The course aims to equip sociology students with the tools to both read demographic data and to question them, developing a critical understanding of how population processes are measured, represented, and embedded in social life. Demography is the scientific study of the characteristics and dynamics of human populations. These characteristics include population size, growth rate, density, vital statistics, and spatial distribution. In this sense, demography examines the size, structure, and distribution of populations, as well as the spatial and temporal changes that occur in response to fertility, mortality, aging, and migration. Formal demography traditionally focuses on the measurement and statistical analysis of populations. In contrast, social demography (or population studies) goes beyond measurement to analyze how economic, social, political, and cultural processes shape demographic patterns and outcomes.This course combines both perspectives. Students will learn how demographic data are produced, calculated, and interpreted, while also critically examining the social contexts in which demographic knowledge is generated. In addition, the course emphasizes a comparative and critical understanding of population issues at both the global level and in Türkiye. Students will explore major contemporary population debates—such as fertility change, population aging, youth populations, migration, refugees and regional inequalities—by situating Türkiye’s demographic trends within broader global processes. Through this comparative lens, the course encourages students to analyze how historical trajectories, state policies, development patterns, and social inequalities influence population dynamics differently across contexts.