Building upon knowledge and skills developed in GEPL322, this unit explores the myriad causes and policy implications of current trends and processes in the three key drivers of population change: fertility; mortality; and migration. GEPL421 provides an in-depth and critical examination of some of the major contemporary population debates, including the changing size and function of the family in developed and lesser-developed societies, the relationship between place and population health, and the dilemmas posed to national migration policies and programmes by heightened international and domestic population mobility. While the unit's focus is primarily on Australia, it situates its analyses within an appropriate international context. In addition to a deeper and broader understanding of contemporary demographic trends and their broader public policy impacts, students will develop the conceptual and practical skills and techniques necessary for conducting population research.