Population and Society

Population and Society: An Introduction to Demography is an ideal text for undergraduate, as well as graduate, students taking their first course in demography. It is sociologically oriented, although economics, political science, geography, history, and the other social sciences are also used to inform the materials. Although the emphasis is on demography, the book recognizes that, at the individual level, population change is related to private decisions, especially in relation to fertility, but also to mortality and migration. The text thus considers in some detail the role of individuals in population decision making. At the level of countries, and even the world, changes in population size have an important effect on the environmental and related challenges facing all of the world's inhabitants. Therefore, attention is paid to the broad implications of population growth and change.

Table of Contents:
Introduction; 1. 'We are all population actors': an introduction to demography; 2. The sources of demographic information; 3. Fertility; 4. Birth prevention and control; 5. Mortality; 6. Internal migration; 7. International migration; 8. Age and sex composition; 9. World population change over time; 10. Population change in the US; 11. Population distribution; 12. Cultural adaptation and population change; 13. Population policy; 14. The future of planet Earth; Glossary.

About the Author :
Dudley L. Poston, Jr is Professor of Sociology, Director of the Asian Studies Program, and the George T. and Gladys H. Abell Endowed Professor of Liberal Arts at Texas A&M University. He holds adjunct professorships at Renmin (People's) University, Beijing, China, Fuzhou University, China, and Nanjing Normal University, China. He previously served on the rural sociology and sociology faculties, respectively, of Cornell University and the University of Texas at Austin. Professor Poston has co-authored or edited 17 books and more than 275 journal articles and book chapters on various sociological and demographic topics. Leon F. Bouvier is Professor of Sociology at Old Dominion University. He previously served as Vice President of the Population Reference Bureau in Washington, DC, as a demographic consultant to two congressional committees, and as a consultant to USAID. Professor Bouvier has also taught at the University of Rhode Island, Tulane University School of Public Health, and Georgetown University. Professor Bouvier has co-authored or edited 15 books and numerous articles and book reviews.

Review :
"Poston and Bouvier offer a welcome new textbook for teachers of demography. It is accessible to undergraduates as a first introduction to demography, while providing sufficient depth and analytical rigor for use in graduate courses on population dynamics. The book's perspective on population and society emphasizes the fact that societal responses to population change are not automatic but are mediated by differences in social and economic organization. This social-demographic perspective is particularly compelling to students interested in understanding the mutual relationships between population dynamics and social change at all levels of society." - David L. Brown, Cornell University "This book provides a solid introduction to all the hallmark subjects, methodologies, and debates covered in standard courses on population. The authors' international research expertise makes the chapters on international comparisons, particularly comparisons of the United States and China on fertility control, migration, and population policies, especially rich and valuable. Little gems like a biosketch of John Graunt and details of exactly how the United States uses the Census to assign seats to the 50 states in the House of Representatives add sparkle to the excellent coverage of basic concepts and measures." - Elwood Carlson, Florida State University "Poston and Bouvier's textbook is an important new resource for teaching demography to a broad audience. It is accessible, engaging, current, and comprehensive. Its approach is distinct from other textbooks in the field, and it will shape how new cohorts of students are introduced to topics and problems in demography." - Hans-Peter Kohler, University of Pennsylvania "...a welcome new textbook which is an essential, comprehensive source for teaching demography to a wide rage of audiences in the social sciences. Poston and Bouvier's book is an ideal text for undergraduate and graduate students taking their first courses in demography and population studies. Also, it warrants reading by all who are interested in population change and cultural adaptation in the United States." -Amir Erfani, Canadian Studies in Population