POPULATION AND SOCIAL CHANGE (Richard Lampard)

Assessed Essay List

Note: The forms of assessment permitted on this module are the standard ones for Sociology department honours level modules, i.e.

(a) 2 x 3,000 word essays, OR

(b) A 3,000 word essay, plus a 2-hour exam (2 essays), OR

(c) A 3-hour exam (3 essays).

Barring: Barring does not operate on this module, i.e. submitting an assessed essay from the following list (with the exception of a negotiated title, which will usually lead to barring) will not restrict the range of questions that you can answer in the examination. The reason for this is that each of the assessed essay questions (1-7) should be answered by making use of material from a number of the module topics.

Assessed essays are broader than class essays, but there may be some value in writing a class essay on a specific topic and then channelling the material into an assessed essay. (Class essays are also a sensible way of getting feedback relating to what is expected of essays written for this module). The link between class essays and assessed essays is, however, a more tenuous one than the link between class essays and examination essays. (It may be sensible, for this and other reasons, to discuss the planned structure of an assessed essay, and the material to be included, with the module tutor before writing it.)

1. To what extent can lessons be learnt from British historical demography (for example, from Britain's 'demographic transition') which are of practical or theoretical value in contemporary contexts?

2. "More critics of marriage, more marital therapists, more divorced and separated people". Do they show post-war British marriage to be an institution undergoing a process of terminal decline?  ["Post-war" = After 1945].

3. "If I decide that I want to marry, I will find someone that I want to marry, and marry them when I want to". Assess the choices and constraints faced by never-married and formerly married people in the contemporary British marriage market.

4. "Women no longer get married, become housewives, have two children, and live happily ever after in nuclear families". Critically discuss the above statement in the light of past and present patterns of fertility and family formation/dissolution in Britain.

5. To what extent can the demographic problems faced by less developed countries be solved via health interventions, family planning programmes, and population policies?

6. "Whether at local or national level, social and economic policy-makers cannot afford to ignore demographic patterns and trends". Discuss.

7. Compare and contrast demographic patterns and trends in Britain with those in ONE other country.

8. Another title negotiated with the module tutor [This is usually a title focused on a specific weekly topic, though this would lead to barring of this topic in the examination, unless, of course, you are doing the module fully assessed anyway!]

Assessed Essays for Visiting Students (attending for one or two terms)

Visiting students that are staying for one term must submit one assessed essay (maximum length 2,500 words); visiting students that are staying for two terms must submit two assessed essays (maximum length 2,500 words per essay).

The titles on the assessed essay list overleaf can be used, if a student wishes, but it may be more appropriate for visiting students to negotiate titles relating to (one or more of) the weekly topics, especially in the case of essays based on the first term material. A negotiated title will often take the form of a revised version of a class essay title (see the Class Essay List), where the revision would aim to take account of the difference between the length of class essays (1,500 words) and assessed essays for visiting students (2,500 words).

Negotiated essay titles for visiting students are determined as follows:  The student first notifies the module tutor (usually by e-mail) of their choice of weekly topic or topics to be covered by the essay. The module tutor will then suggests an essay title relating to this topic or combination of topics; from this starting point a finalized title which both suits the student and is acceptable to the tutor is produced by a process of negotiation. (The student may wish, when advising the module tutor of their choice of topic(s), to be specific about the kind of essay that they want to write on their chosen topic: for example, in terms of national or historical focus).

Visiting students are not required to submit (non-assessed) class essays, but are welcome to discuss their plans for their assessed essays with the module tutor before writing and submitting them.