Population and Society

This comprehensive yet accessible textbook is an ideal resource for undergraduate and graduate students taking their first course in demography. Clearly explaining technical demographic issues without using extensive mathematics, Population and Society is sociologically oriented, but incorporates a variety of social sciences in its approach, including economics, political science, geography, and history. It highlights the significant impact of decision-making at the individual level - especially regarding fertility, but also mortality and migration - on population change. The text engages students by providing numerous examples of demography's practical applications in their lives, and demonstrates the extent of its relevance by examining a wide selection of data from the United States, Africa, Asia, and Europe. This thoroughly revised edition includes four new chapters, covering topics such as race and sexuality, and encourages students to consider the broad implications of population growth and change for global challenges such as environmental degradation.

Table of Contents:
1. An introduction to demography; 2. Theories of population; 3. The sources of demographic information; 4. Fertility; 5. The family and sexuality; 6. Contraception and birth control; 7. Mortality; 8. Internal migration; 9. International migration; 10. Age and sex composition; 11. Race and ethnic relations; 12. World population change over time; 13. Population change in the US; 14. Population distribution; 15. Population policy; 16. World population in the twenty-first century.

About the Author :
Dudley L. Poston, Jr, is Professor of Sociology and the George T. and Gladys H. Abell Endowed Professor of Liberal Arts at Texas A & M University. He holds adjunct professorships at Renmin University of China, Beijing; Fuzhou University, China; and Nanjing University, China. He previously served on the rural sociology and sociology faculties, respectively, of Cornell University, New York and the University of Texas, Austin. Professor Poston has coauthored or edited eighteen books and has authored or coauthored more than 300 journal articles and book chapters on various sociological and demographic topics. Leon F. Bouvier, at the time of his death in 2011, was Professor of Sociology at Old Dominion University, Virginia. He was also Adjunct Professor at the Payson Center for International Development at Tulane University, Louisiana. 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 the United States Agency for International Development. He coauthored or edited fifteen books and numerous articles and book reviews.

Review :
'This textbook is wonderfully in-depth and accessible, making this an ideal text for an undergraduate or graduate course in social demography. Filled with interesting examples, key issues, and important controversies from the field of population studies, students will come away with a good understanding of this dynamic field. Poston and Bouvier have done a great job making clear the importance of demography to our understanding of societies across the world.' Nancy E. Riley, Bowdoin College, Maine 'From concepts and theories to measures and models, the second edition of this book offers an inspiring, delightful and eloquent introduction to the principles of population studies and its broader application to historical and contemporary societies. A must-read primer for all undergraduate and graduate students interested in social, human, behavioral and health sciences.' Sabu S. Padmadas, University of Southampton