Population Peril?

Population Peril? Human Reproduction and Fertility in Postindustrial Countries As postindustrial countries grapple with increasingly low fertility rates, the phenomenon o aging societies with fewer children has become a hot – and contested – topic. In this course, we will critically investigate human reproduction and trends in fertility in various contexts using multiple frameworks, including a reproductive justice lens, environmental and societal perspectives, and gender equity theory. We will address questions such as, are low fertility rates necessarily “bad” for society? How are gender and other identities implicated in different population and family policies? In the latter part of the course, students will develop either a policy recommendation addressing the fertility rate in a given country or a final paper that incorporates original, interview-based research on individuals’ reproductive decision-making. Holly Hummer is a PhD candidate in Sociology at Harvard University who studies family and demographic trends in the U.S. and East Asia using qualitative methods. She is a 2015 graduate of Middlebury College./

Population Peril? Human Reproduction and Fertility in Postindustrial Countries As postindustrial countries grapple with increasingly low fertility rates, the phenomenon o aging societies with fewer children has become a hot – and contested – topic. In this course, we will critically investigate human reproduction and trends in fertility in various contexts using multiple frameworks, including a reproductive justice lens, environmental and societal perspectives, and gender equity theory. We will address questions such as, are low fertility rates necessarily “bad” for society? How are gender and …Read more