| CODE | HST1023 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Introduction to Maltese Historical Demography | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 2 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | History | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit aims to introduce history students to the sources of historical demography, while covering the main demographic flows of the Maltese islands from Pre-historic times till today. The study of Maltese population will be undertaken through both published and documentary sources. Reference will be made in this course to archives, both public and private, which documentation is important for the study of the Maltese population. While the main demographic trends in Maltese history are being discussed, the students will also be introduced to the basic techniques and principles used in historical demography. Students following this study-unit will also have the opportunity to work on original historical documents. Study-Unit Aims: This study-unit aims to give an introduction to the basic trends and developments of demographic growth and decline in Malta over the centuries. At the same time, students will be introduced to the different sources present in the Maltese archives which are related to demographic history. The students will be taught about the different theories related to demographic growth and decline and learn how to differentiate between different types of documents, in particular the difference between nominative lists, arithmetic lists and analogue lists. Furthermore, students will be introduced to some of the main historical demographic theories such as backward projections, history event analysis, demographic transition and demographic cycles. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - undertake archival research through the net; - know the difference between current and non-current demographic records; - appraise the rich historical resources available for researchers of Maltese history; - know the major theories related to the use of historical sources for demographic history. - know about the main demographic trends that affected the history of our islands. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - use different data sources; - undertake research in public and private archives regarding historical material related to Maltese demographic and social history; - do research on the internet for documentation related to Maltese demographic history; - make critical assessments about Malta’s past historical population growth and decline and relate it within a timeframe. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Blouet, Brian, History of Malta, 2007. - Del Panta, L, Introduzione alla Demografia Storica, Ed. Laterza. - Henry, L, Manuel de Demographique Historique, (1967). - Livi Bacci, Massimo, Population and Nutrition: an essay on European demographic history; translated by Tania Croft-Murray with the assistance of Carl Ipsen, Cambridge University Press, 1990. - Mercieca, Simon, ‘Fonti religiose per lo studio della famiglia a Malta’, Popolazione e Famiglia el Mezzo Giorno Moderno Fonti e nuove Prospettive d’Indagine, ed. Giovanna da Molin, (Cacucci Editore – Italia, 2007), pp. 125-164. - Wrigley, E.A., and Schofield, R.S., The population history of England, 1541-1871 : a reconstruction ; with contributions from Ronald Lee and Jim Oeppen, Cambridge U.P., 1989. Supplementary Readings: - Henry, L., Population: Analysis and Models, (1975). - Mercieca, Simon, ‘Introduction á la démographie historique maltaise: Une vue generale des source et des documents conservés dans les archives’, Histoire des familles, de la démographie et des comportements, eds. Jean- Pierre Poussou and Isabelle Robin-Romero (PUPS, 2007), pp. 183-200. - Knodel, John E. Demographic behavior in the past : a study of fourteen German village populations in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Cambridge U.P., 1988. - Brettell, Caroline B. Men who migrate, women who wait: population and history in a Portuguese parish, Princeton U.P., 1986. - Population and history : from the traditional to the modern world, edited by Robert I. Rotberg and Theodore K. Rabb ; guest editors, Roger S. Schofield and E. Anthony Wrigley; Cambridge U.P., 1986. - Population studies from parish registers : a selection of readings from local population studies, edited by Michael Drake, Local Population Studies, 1982. - Sbrana, Carla, Gli stati delle anime a Roma dalle origini al secolo XVII : origini-consistenza-contenuti con appendice sulle altre registrazioni parrocchiali / Carla Sbrana, Rosa Traina, Eugenio Sonnino. La Goliardica, 1977. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Simon Mercieca |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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