A comprehensive book that emphasizes the major techniques, methods, and data sources of contemporary population studies. Written by a sociologist and a demographer, the book's principal aim is to improve the students' skills primarily as consumers and secondarily as producers of demographic information. One reviewer says, "The author has a pleasant style. It is the voice of knowledge combined with a gentle voice of teaching." He goes on to say of the book, "It is really unique and refreshingly original. It is comprehensive and comprehensible." -Ron Hammond, University of Utah. The book takes an applied interdisciplinary approach, emphasizing demographic resources such as software, data sets, journals, and the Internet. For anyone interested in population studies.

Most chapters conclude with �Summary,� �Key Terms,� �Doing Demography,� �Websites to Bookmark,� �For Further Reading,� and �Notes.�

Preface.

I. AN OVERVIEW OF POPULATION SCIENCE.

1. The Nature of Populations.

The Focus on Aggregates.
Naturally Occurring Populations: Human and Non-Human.
Aggregates and Individuals.
Demographic Determinism and �Laws� of Population.

2. The Study of Populations.

The History of Demography: An Overview.
Contemporary Sources of Demographic Information.
Demographic Variables: Size, Structure, and Vital Events.

3. How Populations are Structured.

Biological Structure: Age and Sex.
Sociocultural Strata: Sub-Populations and Strata.

4. Geographic Distribution: Population and Territory.

How Territory Is Divided: Administrative and Statistical Areas.
Population Density: Concepts and Consequences.
The Urbanization of the Human Population.
Geographic Information Systems.

II. POPULATION DYNAMICS: VITAL EVENTS AND GROWTH.

5. Birth and Fertility: Measures, Theories, and Trends.

The Many Facets of Birth.
Measuring Fertility.
Theories of Fertility.
World Fertility: Levels and Trends.
Fertility in the United States.

6. Mortality: Causes and Consequences.

Measuring Morbidity and Mortality.
Social and Environmental Factors.
Mortality in the United States.
Global Mortality Patterns: Past and Present.

7. Migration: Geographic and Social Psychological Components.

Measuring Migration.
Internal Population Shifts in the United States.
Theories of Migration.
International Migration.

8. Population Dynamics in Historical and Comparative Perspective.

Measures and Models of Growth.
Demographic Transition and Social Change.
The Prospects of Future Population Growth.
The Aging of the World's Population.
The U.S. Population: Growth and Change.

III. POPULATION MODELS.

9. The Life Table: An Introduction.

Measuring Mortality.
Definitions and Illustrations.
Data Sources and Functions.
Abridged and Unabridged Tables.
Survival Rates.
Cohort Tables and the Lexis Diagram.
Life Table Applications.

10. Population Estimates, Projections, and Forecasts.

Approaches to Anticipating Population Characteristics.
Population Estimation.
Methods of Projection.
Forecasts and Forecasting.

IV. DEMOGRAPHY IN APPLICATION.

11. Population Policy: Controlling Demographic Processes.

The Nature of Population Policy: Definition and Case Studies.
Population Policy in Historical Perspective.
Why Are Population Policies Necessary?
Immigration Policy.
How Population Policies Are Made.
Evaluating Population Policies.
The Role of Values in Population Policy.

12. Population and Environment.

The Tea-Seller's Dilemma.
The Household of Nature: The Plight of Natural Resources.
Theories of Population and Environment.
Measuring Environmental Conditions and Impacts.
Environmental Policies and Politics.

13. Accessing and Using Information about Population Science.

Demography-Oriented Software.
Demography and the Internet.
Marketing Demographic Skills.
Conclusion and an Invitation.

Appendix A: International Tourism as a Form of Migration.
Appendix B: Population Policy in Historical Perspective.

References.
Index.