Module Code and Title:          ENV102          Population, Development, and Environment

Programme(s):                      BSc Environmental Management

Credit Value:                         12

Module Tutor(s):                   Leishipem Khamrang (Coordinator)

                                               Radhika Chhetri

                                              Tshering Dolkar

General objective(s) of the module: 

The module will introduce students to the main concepts, ideas and theories that underlie population studies and demography. The module will also deal with issues of ever-growing importance associated with population growth and development, namely migration, urbanization and employment and thus prepare students with the necessary theoretical background to understand some of the most pressing social problems of our times. Students will become aware of how the development process in developing countries is affected by and in turn affects population structure, population growth and the environment, and how current and future problems result from these interactions can be approached and solved.

Learning outcomes – Upon successful completion of the module, students will be able to:

• Describe major demographic theories related to population structure and dynamics, fertility, mortality, and migration.
• Calculate basic demographic metrics related to population structure and dynamics, fertility, mortality, and migration.
• Evaluate claims made about demographic topics (such as in the media and political arena).
• Communicate major trends and issues in national, regional, and global population dynamics.
• Apply the basic theories of interaction between population, development, and environment.
• Identify sources of demographic data like population censuses, surveys, vital registrations, etc., and how they are implemented.
• Describe the socioeconomic issues associated with developing populations.
• Produce an analysis of the demographic situation of Bhutan.

Skills to be developed:

• Students should exhibit basic proficiency in working with figures and data, e.g. selecting and constructing appropriate graphs.

Learning and teaching approaches used:

The module will be conducted over 15 teaching weeks as follows:

• 3 hrs/wk lecture & discussions.
• 1 hr/wk tutorial section for student presentations, quizzes, and small group discussions.
• 4 hrs/wk outside of class, on average, for independent study.
• Two guest speakers sometime during the semester: those who are local specialists/experts in their field related to population and development, along with discussions afterward.

Assessment:

Semester-End Examination (SE):40%

Continuous Assessment (CA):     60%

Pre-requisite knowledge:

Subject matter:

1. Introduction to population studies
   1. Review of natural population dynamics (growth, biotic potential, environmental resistance, and carrying capacity)
   2. Essential demographic concepts for human populations (birth, death, migration)
   3. Common population characteristics
      1. Sex and age structure / population pyramids
      2. Literacy rates and levels of educational attainment

• Labour participation rates / economically active population

1. Wealth and income distribution

1. World population growth, trends and patterns
   1. World population- its size, growth & distribution by continents, regions, and developed and developing countries
   2. Spatial distribution of world population by countries; regions; its determinants – (a) physical (climate, topography, resource availability, space relationship), (b) economic and social (types of economic activities, techniques of production, irrigation, transportation, government policies etc.), (c) physical and social disasters, and (d) differentials in demographic factors
2. Population and resources
   1. Malthusian and neo-Malthusian/pessimistic theories
   2. Alternative viewpoints (technological/optimistic theories)
3. Population dynamics and demographic transitions
4. Debates and controversies

1. Development studies and socioeconomic issues associated with developing populations
   1. Introduction to development studies: historical contexts, concepts and purpose of development, global human security
   2. Indicators of development
   3. Development paradigms and metrics (GDP/GNP growth, GNH, Human development index, Human vulnerability index, Poverty gap ratio, Gender empowerment index, Gender development index, etc.)
   4. Economic, social, demographic and cultural aspects of development and modernization
   5. Poverty
   6. Roles and status of women

• Population and environment interactions
  1. Natural capital degradation
  2. Agriculture, climate change, and population
  3. Population, health, and environment
  4. Migration and the environment
  5. Urbanization and the environment
  6. Population and environmental conflicts
  7. Limits to growth: carrying capacity, ecological overshoot, and ecological footprint; applications of the concepts in terms of impact of development and population on the environment
  8. Society and environment: environmental issues and politics of development at the local, regional and global levels
  9. Environmental justice; Interrelationships of resource use and development politics: the North-South divide

1. Population planning
   1. Concepts and objectives of planning and formulating population policies
   2. Various approaches to planning
      1. Choices and criteria for choosing suitable strategies
      2. Conflicting considerations
   3. Case studies

Essential Readings:

1. Jhingan, M.L. (2014). The Economics of Development and Planning, 40^th Vrinda Publications, P. Ltd., India.
2. Miller, G.T., and Spoolman, S.E. (2014). Environmental Science 14^th Belmont: Brooks/Cole. (Primary textbook, also available as eBook)
3. Sharma, R.K. (2004). Demography and Population Problems. Atlantic.

1. Tyson, T (2010). Population and development: The demographic Transition. London, Zed Books.

5. (n.d.). Data and resources available at www.unpopulation.org.

Additional Readings:

1. Castree, N. (2014). Making Sense of Nature. New York: Routledge.

1. Gould, W.T.S. (2009). Population and development, London, Taylor and Francis.

3. Hess, P. and Ross, C. (1997). Economic development: Theories, evidence and policies. Orlando, The Dryden Press.
4. Ives, J.D. and Messerli, B. (1989). The Himalayan Dilemma: Reconciling Development and Conservation. Routelage.
5. National Statistics Bureau annual reports and statistical publications. http://www.nsb.gov.bt/
6. Robbins, P. (2012). Political Ecology: A Critical Introduction. New York. Wiley Blackwell.

1. Todaro, M.P. and Smith, S.C. (2009). Economic development, 10^th Ed. New Jersey, Pearson.

8. (2013). Population, Development and the Environment 2013 Wall Chart. http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/development/pde_wallchart_2013.pdf
9. (2013- ). Population Fact Sheets. http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/factsheets/index.shtml
10. Weeks, J.R. (2012). Population: An introduction to concept and issues. Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, CA. 

Date last updated: May 30, 2015