you make the class work with your schedule. We cannot do this, however, unless you communicate with us. It is much more difficult to solve problems that arise from late work and missed classes after the fact. Read the syllabus! This document lays out the key rules and requirements for the class. If you email the TAs or me with a question that is answered in the syllabus, we will refer you back to the syllabus. Please read it carefully to see whether your questions are answered here first. My responsibilities: You can expect me to come prepared for class, to treat all students with respect, to do my best to make sure the classroom is a supportive and safe environment for learning and debate, to explain course concepts and requirements clearly, and to respect your time. You can expect me to, barring exceptional circumstances, return your emails within 48 hours. If you have any questions or concerns about the course, please do not hesitate to meet with me during office hours. Grading breakdown: Class attendance, participation, and activities: Daily reading responses: Hartmann and Ehrlich paper: Midterm exam: Final paper: Course Structure: The course will be predominantly lecture- and discussion-based, with a close focus on course readings. If you have not done the readings, you will not be able to understand the lecture and will not be able to participate in discussion. We will also be viewing films in this class. I have chosen films that I feel contribute significantly to the content of the course, not to simply fill the time. The information presented in a well-made film is often much more rich than what can be presented in a lecture. You can think of the films as another form of text with which we will be engaging, and you are expected to bring the same type of critical thought and attention to the films as you bring to the readings. We will have inclass activities and discussions to encourage critical engagement with the films. Assignments: Course readings: There is one required text for this course: Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkensteins They Say/I Say: The moves that matter in academic writing. The course text is available at the book store and on reserve at Wilson Library. 15% 25% 10% 20% 30%

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Other readings are available on the course Moodle site. Please check to make sure that you are able to access the Moodle site as soon as possible. Readings available elsewhere will be noted under the associated week on the Moodle site. I have also listed recommended readings in the syllabus and, when possible, made these available on Moodle. Daily reading responses: You will submit a brief response to each reading for each class period (note: if we read two different works or two chapters from the same book, this means one response per chapter, unless otherwise noted on Moodle). At times I will ask you to respond to a specific question instead of submitting your usual reading response; these exceptions will be noted on Moodle. As this is a Writing Intensive class, we will focus throughout the semester on understanding what it means to effectively structure an academic argument. Critical reading skills are essential to such an understanding. These reading responses are designed to a) help you to hone your critical reading skills; b) facilitate your ability to retain the key points of each reading; c) help me to assess common questions and points of confusion that may not become apparent in class discussion. These responses are not polished pieces of writing, but bulleted lists addressing the points below. Before each class period, you will submit an entry on the course Moodle site describing: The thesis of the reading the authors main argument (in your own words) To whom is the author responding i.e., what is the conversation in which he or she is involved? (We will focus on what it means to read for the conversation through Graff and Birkensteins text.) Whats at stake? Why does s/he feel his/her specific argument (not the topic in general) is important? Two (or more) questions you have about the piece. These can be either clarifying or critical, but should be suitable for group discussion you will at times be asked to draw upon your questions to structure a group discussion.

Each reading response will receive a grade of .5 or 1 point, depending on whether it satisfies the requirements. You may miss 2 reading responses over the course of the semester without penalty to your grade (I highly recommend that you save these until you need them!). First paper: Ehrlich and Hartmann debate The goal of this paper is fairly straightforward: You will write an effective and accurate summary of Paul Ehrlichs The Population Bomb (that is, the section of it we will read) and Betsy Hartmanns response to Ehrlich, in her chapter The Malthusian Orthodoxy. Your goal is to mobilize Graff and Birkensteins advice on effectively reading for the conversation and summarizing an argument in order to describe the major points of contention between Ehrlich and Hartmann, and to provide your own reading on their conversation. Requirements for the paper will be further clarified in an assignment sheet available January 30th.

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Midterm exam: The midterm exam will be primarily an open-book essay exam. This means that your success on the exam is highly dependent on how effectively you take notes on your reading and class lecture and discussion. You will need to understand in a nuanced way the key readings in order to effectively structure an answer in an essay during exam time. Final paper: Literature review The largest portion of your grade will be based on a final paper, in which you will delve more deeply into a topic related to the course by writing a review of the key literature on your chosen topic. In keeping with our approach to academic writing as a conversation, this assignment requires that you a) identify a body of literature on a given population topic. This will never be an exhaustive literature that is, you will never be able to include everything on your topic but you need to identify a series of key texts that are in some way in conversation with one another about your central question or area of focus, being sure to address the most influential or seminal texts in the field. b) identify and describe the key problems and debates that is, the key conversations ongoing in this literature c) make an argument about the state of this literature: Are there any obvious gaps in the conversation? Where do you stand on the debates under consideration do you side with one perspective or another, or do you see a middle ground? What problems or topics within this literature do you think require more research or analysis in the future? You will choose your topic based on a list of possible topics made available by February 11th. Paper guidelines and tips will be further clarified in this same document. The first installment of the literature review will be an abstract outlining your chosen topic and the structure of your literature review and an annotated bibliography outlining your key sources, due in class March 25th. You will participate in an in-class peer-review exercise on our abstract and will also receive written feedback from your TA. Note: Start thinking about what topic you might choose as soon as possible!! You will need to spend a significant amount of time doing research and identifying your body of literature before you complete your abstract and bibliography. You may also propose a topic of your choice, provided that you have this topic approved by your TA. If you would prefer to choose your own topic (which will require more work and preparation on your part), you must prepare a one-paragraph written description of your chosen topic and how you fee it related to the class and to the assignment. Bring this written description to your TAs office how and discuss with him/her how you would structure your literature review and how your topic relates to course themes. All alternative topics must be approved by March 6th.

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Course schedule: **Readings subject to change with prior notice**
Date Topic Readings and Assignments Introduction to Population Geography 1/21 Course introduction 1/23 Introduction to population Peters and Larkin, xix-xxvi, and 1-3; AND Kent and Haub, 2005. geography: fertility, "Global Demographic Divide." Population Bulletin 60(4): mortality, mobility Population Reference Bureau. Theories of Population Change 1/28 Malthus and the nature of Thomas Malthus, 1798. An Essay on the Principle of Population. population Preface, Chs. 1, 2, 4, 5. 1/30 Response to Malthus I: Karl Marx, 1858. Excerpt from Grundrisse, Notebook VI. AND Capital and Surplus Marx, 1867. Capital vol.1, ch. 15, sec.3 Population 2/4 Response to Malthus II: Peters and Larkin, "Theories of Population Change, 83-97; AND From Boserup to the Betsy Hartmann, 1995. Reproductive Rights and Wrongs, Ch. 15: Demographic Transition "The Light at the End of the Demographic Tunnel," 289-303. 2/6 Writing section I: Reading Graff and Birkenstein, They Say/I Say, Intro, Part I (Ch.s1-3), and for the Conversation and Chapter 12. the Art of Summarizing Reading response: Intro, ex. 2; Ch. 1, ex. 1 Too many people? Population theory in practice 2/11 Malthus's Return Paul Ehrlich, 1968. The Population Bomb. Ch. 1: The Problem Recommended: Ehrlich and Ehrlich, 2009. "The Population Bomb Revisited." Electronic Journal of Sustainable Development 1(3). Betsy Hartmann, 1995. Reproductive Rights and Wrongs. Ch. 2: The Malthusian Orthodoxy. AND Erle Ellis, "Overpopulation is not the problem." Recommended: David Harvey, 1974. "Population, Resources, and the Ideology of Science." Economic Geography 50(3). Betsy Hartmann, 1995. Reproductive Rights and Wrongs. Ch. 4: The Plan Behind Family Planning". Film: The Legacy of Malthus Recommended: Matthew Connelly, 2006. "Prologue to the Emergency Period." Population and Development Review 32(4); Marika Vicziany, 1982. "Coercion in a soft state: The family planning program of India." Pacific Affairs 55(3). Peter McDonald, 2000. "Gender equity in theories of fertility transition." Population and Development Review 26(3), pp. 427-39; AND Hartmann, 1995. Reproductive Rights and Wrongs, Ch. 3: A Womb of One's Own," pp. 41-56. Due: Summary of Ehrlich-Hartmann debate Recommended: Ahmed et al., 2010. "Economic status, education and empowerment: Implications for maternal health service utilization in developing countries." PLoS ONE 5(6); Nancy Folbre, "Of patriarchy born: The political economy of fertility decisions." In Frank Trovato, ed., 2001. Population and society: Essential readings.

2/13

Response to Malthuss Return

2/18

Governing Fertility: Legacies of Malthus

2/20

Rethinking Fertility: Equity and Empowerment

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Rethinking resources, transforming agriculture: The political economy of food production and distribution 2/25 The Political Economy of Mike Davis, 2002. "The Origins of the Third World: Markets, Famine: Malthus and the States, and Climate." The Corner House, Briefing 27. (Edited from making of the Third an excerpt of Mike Davis, 2001. Late Victorian Holocausts: El World Nio Famines and the Making of the Third World. New York: Verso.) 2/27 Food Distribution I: Atkins and Bowler, 2001. Food in Society. Chs. 9-11, pp. 107-153; Shortage or Surplus? AND Cassidy et al., 2013. "Redefining Agricultural Yields." Environmental Research Letters 8. 3/4 Food Distribution II: Aid Atkins and Bowler, 2001. Food in Society. Chs. 12-13; pp. 154and Trade 184. AND Bertini and Glickman, "Food aid for the 21st century," Politico opinion piece 4/3/13. 3/6 Food technology I: The Jack Ralph Kloppenberg, 2004. First the seed: The political green revolution and economy of plant biotechnology. Ch. 7, "Seeds of Struggle: Plant monoculture genetic resources in the world system." in Kloppenberg, pp. 152190. Film: Seeds of Plenty Deadline for approval of alternative topics for literature review. Recommended: Vandana Shiva, 2012. The Corporate Control of Life. 100 Notes 100 Thoughts, dOCUMENTA (13). UN Trade and Environment Review 2013: Wake up before it is too late. Read Ch. 1, Lead Article (2-8), and Ch. 5, Lead Article (252265), plus one Commentary of your choice from either Ch. 1 or 5. See reading response instructions on Moodle.

3/11

Food technology II: Agriculture and Climate Change

3/13 Midterm exam *** Spring Break*** The demographics of inequality 3/25 Writing Section II: Making an Intervention 3/27 4/1 Race, Class, and Vulnerability: Surplus populations Demography and inequality

Graff and Birkenstein, They Say/I Say Part II (Chs. 4-7) and Chapter 8 Reading response: See reading response sheet on Moodle. Due: Abstract and annotated bibliography. In-class peer review. James Tyner, 2013. Population Geography I: Surplus Populations. Progress in Human Geography 37(5), 701-711. Branko Milanovic, 2011. "More or Less?" Finance and Development, September. AND Wilkinson and Picket, 2006. "Income inequality and population health." Social Science and Medicine 62, 1768-1784. Recommended: Ortiz and Cummins, 2011. "Beyond the Bottom Billion". UNICEF Social and Economic Policy Working Paper. David Harvey, 2005. A Brief History of Neoliberalism. Introduction and Ch. 1 (pp. 1-38). Film: Life and Debt Fernandes-Kelly and Massey, 2007. "Borders for Whom? The Role of NAFTA in Mexico-US Migration." Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 106, March, pp. 98-118.

4/3

4/8

Contextualizing contemporary population issues: Neoliberalism and structural adjustment NAFTA, agriculture, and migration: Free trade and closed borders

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Receive comments on final paper proposal and bibliography. Guest speaker: Jillia Pessenda Bovino, Minneapolis urban farmer and activist with Witness for Peace Mexico. Mercille, Julien. 2011. "Violent Narco-Cartels or US Hegemony? The political economy of the war on drugs in Mexico." Third World Quarterly 32:9, 1637-1653 Melissa Wright, 1999. "The dialectics of still life: Murder, women, and maquiladoras." Public Culture 11(3), pp. 453-474. Hunter, Mike. 2007. "The changing political economy of sex in South Africa: The significance of unemployment and inequalities to the scale of the AIDS pandemic." Social Science and Medicine 64(3), pp. 689-700. Film: Tapologo Craddock, Susan. 2007. "Market incentives, human lives, and AIDS vaccines." Social Science and Medicine 64, 1042-1056. Eduard Grebe, 2011. "The treatment action campaign's struggle for AIDS treatment in South Africa: Coalition-building through networks." Journal of Southern African Studies 37(4), 849-868. Film: How to Survive a Plague Lisa Moore and Amy Elkavich, 2008. "Who's using and who's doing time: Incarceration, the war on drugs, and public health." American Journal of Public Health 98, pp. 782-786. [We will likely add one additional reading, TBD]. Guest speaker: Randall Cohn, Lead Housing Case Manager, Harbor Light Center Minneapolis. Michelle Alexander, 2010. The new Jim Crow: Mass incarceration in the age of colorblindness. Ch. 5, "The New Jim Crow." Film: Broken on All Sides. Angela Davis, 2003. Are Prisons Obsolete? Ch. 5, "The prison industrial complex," pp. 84-104. Angela Davis, 2003. Are Prisons Obsolete? Ch. 6, "Abolitionist alternatives." AND Doran Larson, 2013. "Why Scandinavian prisons are superior." The Atlantic. Due: Final paper

4/10 4/15 4/17

The political economy of conflict: NAFTA and the War on Drugs in Mexico Gendering Mortality I: Femicide and 'disposable' labor Gendering Mortality II: Geographies of HIV/AIDS

4/22 4/24

The political economy of disease: Global trade and the AIDS crisis Geographies of AIDS activism Policing public health: the War on Drugs at home

4/29

5/1 5/3 5/8

Mass incarceration: the 'new Jim Crow'? The political economy of crime and punishment: The prison-industrial complex Beyond the prison industrial complex? Debates on drugs, crime, and public health

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Appendix One: General Policies Grading: Grades are based primarily on the quality of outcomes. Grades consider students' performance on assignments listed on the course syllabus, participation in class, magnitude of improvement, attendance, timeliness of project completion, compliance with class policies, and effort/dedication. "A" Excellent work, progress beyond expectations of effort and outcomes, and full class participation. "B" - Good work, completion of course requirements and good class participation. "C" - Average work, completion of course requirements and satisfactory class participation. D" - Passing but below average work, partial but insufficient class participation. "F" - Work not acceptable or not complete enough to receive a passing grade. A 93-100% A- 90-92.9% B+ 87-89.9% B 84-86.9% B- 80-83.9% C+ 77-79.9% C 74-76.9% C- 70-73.9% D+ 67-69.9% F 0-59% D 60-66.9%

If you are taking the class for S/N credit, you must get at least a C (not a C-) to earn an S in the course. Any specific questions or concerns about grades must be addressed in person during office hours. Late Work Papers and reading responses: Late submitted papers are only accepted in exceptional circumstances such as documented illness and family emergency. In all other instances you will receive a 5% reduction for every workday past the initial due date. Papers submitted more than one week late will receive an F. Students with legitimate excuses for submitting late work will be granted an extension. You must inform me at least one week before the deadline so that an extension can be arranged. If you unexpectedly miss a deadline for a documented health reason and/or family emergency you have 24 hours from the time of that day to contact me. The make-up work will be scheduled in such a way as to allow for time lost due to the extenuating circumstances. In such an emergency case, email your work to me as soon as you are able and I will count it as being handed in at that time however, I will not provide a grade or comments until I have a hard copy. Reading responses must be submitted in class on the date due, and will not be accepted late except in case of an emergency as described above. Late Work In-class exercises: There is no makeup for in-class writing activities or response papers on videos unless you have a documented excused absence. Incomplete Grade: An "I" grade can be given only if the student has discussed with the instructor the reasons for not completing an assignment or taking an exam BEFORE the date when that exam or assignment should be completed.

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Disability Accommodations: Every student on campus has a right to a classroom-learning environment that is accessible to him or her. If you have a learning, visual, hearing, mobility, or any other kind of disability, please contacts the instructor and Disability Services immediately to arrange reasonable accommodations. This includes serious difficulty with concentration, anxiety, or distraction during exams. Disability Services is located in the McNamara Alumni Center (Tel. 612-626-1333, Email: ds@umn.edu). Scholastic Misconduct: According to the UMN Student Conflict Resolution Center, scholastic misconduct is broadly defined as "any act that violates the right of another student in academic work or that involves misrepresentation of your own work. Scholastic dishonesty includes, (but is not necessarily limited to): cheating on assignments or examinations; plagiarizing, which means misrepresenting as your own work any part of work done by another; submitting the same paper, or substantially similar papers, to meet the requirements of more than one course without the approval and consent of all instructors concerned; depriving another student of necessary course materials; or interfering with another student's work" (http://www.sos.umn.edu/stafffaculty/supplement.html). Students found committing plagiarism or cheating will result in a failing grade for the course and will be referred to the appropriate University office for investigation (instructors are required to report plagiarism; please also note that students who receive a failing grade due to academic dishonesty are not able to withdraw from the course). Plagiarism: If you have any doubts whether you know what constitutes plagiarism please visit the following University website: http://www.plagiarism.org/learning_center/what_is_plagiarism.html. The following is a brief quote from this website (page 1): All of the following are considered plagiarism: turning in someone else's work as your own; copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit; failing to put a quotation in quotation marks; giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation; changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit; copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your work, whether you give credit or not (see our section on "fair use" rules). Most cases of plagiarism can be avoided, however, by citing sources. Simply acknowledging that certain material has been borrowed, and providing your audience with the information necessary to find that source, is usually enough to prevent plagiarism. See our section on citation for more information on how to cite sources properly. Sexual harassment: Sexual harassment defined by the Board of Regents as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and/or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature will not be tolerated. Please see the policy in full at: http://regents.umn.edu/sites/default/files/policies/SexHarassment.pdf For general University policies on Student Conduct, Make Up Work for Legitimate Absences, Equity, and Academic Freedom and Responsibility, please see: http://policy.umn.edu/Policies/Education/Education/SYLLABUSREQUIREMENTS.html

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Appendix Two: Goals and Content of Liberal Education at University of Minnesota General description of liberation education and its relevance to this course: According to the University of Minnesota, a liberal education describes the set of common understanding and skills essential to successful living in a modern society and to functioning as a whole person integrated into that society. The primary skills of a liberal education include communication, critical thinking, and working with others. This class helps students to develop communication skills by requiring participation in class discussion in small groups and in the class as a whole and by creating a safe and supportive space for such discussion and debate to occur. In addition, as a Writing Intensive course, a primary focus of the class is to help students hone their academic writing skills. For this purpose, students not only complete writing assignments with the assistance of feedback from TAs, but writing instruction also makes up a component of the instruction of the course. Writing effectively, however, does not only involve successfully communicating your own ideas, but also being able to critically analyze the arguments of others. This requires critical thinking: the ability to not only understand what to read and hear, but to assess its structure, evidence, and mode of argumentation, and to assess its place in a broader intellectual conversation. Being able to organize your thoughts into a coherent argument, to write clearly and concisely, and to critically analyze the arguments of others in short, to participate in intellectual exchange are skills that will not only serve you in school, but will enable you to engage in social and political life. But as highlighted by our writing text (Graff ad Birkensteins They Say/I Say), intellectual activity does not happen in a vacuum, but always involves a conversation and very often collaboration. This requires working with others. While the majority of your grades will be based on individual work, you are also required to participate in class discussion and debate. We will also be doing group work in this class, in which you will be asked to engage with your peers to critically analyze readings and course materials. These skills of collaboration and debate are necessary skills for any informed and active citizen. GEOG 3381/GLOS 3701 meets the Core requirements for Social Sciences and the Theme requirement for Global Perspectives. What does this mean, exactly? Social Science Core courses introduce students to the ways that social scientists describe and analyze human experiences and behavior; teaches students to utilize qualitative and/or quantitative data; and [promote] multidisciplinary ways of thinking about complex social issues. A full description of Social Science Core requirements can be found here: http://onestop.umn.edu/faculty/lib_eds/guidelines/social_sciences.html Theme courses engage students in thinking about the complexities of topical global issues, to reflect on the ethical implications of these, and to engage in constructive debate about them. In particular, Global Perspectives course seek to cultivate habits of thinking ethically about important challenges facing our society and world; reflecting on the shared sense of responsibility required to build and maintain community; connecting knowledge and practice; and fostering a stronger sense of our roles as historical agents. A full description of Global Perspective Theme guidelines can be found here: http://onestop.umn.edu/faculty/lib_eds/guidelines/global_perspectives.html

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How this class achieves these goals: Consistent with the concerns of a Global Perspectives course, this class aims to provide you with the theoretical and methodological tools necessary to investigate some of the key issues affecting global population dynamics today, including food production and distribution; the AIDS epidemic; incarceration; migration; conflict; and climate change. We will address these as complex ethical and political problems (not simply demographic equations), and will engage in debates about these problems. Our approach to each of these topics is shaped by the basic proposition that population dynamics are not natural processes, but are always embedded in broader political and economic relations. We take a multidisciplinary approach to population issues, drawing from philosophy and critical theory; political economy; critical legal studies; and development studies, among others. We therefore engage with multiple ways that social scientists describe and analyze human experiences and behavior, to address population processes as an interplay between individual agency, political institutions, economic structures, and biophysical processes. For example, in examining the AIDS epidemic, we incorporate a basic epidemiological understanding of the virus into an examination of the political economy of AIDS research and treatment. In this way, we connect the crisis of AIDS treatment in southern Africa with the growth of the pharmaceutical industry and intellectual property law in the US. In addition to these contemporary issues, we also take a critical eye to demographic science itself, primarily its role in shaping population control policies in the US and abroad. You are therefore asked to deploy your critical thinking skills to consider the politics of knowledge production itself. In this way, we will examine how theories about population do not only have relevance among social scientists attempting to interpret the world, but also have real political implications and concrete effects on human lives. Of primary importance to social science practice (and to all intellectual activity) is a recognition of the ethical responsibilities of scholarship. We will explore these issues through group work, class discussion, and a final writing assignment. The aim of the writing assignment, and of the writing instruction provided throughout the course (as outlined in more detail in the body of the syllabus and in the description above), is to give you the tools necessary to make an informed intervention in intellectual conversation. An important part of academic practice in the social sciences is to develop the skills necessary to define a body of literature; to identify the primary debates in that literature; to critically assess gaps in these debates; and to make an informed intervention. By practicing these skills in our writing in the course, we will be doing the work of the field, not just reading about it a requirement of all LE core courses. Primary Student Learning Objectives addressed: 1) Can identify, define, and solve problems 2) Can locate and critically evaluate information Students in this course learn to identify the multiple factors that shape a given population issue, and they demonstrate this ability to identify and engage in complex problems in their final paper. In this paper, students are expected to make an informed intervention in the academic literature, which requires locating primary and secondary sources; defining a body of literature; and critically evaluating both primary sources and the arguments of other scholars.

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Appendix Three: Sources Scholarly sources are works that were subject to a peer review process prior to their publication. This means that scholars working in the relevant field provided critical review on the work and the author completed any required revisions. Academic journals and publishing houses associated with universities (e.g. University of Minnesota Press; Duke University Press) use peer review. If you have questions about a sources acceptability, look at the publishers website or contact your TA. Research tools: The University Libraries offer access to thousands of academic journals. On the Articles and databases tab on the main search page, you can choose from a number of searches that span multiple databases (Academic Search Premier is the default). You can choose Google Scholar as a search option, which has a sophisticated search algorithm and may provide you with more results than database searches (if you search using Google Scholar, you may have to sign in again though the libraries website to gain access to the source if you find you cannot access a source, try searching for the journal through the U website). Citations: For articles in a print journal, APA citation formatting is as follows: Last name, First initial. (year) Title of Article. Journal Name, issue#(Volume#), first page-last page. For chapters in an edited collection: Last name, First initial. (year) Title of Chapter. In Editors Name, ed. Book Title. City of publication: Name of Publisher. first page-last page. Note: Even if you accessed a print source online, it is still a print source and should be cited as such. For more information on citations, see an online guide such as: http://www.library.cornell.edu/resrch/citmanage/apa Look to a reputable online guide (one published through a university) before asking your TAs about citing specific sources.

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