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Sociology: The Core, 6/e

Michael Hughes, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University
Carolyn J. Kroehler
James W. Vander Zanden, The Ohio State University (Emeritus)

Population and the Environment

Internet Exercises

Exercise 1

The U.S. Census Bureau Web site (http://www.census.gov) contains a tremendous amount of information about the American population. In order to understand the range of data available – and to learn how to navigate the site -- go to the Web page to complete this exercise. Select "Rankings, Comparisons, and Summaries" for Census 2000; then select "States" from the options under "Rankings and Comparisons of." Click "Go" to go to that data. Select "Table 3. States Ranked by Percent Population Change." Use these data to answer the following questions:

a. By what percent did the U.S. population increase between 1990 and 2000? How many states had larger percentage increases in population?

b. Look at the states with the five largest percentage increases in population. Do they share any similarities (such as size or geography)?

c. Did any areas experience a drop in size? Why might this have happened?

Exercise 2

Much attention has been paid to immigration to the United States, both legal and illegal. While the media refer to a single category of "immigrants," people migrate to the United States under a number of different definitions. Go to the Department of Justice's Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) Web site (http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/index.htm). From the menu bar at the top, select "Glossary"; then look up the following terms for categories of people who enter the United States.

parolees
immigrants
asylees
refugees
naturalizations
nonimmigrants

a. Which category is the most restrictive in terms of allowing individuals into the U.S.?

b. Which category is the least restrictive?

Exercise 3

Go to the website of the Population Reference Bureau (www.prb.org) and browse through several pages. Select a topic of interest that discusses the impact of population growth on the environment. Can you find an example of an environmental problem that affects population growth? Write a short report summarizing your findings.

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