Hello everybody, and welcome
to this virtual Open Day at
the University of Southampton.
And in particular,
welcome to this presentation
on the BSc
in Population and Geography.
My name is Ben Mason.
I’m the Undergraduate
Admissions Tutor for
Population and Geography.
And I also have the very
great fortune of teaching
Introductory Statistics
and Research Skills
to Population and
Geography students
and various other students
of the Social Sciences,
a job which I’m lucky
enough to love, actually.
I’m going to talk
to you briefly today
about what Population
and Geography actually is,
and also give you
a little flavour for
what you can expect
when you join the University
of Southampton to study
Population and Geography.
So, I suppose
the first question is,
what is Population
and Geography?
What is it that we’re
fundamentally interested in?
And I suppose
what we’re really interested
in is population change.
In a nutshell,
population change.
How it changes,
why it changes,
what are the implications
of those changes?
We’re interested in
migration and emigration.
We’re interested in fertility
and mortality and public health
and global health.
And how all of these issues
interact in an incredibly
complex way to produce
this dynamic society
that we experience
on a day-to-day basis.
That is fundamentally
what gets us going.
And there’s never been
a more exciting time
to be studying these issues
in population change.
The plot that I’m showing
you here now shows
how the population has changed
in various different regions
of the world since 1950.
So, the various
different colours represent
different regions of the world,
and the dotted lines represent
our projections of population.
But what we can see
here is that,
in the year 1950,
the total global population was
somewhere in the neighbourhood
of about 2.5 billion.
And then, in the space
of just 70 years, there
was a population explosion.
By the time of 2019,
the population was somewhere
in the neighbourhood of, well,
it was over 7 billion.
And that is a huge
population growth,
fuelled mainly by
growth in Asia,
represented by these
two blue lines,
this light and dark blue line.
But also a little bit by
increases in sub-Saharan Africa.
But that is an extraordinary
change in population,
extraordinary population growth.
In the 200,000 years
that the human race
has existed on this planet,
it has never had to deal with
such rapid population growth,
and the issues
that come along with that.
And the challenges
that come along with that.
But not only that,
what this diagram
also shows us is that,
if our projections are accurate,
that in most regions
of the world we will expect
the population to level off,
if it hasn’t already.
But in sub-Saharan Africa,
we can expect the population
to continue growthing at least
until the year 2100.
And when you consider
the background context
of climate change
and the climate crisis,
then that population growth
and the issues
that come along with that
become far more pressing.
Let me give you an example
a little bit closer to home.
This diagram is known
as a population pyramid
and it’s a very quick and easy
way of getting an idea
of what the population is
for any given age.
So, this particular population
pyramid is for England
and Wales for the year
2016 and the year 2041.
That’s projected in
the year 2041.
But you can see that up through
the centre we have the ages,
up to the age 100,
and then along the bottom we
have the population
count in thousands.
On the left, we have males,
and on the right
we have females.
But to give you some idea
about how to read
and interpret this diagram,
what you can see here
is a little spike,
just here for both
males and females.
And what that spike represents
is the post-war baby boom.
So, all of those people
who were born in the years
shortly following the end
of the Second World War,
by the year 2016,
they’re all approaching
the age 70,
there or thereabouts.
Okay?
But what’s more important
and what’s more interesting
about this diagram is
this blue line here.
And what this represents is
our projection of what we expect
the population pyramid to look
like by the year 2041.
And in particular,
I want to draw your attention
to this bulge,
because what this bulge
is telling us is that,
by the year 2041,
we will have
an older population.
There will be far more people
in our population
aged 70 and above
than there currently are.
And there are issues
and challenges that come
along with that.
If, for example,
we accept the idea that
in any civilised society,
we have a moral obligation
to take care of those
in our society
who are vulnerable,
then an ageing population begs
the question of how are we going
to be able to take care
of our ageing population,
of the elderly
in our population?
If we don't have enough people
who are of working age,
and are working
and are contributing
to the public purse,
how are we going
to afford the social care
and the healthcare
for our ageing population?
Do we have enough people
who are suitably skilled to take
care of our ageing population?
How do we deal
with these issues?
And we have to start
thinking about that now,
because training for
these issues takes time.
One thing we might
consider is migration.
If we don't have sufficient
people in our own country
who are of working age to
contribute to the public purse,
or people who are suitably
skilled in our country to take
care of our ageing population,
then maybe we invite people
from other countries.
But that comes with it
its own implications
and its own challenges.
There are political,
social and cultural
implications to migration.
Indeed, the most frequently
cited reason for voting
in favour of Brexit in
the EU referendum was migration.
That was the single biggest
issue that caused people to vote
in favour of Brexit.
And whether or not
our immigration policy
had anything to do
with our membership of the EU is
neither here nor there.
That’s not the point.
The point is
that it created cultural changes
that had an impact
on people’s lives,
and that then had an impact
on the political situation.
So, migration has implications
that come with it as well.
And these implications
need to be understood.
But the implications aren’t just
restricted to the UK.
There are implications
for the country of origin
of these migrants as well.
If, for example,
we’re attracting a whole load
of nurses from the Philippines
to come and help
us work in our NHS,
then does that leave
a skills gap in the Philippines?
And, if it does,
how do they take care
of their population?
Are we leaving them
with a skills deficit?
And if we are,
what are the implications?
Well, one of the implications
might be changes in
the under five mortality rate.
So, the plot that
I’m showing you here shows
the under five mortality rate.
That is the number of deaths
of children under the age
of five per 1,000 live births.
And it’s showing you in various
different regions of the world.
So, each of these little
clusters represents
a different region of the world.
The different colours,
the different shades
represent different years,
so the lighter shade
represents data from 1990,
while the darker shade
represents data from 2018.
But what this shows us is that,
in just about every single
region on the planet,
we have managed to halve
the child mortality rate.
That is an
extraordinary achievement.
In just one generation,
we have managed to halve
the child mortality rate
in just about every single
region of the planet.
And that is incredible,
that is extraordinary.
But the point I’m trying
to get to here is
that these issues
can only be investigated
and can only gain ground
when there are people
like you coming
through our universities
to investigate them,
to invest your time and energy
and research these issues.
And that is why Population
and Geography is
so important right now
and so interesting right now.
So, what about the Population
and Geography degree?
Well, it is similar
in many ways to Human Geography.
There’s a lot of overlap
between Human Geography
and Population and Geography.
By the way,
if you happen to be interested
in Human Geography
or indeed any Geography degree,
go and check out
the Geography degree options for
the University of Southampton.
There’s a URL just there.
Do go and have a look at them.
So, there is a lot of overlap
between Human Geography
and Population and Geography,
but there are
two key differences.
The first, is
that we don't get you to do
any physical geography
unless you want to do it.
You can always do
it as an option.
But you will find
with human geography degrees
that they are generally run
by geography departments,
and they therefore ask
you to do some modules
of physical geography.
We don't do that.
We don't ask you to do
physical geography unless you
particularly want to do it,
because we’re motivated
by the human aspects.
We’re interested in the human
characteristics of these issues.
We’re interested in
the population change.
The other significant difference
is that we offer you quite a lot
of quantitative training.
We teach you the skills
to be able to analyse data,
and be able to interpret
the results appropriately.
And that means that you will get
a Bachelor of Science degree
from Population and Geography,
as opposed to
a Bachelor of Arts.
And that goes a long way
to your employability.
We find that employers
are increasingly looking
for these skills.
Population geography is
also almost unique actually
in the UK in the way
that it balances the key and
core concepts from demography
and human geography.
We draw from expertise
from both demography
and human geography.
And you will find
that some of your lectures will
be given by experts from either
of those departments.
You will also have the option
for studying abroad.
There’s a URL here
if you’d like to find
out more about that,
but the University
of Southampton has partnerships
with a whole range of
universities across the world.
You could go and study abroad,
for example, in Australia
or China or the US…
All over the world.
Go and check out
those opportunities
if you’re more interested,
using this URL.
You also get the option for
a year in employment as well.
You don't have to do
a year in employment,
but we find that a lot
of our students benefit
from a year in employment
because it’s an additional skill
that they can sell on their CV.
So, the way that it
would work is that,
during your second year,
you would find
a work placement guided by
a central university department
that can help you out
with all of that.
And then, where you get
to your third year,
where you would ordinarily
be doing your final year,
what you would actually do is
you would take that year out
and you would then go
and work in a work placement.
And then you would
re-join the university
in your fourth year
to complete your degree.
This is Charlotte
Owen, this picture.
She’s one of our alumni
and she took a year
out of her degree
and gained professional
experience working
at the Food Standards Agency.
You don't necessarily
have to work in any field
that is linked
to Population and Geography.
You could go and do
whatever you wanted to do,
and whatever was
of particular interest to you.
As I say, there’s
a central university department
that will help you through that
process in getting a placement.
We rely mainly
on lectures to give
you the fundamental ideas
and fundamental concepts,
and to introduce you
to those ideas and concepts.
But what we frequently find is
that it is in the seminars
and tutorials where you
really get to grips with it,
where you really start
to develop your learning.
Because that’s where you
discuss the issues.
That’s where you
investigate the issues.
Not only with other people
from Population and Geography,
but because of the nature
of Population and Geography,
you will discuss those issues
with people who have quite
a different view of the world,
from other disciplines.
We also offer drop-in sessions
and computer workshops
and there’s obviously
independent learning as well.
But the other thing
that you will do is field work.
So in your second year,
we will take you on a field trip
where you will get
to work with people
who are actively engaged
in social research.
They are professionals
who are working
in a day-to-day capacity
doing live field research.
That in itself is a very,
very valuable experience
for our students.
But more importantly than that,
you will also be
introduced to people
who are living the issues
that you are learning
about in the classroom.
It’s one thing learning
about the issues
in a very clinical and clean
way in the classroom,
but on the field trip you
will get introduced to people
who have to live those issues
on a daily basis.
And that gives you a whole new
perspective on those issues.
It gives you a much
better understanding
of the human implications
of those issues.
So that’s your
second-year field trip.
Currently, we are revising
how we do the field trip
because of COVID
and also because of
the climate crisis.
But in previous years
we have been to Ghana
and India and South Africa,
just to give you a bit
of a flavour for the field trip.
The assessment on Population
and Geography varies
between course work
and presentations and exams.
The exact balance
of those assessment techniques
will depend to some extent
upon the optional modules
that you choose.
But the other thing
that you will find as well
on Population and Geography is
that we have a very culturally
and professionally
diverse student population.
The University of Southampton
attracts a lot of students
from other countries,
so you get that cultural
diversity from the student body.
But, on Population
and Geography in particular,
because you find
yourself sharing some
of your lectures with students
from other disciplines,
you will get exposed
to other views of the world
that you might not otherwise
have been exposed to.
Which means that you get a
much more rounded and much
more diverse discussion
in your tutorials
and in your seminars.
So, that’s always
worth bearing in mind.
So, this slide
gives you some idea
of the kind of structure
of the degree programme.
You will see here
that you will study six core
and compulsory modules
in your first and second year.
These blue ones
represent the modules
which are more guided towards
demography and population.
The purple ones represent
modules which are more
about skills and methods.
And these lime green ones,
they are more guided towards the
human geography side of things.
So, in your first
and second year,
you will do six core
and compulsory modules
plus two options.
In your final year,
in year three,
you will do two core
and compulsory modules
plus five options.
So, it is in your final year
that you will really get
to customise your degree
to whatever it is
that really interests you.
You get to go
and choose the options
that really get you going.
The other point is the
dissertation project as well,
in your final year.
So, the dissertation project
is an opportunity
for you to do your own research.
So, whatever it is
that interests you,
whatever it is
that gets you going,
whatever it is
that you really want
to investigate further,
you get to do it
in your dissertation project,
where you get to apply
all of the skills
that you have learned
in the preceding two years.
You get to apply them
on your dissertation project
and do your own research.
You will be given
a dissertation supervisor
who can guide you
through the process,
but it remains your own work
and then you get to write
up your results and conclusions
in your dissertation project.
That forms the lion’s
share of your final year work.
If you want more information,
by the way,
about any of these modules,
do go and have a look
at this URL here.
You will find much
more information about all
of these modules
and indeed of the programme
structure more generally.
So, one of the things
that we find with our students
on Population and Geography is
that most of them haven’t done
any maths since their GCSEs,
so for a lot of them we find
that the data analysis aspects
of the degree programme is
a source of some anxiety.
And that’s understandable.
The truth is you needn’t
be worried about that,
and I know that’s very,
very easy for me to say.
But we will start you off
from the very fundamentals.
So, in your very
first data analysis lectures
in your first year,
you will be taught
how to add and subtract
and multiply and divide.
And how to do those operations
in the correct order.
We will remind you
how to use a calculator,
for example.
And then, from those
very basic concepts,
we will build upon that
in each of your years until,
in your final year,
you are doing some quite
advanced data analysis methods.
So, don't let your absence
of maths qualifications put you
off Population and Geography.
The other point as well
about the quantitative aspects
of the degree is
that it also helps
your employment prospects.
We are finding increasingly
that employers are looking
for the analysis skills that you
will gain from Population
and Geography more and more,
particularly in this world
of big data,
where everything we do
is being recorded somewhere.
So the skills that you
will gain from Population
and Geography will improve
your employment prospects.
And in fact,
from the 2017/18
graduate outcome survey,
100% of our Population
and Geography graduates
are either employed or in
further study, just
six months after graduation.
So you can see,
based on that,
that the quantitative
analysis skills do make
you a more employable graduate.
So, where do our graduates
end up after graduation?
Well, we have very,
very strong links
with the Office
for National Statistics.
They tend to come looking
for our graduates,
precisely because
of this balance
that our graduates have,
where they not only
understand the issues,
but they also understand
the methods of
how to research those issues
and the data analysis skills.
And that’s a very attractive
prospect for the Office
of National Statistics.
So, we have very
strong links with the Office
of National Statistics.
We have a lot of
our graduates go to the Office
of National Statistics.
But there are other areas
of the public sector
where our graduates go as well.
We’ve had graduates, for
example, go to the Department
for Work and Pensions,
and the Department
for International Development.
And there are local councils and
central government departments
and the civil service,
all of whom are interested
in being able to
analyse social data.
But we’ve also got
some of our graduates
who have moved
into the private sector.
Again, building upon
these analysis skills
that you get from
Population and Geography.
We’ve had students go
into market research,
insurance and accountancy
and data science.
Data science is a particularly
growing field at the moment.
We’ve had students
who go into planning design
and economics and consultancy.
And then of course our
international agencies as well.
So there are various
NGOs and charities
who are actively engaged
in social research
who are also interested
in the skills
that you would gain
from Population and Geography.
You could, for example,
find yourself starting
out on a career
that ends up working
for the World Health
Organisation, for example,
or the UN, for example.
But then of course,
there are other areas
and we’ve had other graduates
who have gone into areas
that are not related to
Population and Geography at all.
For example, we’ve had
a number of students
who have ended up going
to teach English in China
following their degrees.
The point is that,
in terms of employability,
Population and Geography keeps
doors open for you
and keeps your options open.
There is also, of course,
obviously further study.
A lot of our graduates do opt
to go on and do master’s
degrees and indeed a few
have gone on to do PhDs.
So there are lots
of options there.
This is Parth.
He’s currently a
second-year student going
into his third year.
And this quote reads,
I chose to come to Southampton
because the staff cared
about what you thought
and not about league
tables or rankings.
Demography is only offered as
an undergraduate at Southampton
and I wanted to be
part of a dynamic,
world leading environment.
Parth, by the way,
recently won an award for
his work with the student union.
And I can assure you,
if you’re watching this, Parth,
congratulations, well done.
Very well-deserved
award as well.
But more importantly,
Parth epitomises what
we’re trying to achieve
in our department.
When you come to join
Population and Geography,
you are joining our department
and we want you to be actively
engaged in the department.
And that’s what Parth has done,
that’s what Parth
represents to us.
We want you to come
and knock on our door
and discuss issues with us.
We want you to share
your passions with us.
We want you to get involved,
we want you to come to seminars.
We want you to be actively
engaged in the department,
because that creates
a vibrant learning environment.
And that’s what we want.
We feed off your passions,
we love that.
Come and ask us questions,
come and discuss issues with us.
We want you to get involved,
we want that involvement.
This is another of our students.
This is Rachel.
She’s a third year,
and I knew that I
was most interested
in the demography
side of geography.
Unlike almost all
universities in the UK,
Southampton offers the chance
to specialise in demography
at degree level.
My unique course really
attracted me to Southampton,
and when I visited
for an open day, I knew I
would be very happy here.
It is lovely to hear
from students who have enjoyed
their time at university,
at Southampton, especially
if they’ve been
on Population and Geography.
But what attracted Rachel
to Population and Geography was
her specific interest
in human geography.
She knew right
from the beginning
that she was more interested
in human geography than she was
in physical geography.
And so, it was the human
geography characteristics
in Population and Geography
that draws her
to this degree programme.
So, I think
that just about wraps it up
for what I wanted to go over.
If you have any questions,
then please do join
us on our chats.
We have the Unibuddy student
chats as well as the staff
available for live chats.
The only other thing
that I want to draw
your attention to is that,
if you don't want
to join us on the chats,
do please contact me.
That’s my email address there.
I love hearing
from prospective students.
I’m perfectly happy
to answer your questions,
so do please drop
the questions down to me.
Always ask questions,
always ask questions.
Now and forever more,
ask questions, so important.
The other thing I’d like
to draw your attention
to is this URL here.
It’s a YouTube video done
by one of my colleagues,
Professor Brienna Harris.
And that talks
about looking at Covid-19
through the lens of demography.
Some really interesting stuff
there, so I urge you to go
and check that out.
I believe there is a link
to it on the open day website,
but if not,
just use this URL
and it will get you there.
Thank you very much
for your attention.
I really look forward
to chatting to you,
and hopefully meeting
you over the course
of the next year or two.
Thank you very much.
