Pronatalism, Overpopulation and the Planet

Course Overview

The decision to have children or not is arguably one of the most important decisions we make in our lives. It is largely regarded as a personal decision and a natural rite of passage into adulthood. But how personal really is our decision to have a child? Human population has doubled in the last 50 years, growing from approximately four billion in 1970 to almost eight billion currently. This is no surprise given that we are adding about one million new humans every five days. There is rising public awareness that overpopulation and rampant overconsumption are driving climate change, resource scarcity, and biodiversity loss here and abroad, yet it is a challenging issue to discuss. Together we will explore the concept and roots of pronatalism, its intersectionality with overpopulation, and its impacts on our identity, on other humans, animals, and the environment. Participants will develop techniques for learning and teaching about these issues in a way that invites dialogue and positive solutions.

Course Materials: Students should contact the course instructor and review the course syllabus for information related to course materials/texts.