Teaching Population Through Science Fiction / Thomas L. Van Valey.

Demand for courses in population problems has increased along with growing public awareness and concern for population-related matters. This paper describes an undergraduate classroom experience which provides an alternative approach to teaching population problems by replacing usual educational materials with selections from science fiction literature. A justification for the use of science fiction is that it coincides with one of the primary goals of sociology, the prediction and understanding of human behavior in its social context. A one-quarter, sophomore-level, introductory course is discussed in terms of student motivation, teacher objectives, and course structure. Course sections on growth, vital processes, and population policy rely on science fiction and traditional readings, class presentations, and class discussion to indicate some of the wide-ranging relations that exist between population phenomena and the gamut of social-structural phenomena. Evaluation of the approach is positive as based on increased student interest and participation, even though the coverage of subject matter is somewhat reduced. A briefly annotated bibliography of science fiction and suggested testing options are appended. (Author/KSM)

Teaching Notes on Population, n6 Sum 1974. ericd

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