Course Overview
Geography is the study of where and why things are located around the world.  Human geography, as opposed to physical geography, emphasizes the human features of the world (i.e. the study of ethnicity, language, economic development among others).  As an introductory course to human geography, we will survey places throughout the globe to analyze how and why they are unique culturally, how and why they are connected and how and why they change.  In doing so, we will explore questions such as “Why do some places fail to develop economically?” and “How does globalization affect local culture?”.  

Texts
Kuby, Michael, John Harner and Patricia Gober. Human Geography in Action. 4th ed. New York: John Wiley, 2007.

Rubenstein, James M. The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography. 8th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 2005.

Teaching Strategies
Each unit will consist of four main activities: (1) readings, lectures and discussions of key terms and concepts, (2) practice of geographic skills though hands-on activities and the application of concepts to current events and case studies, (3) continual quizzes from the readings and vocabulary lists, and (4) evaluation with AP style multiple choice and free response questions.  A typical 90-minute period will include a reading/vocabulary quiz and review, presentation of new material through one or a combination of PowerPoint, video, discussion, and readings and, ideally, an activity which requires the application of the new material.

Topic Outline
The following is an outline of the major content areas covered by the AP Examination in Human Geography, as well as the approximate percentages of the multiple-choice section that are devoted to each area. This outline is a guide and is not intended as an exclusive list of topics. Please note, though, that this guide is the focus of our study, more so than the book and even my curriculum—in May, you will be responsible for what is on this outline, not what I taught you or what is in the text.

1. Geography: Its Nature and Perspectives (5–10%)
   1. Geography as a field of inquiry
   2. Evolution of key geographical concepts and models associated with notable geographers
   3. Key concepts underlying the geographical perspective: location, space, place, scale, pattern, regionalization, and globalization
   4. Key geographical skills
   1. How to use and think about maps and spatial data
   2. How to understand and interpret the implications of associations among phenomena in places
   3. How to recognize and interpret at different scales the relationships among patterns and processes
   4. How to define regions and evaluate the regionalization process
   5. How to characterize and analyze changing interconnections among places
   5. New geographic technologies, such as GIS, remote sensing, and GPS
   6. Sources of geographical ideas and data: the field, census data, and satellite imagery

2. Population (13–17%)
1. Geographical analysis of population
1. Density, distribution, and scale
2. Implications of various densities and distributions
3. Patterns of composition: age, sex, race, and ethnicity
4. Population and natural hazards: past, present, and future
2. Population growth and decline over time and space
1. Historical trends and projections for the future
2. Theories of population growth, including the Demographic Transition Model
3. Patterns of fertility, mortality, and health
4. Regional variations of demographic transitions
5. Effects of population policies
3. Population movement
1. Migration selectivity
2. Major voluntary and involuntary migrations at different scales
3. Theories of migration, including push and pull factors, human capital, and life course
4. International migration and refugees
5. Socioeconomic consequences of migration

3. Cultural Patterns and Processes (13–17%)
1. Concepts of culture
1. Traits
2. Diffusion
3. Acculturation, assimilation, and globalization
4. Cultural regions
2. Cultural differences
1. Language
2. Religion
3. Ethnicity
4. Gender
5. Popular and folk culture
3. Cultural landscapes and cultural identity
1. Values and preferences
2. Symbolic landscapes and sense of place
3. Environmental impact of cultural attitudes and practices

4. Political Organization of Space (13–17%)
1. Territorial dimensions of politics
1. The concept of territoriality
2. The nature and meaning of boundaries
3. Influences of boundaries on identity, interaction, and exchange
4. Federal and unitary states
5. Spatial relationships between political patterns and patterns of ethnicity, economy, and environment
2. Evolution of the contemporary political pattern
1. The nation-state concept
2. Colonialism and imperialism
3. Democratization
3. Changes and challenges to political–territorial arrangements
1. Changing nature of sovereignty
2. Fragmentation, unification, alliance
3. Supranationalism and devolution
4. Electoral geography, including gerrymandering
5. Terrorism

5. Agriculture and Rural Land Use (13–17%)
1. Development and diffusion of agriculture
1. Neolithic Agricultural Revolution
2. Second Agricultural Revolution
3. Green Revolution
4. Modern Commercial Agriculture
2. Major agricultural production regions
1. Agricultural systems associated with major bioclimatic zones
2. Variations within major zones and effects of markets
3. Linkages and flows among regions of food production and consumption
3. Rural land use and settlement patterns
1. Models of agricultural land use, including von Thünen’s model
2. Settlement patterns associated with major agriculture types
3. Land use/land cover change, irrigation, conservation (desertification, deforestation)
4. Modern commercial agriculture
1. Biotechnology, including genetically modified plants and animals
2. Spatial organization and diffusion of industrial agriculture
3. Organic farming and local food production
4. Environmental impacts of agriculture

6. Industrialization and Economic Development (13–17%)
1. Growth and diffusion of industrialization
1. The changing roles of energy and technology
2. Industrial Revolution
3. Evolution of economic cores and peripheries
4. Geographic critiques of models of economic localization (i.e., bid rent, comparative costs of transportation), industrial location, economic development, and world systems
2. Contemporary patterns and impacts of industrialization and development
1. Spatial organization of the world economy
2. Variations in levels of development
3. Deindustrialization and economic restructuring
4. Globalization and international division of labor
5. Natural resources and environmental concerns
6. Sustainable development
7. Local development initiatives: government policies
8. Women in development

7. Cities and Urban Land Use (13–17%)
1. Development and character of cities
   1. Origin of cities
   2. Rural–urban migration and urban growth
   3. Global cities and megacities
   4. Suburbanization and edge cities
2. Models of urban systems
   1. Rank-size rule
   2. Central place theory
   3. Gravity model
3. Models of internal city structure
   1. Concentric zone model
   2. Sector model
   3. Multiple-nuclei model
   4. Changing employment mix
   5. Changing demographic and social structures
   6. Uneven development, ghettoization, and gentrification
4. Built environment and social space
   1. Housing
   2. Transportation and infrastructure
   3. Political organization of urban areas
   4. Urban planning and design
   5. Patterns of race, ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status

Grading and Make-up Policy: Grades will be based on a scale where an A=90-100%, B=80-89%, C= 70-79%, D= 60-69%, F= 59% & below.

Absences, Tardies and Late Work:

• Work due the day of an excused absence must be turned in upon return to class.
• Work assigned the day of an excused absence must be turned in no later than the second day back regardless if our class met the first day back or not (check the website or see me).
• All work missed because of an unexcused absence will result in a zero
• It will be up to the student to get all missed notes and assignments.
• Only 1 test can be made up each semester.  The student has no more than 3 days to make it up.
• Major assignments (e.g. papers) are due the date given regardless of attendance status.
• All work missed, including quizzes, because of unexcused tardies will result in a zero. Please note that I collect all homework and give quizzes as soon as the bell rings.
• For an assignment to be on time, it must be organized, contain the proper heading, and be ready to be turned in before entering the classroom.
• Ten points will be deducted for all late work. Late work will not be accepted later than one class meeting after the assignment’s due date.
• The lowest homework assignment (10 pts) will be dropped at the end of each semester

 

Written Work:  All formal work must be completed using the MLA format with 1” margins and Times New Roman #12 font. 


Academic Integrity:  Cheating or plagiarism of any kind will result in an automatic “F” on the assignment.  All work copied or based off of another’s work should be cited.


Miscellaneous:

• All work must be kept until the end of the spring semester.
• Grades will not be altered retroactively; what the grade book says, you get! (59.4% = F)
• Please bring a flash drive with you daily (you can find an inexpensive one for less than $10).
• You may want to purchase a study guide for the unit exams and the AP Exam in May.

Breakdown of Points: (this may be adjusted at a later date if need be)
-          Homework…………………..20%
-          Quizzes...................................20%
-          Papers/Projects...........………10%
-          Unit exams……..……………30%
-          Final Exam…………..……….20%
-          Total……………….…….....100%

• Note all above guidelines are tentative and subject to change

Click here for a printable syllabus.

Revised: 7/16/2010