Utah State University
Department of SSW&A
0730 Old Main Hill
Logan, UT 84322-0730
Tel. 435-797-1230
Fax 435-797-1240
ann.johns@usu.edu

department of
Sociology, Social Work & Anthropology

The Population Research Laboratory (PRL) at Utah State University was established in 1968 as a demographic training and research unit within the department of Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology. The PRL is one of the oldest and one of the most well established demographic labs in the region. The PRL was organized to promote a balanced training program in demography at both undergraduate and graduate levels and to centralize and expand various research activities related to population. Faculty associated with the PRL conduct numerous research projects and support many students as they pursue graduate degrees with a specialization in demography. Research projects are supported by an array of national and local agencies. Students in the program come from diverse disciplines and from many countries.

The Yun and Wendy Kim Graduate Fellowship in Population and Development was established in the PRL to support graduate students who specialize in demography. This Graduate Fellowship also honors Dr. Yun Kim's distinguished career in demography and Dr. Wendy Kim for her tremendous professional and personal support for graduate students at Utah State University. Dr. Yun Kim established the PRL and served as its Director for twenty years.

Activities of the PRL include:

Research Project: Individual and Place Determinants of Rural Migration of Young/mid-age Adults. Funded by the National Research Competitive Grants Program in the US Department of Agriculture.
Research Project: Population Dynamics, Social Change, and Outcomes: Spatial, Temporal, and Life Cycle Variations. Funded by the Utah State University Agricultural Experiment Station.
Demographics workshops: This is a series of demographic and economic data and analysis workshops for data users sponsored by the PRL and the Utah Governor's Office of Planning and Budget, Demographic and Economic Analysis.
Participation on the Utah Governor's Office of Planning and Budget, Population Estimates Committee - providing official estimates for the state of Utah.
Participation in SSW&A brown bags - a series of research discussions sponsored by the Department of Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology.

Selected Publications:

E. Helen Berry. 2001. "Teaching in Science and Career Fairs: An Application Using Dolls." Teaching Sociology 29 (3): 360-368.

E. Helen Berry, Audrey Shillington, Terry Peak, and Melinda Hohman, 2000. "Multiethnic Comparison of Risk and Protective Factors for Adolescent Pregnancy." Journal of Adolescent Social Work vol. 17(2):79-96.

E. Helen Berry. 2000. Review essay, "Reviewing Migration in the West" Rural Sociology, vol. 65(4).

Frisbie, W. Parker, Youngtae Cho, and Robert A. Hummer. 2001. "Immigration and the Health of Asian and Pacific Islander Adults in the U.S." American Journal of Epidemiology 153 (4): 372-380.

Youngtae Cho, and Robert A. Hummer. (Forthcoming). "Disability Status Differentials across Fifteen Asian and Pacific Islander Groups and the Effect of Nativity/Duration of Residence in the US." Social Biology .

Youngtae Cho, W. Parker Frisbie, Robert A. Hummer, and Richard G. Rogers. (Forthcoming). "Immigration, Duration of Residence, and the Health of Hispanic Adults in the United States." International Migration Review

Michael B. Toney, Chalon Keller, and Lori Hunter. (Forthcoming 2003). “Regional Cultures, Persistence and Change: A Case Study of the Mormon Culture.” The Social Science Journal Volume 40 No. 3.

Gulzar H. Shah, Michael B. Toney, and Brian L. Pitcher. 1998. “Consanguinity and Child Mortality: The Risk Faced by Families.” Population Research and Policy Review Vol. 17, Pages 275-283.

Maria Wilson-Figueroa, E. Helen Berry, and Michael B. Toney. 1991. “Migration of Hispanic Youth and Poverty Status.” Rural Sociology 56:189-203

Back to Top

Degree Programs offered in conjunction with the Population Research Lab:

MA/MS and PhD in Sociology – Graduate coursework is provided in social demography, population theories and policy, and demographic methods, as well as various special topic seminars. The orientation is twofold: (1) basic and policy oriented research on sociological aspects of demographic structure and processes including migration, marriage and fertility, health and mortality and technical demographic topics such as population estimates and projections; and (2) the provision of demographic training to domestic and international students relevant to their respective settings. The graduate specialization in demography is within the Sociology Graduate Program. Graduate students take courses in sociological theory and methods and electives in demography at the Master's level. At the PhD level, students select two areas of specialization, one of which may be demography. Students who select demography are encouraged to select a second area of specialization in either in (1) Environmental Sociology/Natural Resource Sociology (2) Social Problems or (3) Sociology of Development. However, students may petition to specialize in another area, such as health. Students may take courses in geographic information systems, epidemiology and development. The main graduate courses in Demography are:

Soc 6200 Social Demography
Soc 6230 Demographic Techniques
Soc 7250 Advanced Demography
Soc 7640 Population and the Environment
Soc 7800 Topical Seminar in Demography

Recent Graduates: and Dissertation/Thesis Titles:

Guo, Yan (MS 2002). The Effects of Family Background on Children’s Educational Attainment.

Lee, Chung-won (PhD 2002). Non-Clinical Risk Factors of Hysterectomy.

Ralls, Brenda (PhD 2002). The Impact of Minority Group Membership on Changes in Selected Health Outcomes Among Midlife Americans with Type 2 Diabetes.

Beal, John (MS 2000) Human Population and Biodiversity in Utah: Adding a Demographic Component to the Utah Gap Analysis Program Analysis.

Jeffcoat, Holly (MS 2000) American Indian Self-Identification on the 1990 Census: A sociodemographic Exploration of Three categories of “Indiannes.”

Kim, Young-Taek (MS 2000) Child’s Locational and Household Environments, Age, and Weight Status in Two-Parent and Female-Headed Households: The Mediating Role of Exercise and the Conditioning Role of Gender.

Lee, Ji-Youn (PhD 2002) A Multilevel Analysis of Young Adult Migration: 1980-1998.

BA/BS in Sociology - The bachelor's program in sociology includes, along with coursework in theory, statistics, methods, and social stratification, the opportunity to take coursework in Population, Environment, and Development, including Soc 3600 Sociology of Urban Places; Soc 3610 Rural Sociology; Soc 4620 Sociology of the Environment and Natural Resources; Soc 4710 Asian Societies; Soc 4730 Women in International Development; and Soc 5650/6650 Developing Societies.

For more information Email Mike Toney at mtoney@hass.usu.edu

LINKS:
Population Association of America: http://www.popassoc.org/
Census Bureau: http://www.census.gov/
Population Reference Bureau: http://www.prb.org/
Utah Demographic and Economic Analysis: http://www.governor.state.ut.us/dea/
Utah Department of Health: http://hlunix.ex.state.ut.us/
United Nations Population Fund: http://www.unfpa.org/
National Institute of Health: http://www.nih.gov/
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/

Back to Top