Introduction:

Social processes are closely linked with human population. Therefore, for students of society it is important to study the characteristics of population. According to the latest estimates of United Nations Population Fund, the size of India's population is 1,198.0 millions. Imagine if population size of India were 120 million, i.e., one-tenth of the present population, what would its impacted on society. Would we have the same level of poverty and unemployment? Would we have the same level of conflicts and chaos? Would that affect the position of India in the international politics? Are there only good consequences of lower population or are there some harmful consequences too? Remember that today in India a city like Mumbai itself has more population than you can imagine for the whole of India. You will learn that the relationship between population and society is not unidirectional. Not only does population determine the structure and processes of society but society also determines the population characteristics and dynamics. Is it not true that industrialization and development have reduced the family size in all the Western countries? Is it not true that concern for children's education has led to the use of contraception and women's employment has improved their decision making power in the family? It is hoped that after completing this course a student of sociology will be able to relate population trends and policies with society and social change.

This course aims at understanding the various linkages between population and society at various levels: national, regional, village, household and individual. An attempt has been made to present the material in a manner so that a graduate student of sociology can grasp the subject without difficulty. There is only one module that requires some familiarity with statistics and basic mathematics. This is Chapter 4 on models. All other chapters are devoted to substantive issues. Questions given at the end of each module would help the students in self evaluation.