Introduction: Longitudinal Analysis of Historical-Demographic Data

Historical demography is an interdisciplinary field with a long history of important contributions to population studies and to the understanding of the past. This research has revealed a great deal about fundamental demographic processes such as household and family dynamics, the transition to smaller family units, pre- and post-industrial population dynamics, the demographic transition, migration patterns, and demographic responses to economic stress. This 4-week course will emphasize the use of event history analysis and data management of historical databases drawn from European, North American, and Asian populations. Longitudinal data will be employed to construct time-varying covariates and contextual variables for individuals, families, and households. Methodological issues such as censoring and incomplete information will also be addressed.