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)