Human Population History

Catalog description

Birth, marriage, migration, and death — some of the most basic events in people's lives — are closely linked to larger economic and social phenomena. An understanding of these events can shed light on the economic and social world inhabited by people in the past and how these contexts interact to shape human populations and individual behavior. In this course, students will be introduced to the sources and methods used by historical demographers to reconstruct, measure, and compare past populations. In addition, the course will cover a broad range of problems in historical demography, including mortality crises, fertility control, the modern rise in population, and the influence of economic and social institutions on demographic change. Prerequisite(s): A ANT 110 and A ANT 211.