Overview
This unit will present you with demographic concepts, theories and methods. It emphasises both the practical skills of acquiring and analysing demographic information and communicating this in clear and concise forms. You will develop both theoretical and practical knowledge of demographic analysis through analysing the dynamics of real-world population data for a range of areas. You will gain knowledge and analytical skills useful in career areas of administration, policy development, business management and research.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Prerequisite: Minimum of 18 credit points
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 1 - 2023
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback – Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from UC self assessment
New learning outcomes and assessment items
A new unit has been approved by curriculum committee, which is to replace this unit in 2024. The new unit is based primarily on the existing unit but its learning outcomes and assessment items are redesigned accordingly. The revisions for the new unit will be incorporated into this existing unit for its final offering in 2023.
- Acquire and synthesise demographic information from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and other sources, or from small-area sample surveys
- Analyse demographic data including population estimates and projections
- Communicate demographic analysis of characteristics and trends in Australian population suitable for professional reports.
n/a
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Report - 50% | |||
| 2 - Report - 50% | |||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Communication | |||
| 2 - Problem Solving | |||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | |||
| 4 - Information Literacy | |||
| 5 - Team Work | |||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | |||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | |||
| 8 - Ethical practice | |||
| 9 - Social Innovation | |||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
Additional Textbook Information
There are no required textbooks for this unit. Learning material and all other study resources will be provided in Moodle site of the unit.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- Access to a spreadsheet program such as Excel
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
j.wu@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Introduction to Applied Demography
Chapter
Weekly learning materials will be made available on the unit's Moodle site.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Population growth and decline
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Age-Sex Composition
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Population Composition
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Demographic Processes: Fertility & Mortality
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Family Demography
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Life Tables and Australian Life Tables
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Demographic Measures Due: Week 7 Friday (28 Apr 2023) 11:45 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Population Estimates and Small Area Surveys
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Mapping Population Distribution
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Patterns and Trends in Migration
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Population Projections and Estimates
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Towards Sustainable Populations
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Population Projections Due: Week 12 Friday (2 June 2023) 11:45 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Report
This assessment task asks students to collect demographic data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics website or other reliable sources and write a paper to present and discuss
(a) basic demographic measures for defined populations, such as population size, growth rate, gender ratio, dependency ratio, crude average annual rate of population growth (or decline), doubling time etc.
(b) age-gender pyramids for the defined populations.
Detailed instructions for accessing ABS data and guidelines for completing the paper are available on the unit’s Moodle site
Week 7 Friday (28 Apr 2023) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 9 Friday (12 May 2023)
The papers will be marked and returned in two weeks after the due date or as soon as practicable.
The assessment will be evaluated based on the following criteria:The extent to which the required tasks have been completed.
- The quality of presentation and discussion, including written communication such as clarity of expression, and visual presentation of tables, charts, and population pyramids.
Detailed marking criteria will provide on the Moodle site of the unit.
No submission method provided.
- Acquire and synthesise demographic information from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and other sources, or from small-area sample surveys
- Communicate demographic analysis of characteristics and trends in Australian population suitable for professional reports.
2 Report
This assessment task asks students to use the Australian Bureau of Statistics and/or other relevant demographic data and produce a paper that:
(a) Presents and analyses a choropleth map of population change for defined populations.
(b) Presents and discusses population projections for a defined population.
(c) Describes and discusses the social demography of the defined population.
Detailed instructions and requirements of the assessment are available in the unit’s Moodle site
Week 12 Friday (2 June 2023) 11:45 pm AEST
Review/Exam Week Friday (9 June 2023)
The assessment will be marked and returned as soon as practicable at the end of the term.
Your papers will be evaluated based on:
- The quantity and quality of the research
- The level of analysis demonstrated in the project
- The effectiveness of written communication, including the clarity and coherence of the writing, proper citation and referencing, and overall presentation of the paper.
Detailed assessment criteria can be found on the Moodle site of the unit.
No submission method provided.
- Analyse demographic data including population estimates and projections
- Communicate demographic analysis of characteristics and trends in Australian population suitable for professional reports.
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
