Course Description

Very much like that of economic and social development, the population of Hong Kong has dramatically restructured due to the influx of Chinese immigrants in the fifties and the wave of the population born locally in the sixties and seventies, then later the quota system of migration control of mainlanders, rapid declining fertility and increasing life expectancy. Today, several demographic concerns persist such as extremely low fertility, gender imbalance, cross-border marriage, shrinking workforce, and ageing population. Demographic characteristics and processes are much influenced by social and political developments in Mainland China and economic growth and population in-and-out flow of Hong Kong. This course introduces various population theories, concepts and facts to enable students to develop a critical understanding of the inter-relatedness of the demographic, social, cultural, economic and political issues between Hong Kong and Mainland China and its sustainable development.

Course Learning Outcomes

On completing the course, students will be able to:

1. Identify and explain the concepts, theories, models and facts about population processes and demographic indicators.
2. Describe the key facts about population policies and schemes, evaluate the impacts of the forces on modernization, and examine the social and economic implications of population dynamics in a multidisciplinary context with reference to Hong Kong, China, and international settings.
3. Identify and analyze population issues in relation to social services and public policies.
4. Analyze the contributions of fertility, mortality, and migration to population change and characterize the political and social forces in the process of modernization at the local and global levels.

Offer Semester and Day of Teaching

First semester (Wed)