HHIA05161U HIS Changing bodies, changing choices: mortality, fertility and health transitions - Denmark in a global context 1750-2014
MA-level:
Module I-VI [MA Programme, 2008-Curriculum]
MA-elective:
Module I-VI [MA-elective Programme, 2008-Curriculum]
BA-level [Internal BA-elective for BA students of History]
Module T4 (Subject element HHIB10501E) [BA-elective studies, 2007- and 2013-Curriculum]
Module T5 (Subject element HHIB10511E) [BA-elective studies, 2007- and 2013-Curriculum]
Changing bodies, changing choices: mortality, fertility
and health transitions - Denmark in a global context
1750-2014
The last 300 years in European history have comprised huge changes
in most intimate aspects of people’s lives: whether and how to
control the number of children you had, in which way societies and
parents chose to dispose of unwanted infants , when to expect the
first menstruation, which illnesses you faced, what aging early in
life meant, and how common for people of all ages was to die.
All these changes happened in close connection with great economic
and political changes that also affected peoples’ life. And they it
were part of a population revolution. On the one hand, it meant the
largest increase in population in the history of humanity –from
around 700 millions in 1700 to over 7 billions in 2000. The true
revolutionary content is not, however, that increase but the
complete change in the way people lived, in their bodies and the
choice available to them. On the one hand, the pattern of disease
changed dramatically, with a reduction of the otherwise common
experience of infectious diseases –tuberculosis, pneumonia,
smallpox or diarrhoea were part of the common experience. This,
combined with better nutrition, resulted in an increase of more
than 10 centimetres in the average height of Europeans. On the
other hand, mortality declined and, in fact, in a few generations
life expectancy more than doubled, and both orphanhood and child
death are no longer common eventualities. Running parallel immense
changes in the choices available to individuals happened: marriage
would be no longer determined by social norms and tied to
reproduction, and reproduction itself has passed from occupying a
70 to 14% of women lives. Women in many countries can now choose
the number, the timing and the sequence of their births. Births out
of wedlock, divorce, re-marriage and, thus, complex households are
common in our societies. The levels and dimensions of contemporary
international migrations, triggered by the increase population
growth, have changed the appearance of continents.
This course will explore these changes in connection to the wider
developments in society by combining perspectives on the level of
study –macro studies track changes over time and space, while micro
studies analyse the changing circumstances of individuals and their
life chances. It will also provide students with the theoretical
and methodological tools to understand historical processes (be it
economic, political, intellectual) in the context of the population
who lived and experienced them, including our contemporary society,
by bringing to history approaches from a variety of disciplines
–demography, sociology, geography, social, economic and cultural
history. The point of departure will be the Danish experience to
swiftly move to place Denmark within the life-changing processes
that have shaped modern Europe.
This course is better suited for oral examinations, but written
assignments will also be possible for students who have exhausted
their oral examination chances. Throughout the course, students
will also be expected to contribute short written assignments (1-2
pages) and short oral presentations.
Course objectives (clarification of some of the
objectives stipulated in the curriculum):
Students after the course will be able to:
• describe the causes and consequences of the major changes in the
components that shape people’s lives (mortality, fertility,
nuptiality, morbidity, migration, etc.)
• demonstrate a broad knowledge of the key issues and research
traditions in the study of the population of historical Europe
• explain and discuss specific aspects of individual’s life events
(mortality, fertility, etc) in relation to sex, socio-economic
status and region
• identify and discuss the theoretical and methodological
challenges in the study of historical population trends
• evaluate critically the contribution of different disciplines to
the topic of population change.
We will use as point of departure Massimo Livi-Bacci’s The population of Europe, a history (Wiley-Blackwell, 2000), which needs to be read before the start of the course and will be discussed in the first lessons. Additionally, books and readings for inspiration and a detailed reading list for the course will be readily available before the start of the course through Absalon.
- Category
- Hours
- Class Instruction
- 56
- Total
- 56
Individual Elective Study
History: anlum@hum.ku.dk
Deadline
for
application form: 1st December 2014.
- Credit
- 15 ECTS
- Type of assessment
- Other under invigilation
Criteria for exam assesment
Course information
- Language
- English
- Course code
- HHIA05161U
- Credit
- 15 ECTS
- Level
- Full Degree MasterBachelor choice,Full Degree Master choice
- Duration
- 1 semester
- Placement
- Spring
- Schedule
- See scheme link
- Continuing and further education
- Study board
- Study Board of Archaeology, Ethnology, Greek & Latin, History
Contracting department
- SAXO-Institute - Archaeology, Ethnology, Greek & Latin, History
Course responsibles
- Barbara Ana Revuelta Eugercios (8-74677877676e7663426a776f306d7730666d)