Seminar in demography and development: case studies

lsped2030  2020-2021  Louvain-la-Neuve

Seminar in demography and development: case studies
Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the information below is subject to change, in particular that concerning the teaching mode (presential, distance or in a comodal or hybrid format).
6 credits
30.0 h
Q1
Teacher(s)
Bocquier Philippe; Chemouni Benjamin; Schnor Christine;
Language
French
Prerequisites

The prerequisite(s) for this Teaching Unit (Unité d’enseignement – UE) for the programmes/courses that offer this Teaching Unit are specified at the end of this sheet.
Main themes
The topics cavered by this seminar will vary from one year to the other depending on the students and on the research topics of the teachers. Some of the possible topics (geographical context and time period to be defined) include : - South-North inequalities and international migrations - Migrations, urbanization and labour market in cities in developing countries - Demographic ageing and migrations in developed countries - The impact of economic and social development on the demographic transition - HIV/AIDS and its demographic and economic consequences - The impact of economic crises on demographic behaviour - The effects of population growth on economic development - Demography, poverty et social exclusion
Aims

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

1 - Through case studies, development of the capacity to analyze in an inter-disciplinary way the relationships between demographic processes and social and economic development in both developed and developing countries - Application of theoretical knowledge acquired in courses demography and development to the analysis of case studies - Development of collaborations between students in demography and development
 
Content
Each year, teachers choose an interdisciplinary theme where science, politics, and ideology mix or confront each other. The theme brings to thinking about the social, economic, demographic and developmental issues of the choices made around a development project.
The objectives of the seminar are:
  • to understand the complexity of the proposed issue,
  • to show the concrete difficulties of dialogues and negotiations between partners or social groups with divergent interests
  • to move from theoretical knowledge to the implementation of a policy
  • to make students from different backgrounds talk to each other
  • to contribute to the development of teamwork skills
Teaching methods

Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the information in this section is particularly likely to change.

The seminar takes the form of a role play, after presenting some introductory elements to the selected issue. This "game" ends at the end of the quadrimester with the simulation of a conference where each of the participating actors defends a position at the political and scientific level and negotiates to achieve a more or less consensual policy. To fit into a certain reality and thus facilitate documentation or meetings, the role play revolves around a highly topical development project.
Evaluation methods

Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the information in this section is particularly likely to change.

The evaluation will be based on individual and collective participation at various stages of work (including of course the conference) as well as on the quality of the final report. To encourage each group member to participate, the score will be weighted by a peer assessment (within the same group of students).
The written report consists of a critical scientific work. You must not only present and justify the positions defended during the role play, but also have a critical perspective on your actor and on the arguments put forward during the role play. The presentation of the arguments and their criticism will be based on scientific literature, contacts with resource persons, etc. All sources must be referenced.
Other information
Seminar accessible only to students of the Master in population and development
Online resources
Most of the resources are offered by the students themselves, helped by their teachers
Bibliography
Les références dépendent du thème choisi chaque année.
The references depend on the theme chosen each year.
Faculty or entity
PSAD


Programmes / formations proposant cette unité d'enseignement (UE)

Title of the programme
Sigle
Credits
Prerequisites
Aims
Master [120] in Population and Development Studies