Teaching Business Demography Using Case Studies
David A. Swanson Æ Peter A. Morrison
Received: 22 June 2009 / Accepted: 25 June 2009 / Published online: 29 July 2009
Ó The Author(s) 2009. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com
Abstract Many faculty members consider using case studies but not all end up
using them. We provide a brief review of what cases are intended to do and identify
three ways in which they can be used. We then use an example to illustrate how we
have used the case study method in teaching business demography. Among other
benefits, we note that the case studies method not only encourages the acquisition of
skills by students, but can be used to promote ‘‘deep structure learning,’’ an
approach naturally accommodates other features associated with the case studies
method—the development of critical thinking skills, the use of real world problems,
the emphasis of concepts over mechanics, writing and presentation skills, active
cooperative learning and the ‘‘worthwhileness’’ of a course. As noted by others, we
understand the limitations of the case study method. However, given its strengths,
we believe it has a place in the instructional toolbox for courses in business
demography. The fact that courses we teach is a testament to our perceived efficacy
of this tool.
Keywords Deep structure learning Á Historical narrative Á Skill acquisition Á
Decision-making
Introduction
Although the idea of business demography has been around for at least 25 years
(Kintner et al. 1994), pedagogical issues regarding the training of business
D. A. Swanson (&)
Department of Sociology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
e-mail: David.swanson@ucr.edu
P. A. Morrison
RAND, Santa Monica, CA, USA
e-mail: Peterm3636@aol.com
123
Popul Res Policy Rev (2010) 29:93–104
DOI 10.1007/s11113-009-9155-4
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