Course programme

Description of the courses

The courses ‘Population Dynamics’, ‘Population and Development’, ‘Migration’ and ‘Population, Health and Place’ consist of two 2-hour lectures each week. The lectures are provided by staff members of the Department of Demography at the Faculty of Spatial Sciences. In addition, guest lecturers from institutes such as the Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI), Statistics Netherlands (CBS), the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), The Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL), and the Netherlands Institute for health services research (NIVEL) may be invited.

 

The course ‘Healthy Ageing: A socio-demographic perspective.’ is organized by the Faculty of Spatial Sciences and coordinated by the Department of Demography. Students will be introduced to population ageing and how it relates to general health and wellbeing within diverse social settings.

 

The course ‘Social and Institutional Change’ is organized by Globalisation Studies Groningen and coordinated by the Faculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences. The course brings together a multidisciplinary team of lecturers from sociology, psychology, history, organization theory, health sciences, cultural anthropology, and demography.

 

All courses are assessed by a written exam and/or the completion of either individual assignments or a group paper.

 

The Minor is taught in English. The teaching methods not only include lectures, but also video, film, posters and other visual media (particularly in the Migration course). Students following the Minor are welcome to attend the PRC seminars (meetings in which staff and PhD students of the Population Research Centre, guest experts, and students of the Master in Population Studies present their research). The courses of the Minor are usually very well evaluated and students find it very interesting to gain insight into global and local population issues.

  

Population, Health and Place

What causes spatial variations in health levels and trends? What is behind the spread of infectious diseases? What geographical differences exist in the provision and use of health care services? What is the role of place in health? Do ill people perceive place differently?

The course focuses on the spatial dimensions of disease, health and mortality and their underlying processes. The module expounds the clear relationship between geography, planning and demography in the field of health. It uses concepts and models from epidemiology, demography, medical sociology and medical anthropology.

Lecturers: Dr. Fanny Janssen and Dr. Eva Kibele

 

Migration

Why do people migrate from rural to urban areas? Does migration enhance labour market participation? What is the role of culture in migration and adjustment? Do we need migrants in an ageing society?

This course provides an introduction to the different theoretical and empirical aspects of migration. Besides the main trends and developments in both internal and international migration, economic theories and models, behavioural theories, and the life course approach are discussed. In addition, focus is on various non-economic forms of migration such as refugee migration, undocumented migration, and transnationalism.

Lecturers: Dr. Ajay Bailey, Prof. Clara Mulder

 

Healthy Ageing:A socio-demographic perspective

What are the societal and individual implications of ageing? How do older adults give meaning to their ageing experiences?

This course goes in-depth into how ageing can relate to health and wellbeing. Students are asked to think broadly about the diverse societal and individual implications of ageing and to recognize multi-disciplinary approaches to ageing research. The combination of lectures, readings and assignment(s) are framed by social gerontology and social epidemiology, both of which recognise the potential impact of social organisations and socio-cultural conditions on the processes and experiences of ageing. Topics include theoretical perspectives on ageing, intergenerational issues, constructs of ageing, diversity in ageing, taking a life course perspective, place attachment, and who is responsible for healthy ageing.

Lecturer: Dr. Meredith Tavener

 

Population Dynamics

Why do women in Europe have so few children? How should policy-makers react to population ageing and population decline? Why are living alone and divorce so much more common now than a few decades ago, and what does this mean for housing demand? Why are there so many countries these days where people live longer than in the Netherlands? Why is migration affected so little by policies?

This course provides students with insight into recent population trends and challenges in the Netherlands, Europe and worldwide, their explanations and their consequences. In addition, attention is paid to demographic measures, demographic data, and the principles underlying population forecasts.

Lecturers: Prof. Clara Mulder, Hans Elshof, M.Sc.

 

Population and Development

Why are fertility levels higher in Malawi than in India? Why is maternal mortality so high in countries in the Global South and what can be done about it? Why do both underweight and overweight particularly affect low income families in Brazil? What are the cultural reasons for the imbalance in the sex ratio in India and what are consequences for the position of women? How do families in South Africa deal with the HIV/AIDS epidemic?

  These are some of the questions addressed in this course. The course gives an overview of world-wide differences in fertility, mortality and migration, the role of biology, and nutrition, and the relationship with economic and socio-cultural development. Theories from different disciplines will be brought together in explaining these demographic processes.

Lecturers: Dr.ir. Hinke Haisma, Marieke van der Pers, M.Sc.

 

Social and Institutional Change

What is the importance of cultural norms and institutional rules in shaping life? What is the role of gender arrangements, legal institutions, religious beliefs, and social capital in socio-economic development?

This course discusses the roles of cultural norms and institutional rules in economic life in general and in socio-economic development in particular. It discusses insights from recent developments in New Economic Sociology, neo-institutional economics, as well as cross-cultural social psychology. Among others, the following topics will be raised: problems of measuring the quality of life; the role of cultural and institutional contexts in development theory; differences in national and organizational cultures; the role of gender arrangements, legal institutions, religious beliefs, and social capital; the social embeddedness of markets, entrepeneurships, and ‘ethnic economies’ and the problems of bringing insights from social theory into practice.

Lecturer: Prof. Rafael Wittek (Department of Sociology, Faculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences)