Recent Population Trends Affect Critical Thinking
Learning Outcomes:
Explain the concept of carrying capacity and occupiable space and demonstrate an understanding of how recent population trends affect this. By successfully answering question #1 and #2 below, students will need to understand the term carrying capacity and ecological footprint and apply the terminology to determine the reasons and consequences to exceeding the terms.
By successfully answering questions #2, #3, #4 and #5, students will demonstrate an understanding of occupiable space and how populations have changed due to environmental and social push and pull factors. By successfully answering question #5, students will also demonstrate an understanding of the historical predictions and historical consequences of population growth and how these historical predictions may still be relevant.
Directions: Answer one of the following six questions by Wednesday 11:59pm. If six students have already answered one of the questions, the question is out of play and you will have to choose another question from below to answer. Besides your initial post, do not forget your response post
PLEASE REMEMBER THAT YOU MUST USE SOURCES I HAVE GIVEN YOU AND THESE SOURCES NEED TO BE WOVEN INTO YOUR POST IN A MEANINGFUL WAY. THEY MUST BE CITED USING IN TEXT CITATIONS.
Populations may grow beyond their carrying capacity. Describe and explain two possible consequences of such growth in regard to resource use and resource supply.
What are three social consequences spoken about in the New England Journal of Medicine article on China’s One Child Family Policy? Was the policy worth the social consequences?
Name one social, economic and one environmental pull factor (three in all) for pull factors. Explain each one in depth.
What are two social reasons why the US will soon be experiencing a 0 to negative population growth? What are the consequences of this negative population growth on the US economy?
What are two reasons why Thomas Malthus has not ‘yet’ been correct in his population prediction?
Why is the US’s ecological footprint so large? Does it need to be this large?