Hawaii Pacific University GEOG 3720 Population Dynamics Section ____ Semester and year, meeting times Course description: This course covers historical perspectives, current trends, and future projections on global population growth and distribution. Additionally the course covers the major components of population change: namely fertility, mortality, and migration. Special attention will be given to population data sources such as census data and their use by business and government. The course will also emphasize specific population issues and problems found throughout the world. Course prerequisite: Any introductory social science course. General Education Requirement: This course satisifes the requirement for an Upper-Division Research and Writing course. Instructor: Name, contact information and other relevant information about the instructor. General Education Student Learning Outcomes and the Five Themes: HPU’s general education curriculum is focused around five themes. As an upper division research and writing course, this course emphasizes the Communication Skills Theme and the Research and Epistemology theme and provides students with opportunities to achieve the following related general education student learning outcomes: Written and oral communication and critical reasoning Students will demonstrate critical reasoning in organizing thoughts, feelings, concepts, and information for effective, clear, and accurate oral and written communication. (CS 4) Students will use reasoning skills, such as identifying assumptions, considering multiple perspectives and positions including one’s own, making inferences, and drawing conclusions, to advance an argument supported by reasons and evidence. (R&E 4) Students will complete a 3 – 5 page prospectus/literature review, a 10 page research paper, a short oral presentation of the research paper, and a one page report accompanying their time space diagrams. Moreover, the midterm and the final exams consist of short answer and essay questions. These outcomes are assessed by evaluating this wide range of written and oral presentations. Information Literacy Students will develop the information literacy needed to determine the validity of information sources and apply these skills in communication environments. (CS 5) Students will analyze the content, argument, and rhetoric of sources; evaluate the credibility, reliability and validity of sources; consider the influence of contexts. (R&E 3) The prospectus/literature review and the research paper will require students to evaluate the appropriateness of the sources used and show how they should be cited and referenced. These outcomes are assessed by evaluating the proper use of valid scholarly sources in the prospectus/literature review and in the research paper. Performing Research Students will identify a research question or problem, gather and organize relevant information, apply appropriate problem-solving strategies, and communicate the results to others. (R&E 2) Students will utilize methods and technologies appropriate to the discipline to investigate research questions, generate predictions, test hypotheses and/or solve problems. (R&E 7) The research paper requires students to identify a research question or problem, gather and organize relevant information, use methodologies appropriate to the discipline to come up with some sort of assessment or conclusion. The research paper will be assessed in each of these areas to ensure that these outcomes were achieved. Remember that all UDRW courses must meet the following four requirements. This information does not need to appear on the syllabus but is a checklist for instructors in planning the course syllabus. 1. These courses should require students to work with scholarly sources (such as those from peer reviewed academic journals). For example, students may write research papers drawing on these kinds of sources (either literature reviews or original arguments synthesizing information from these sources) and/or do written assignments or give oral presentations where they summarize, critique or compare and contrast such sources. 2. These courses should provide explicit instruction in how to find appropriate scholarly sources for the relevant discipline. 3. These courses should provide explicit instruction in how to avoid plagiarism and cite sources in a documentation style appropriate to the discipline. 4. These courses should prepare students to conduct research at the professional level required in their discipline. Note: Purple text shows places where specific course information must be filled in. Red text contains explanatory notes to the instructor which should be deleted before using the syllabus. Blue explanations should be rephrased as needed to fit the course by the individual instructor. Course-specific student learning outcomes below may vary slightly depending on the instructor and are provided as an example. Course-Specific Student Learning Outcomes for GEOG 3720 After completing this course students will have the ability to 1. Comprehend the basic elements of demographic change, namely fertility, mortality, and migration. Students will accomplish this through reading assignments and class discussions and learning outcomes are assessed by evaluating written answers to exam questions. 2. Become familiar with population growth and distribution patterns throughout the world and understand the physical and cultural factors behind these patterns. Students will accomplish this through reading assignments, studying maps, and class discussions. Learning outcomes are assessed by evaluating written answers to exam questions. 3. Understand the various approaches to population research and different philosophical views of population issues. Students will accomplish this through reading assignments, a research paper, and class discussions. Learning outcomes are assessed by evaluating written answers to exam questions and evaluating the research paper. 4. Write a research paper on a population related issue or topic. Students will use appropriate scholarly sources, cite them properly in the text of the paper, and reference them properly at the end of the paper. This outcome will be assessed by evaluating the prospectus/literature review and the research paper itself. For the rest of these required syllabus items see the details in the faculty handbook. Delete this note once the syllabus is complete. For online courses there are some additional requirements given at this link. Texts List textbooks with ISBN’s and include this language as well All textbook information (pricing, ISBN #, and e-books) for this course can be found on the HPU Bookstore website: hpu.edu/bookstore. If you have any questions regarding textbooks, please contact the HPU Bookstore at: Phone: 808-544-9347 Or e-mail: jyokota@hpu.edu mmiyahira@hpu.edu Assignments and mode of evaluation Summary of important dates and deadlines (if the schedule is a separate document and due dates are not given with the description of the assignments). Class rules and policies (including regarding attendance, late work and academic dishonesty) Schedule of events (may be attached separately)