Course Description: The purpose of the Human Geography course is to introduce the students to the systematic study of patterns and processes that have shaped human understanding, and the use and alteration of Earth’s surface. Students employ spatial concepts and landscape analysis to examine human social organization and its environmental consequences. They also learn about the methods and tools geographers use in their science and practice.
Much is expected of this class. There is an abundance of reading from both the textbook and other ancillary material. Students will analyze, reach conclusions, and support those conclusions both in writing and orally. Students will use factual information to construct a meaningful “larger” picture. This involves the continued development of higher-level critical thinking skills of application and evaluation.
Because of the nature of this course, students need to be aware of specific requirements and time commitments. After reading the following syllabus/ expectations/ responsibilities, your signature indicates agreement to these requirements. Your parent/ guardian must also sign, indicating his/ her understanding and support of the requirements of the AP HUMGEO course.
Course Content: The curriculum for this two-semester AP Human Geography course consists of topics drawn from seven interrelated units of study outlined in the AP Human Geography Course Description booklet published by the College Board. We will however have a total of nine total units for this year long course.
1. Geography: Its Nature and Perspectives [c1]
2. Population Geography
3. Cultural Patterns and Processes
4. Political Organization of Space
5. Economic Development
6. Agriculture and Rural Land Use
7. Industrialization
8. Cities and Urban Land Use
9. Issue with resources
Textbooks:
Rubenstein, James M. The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human
Geography. 7th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 2003.
Kuby, Michael, John Harner, and Patricia Gober. 4th Edition, Human Geography in Action, New York: John Wiley, Inc., 2007.
We will also use a variety of web sites to help reinforce the information. For example, we will use, http://wps.prenhall.com/esm_rubenstein_humangeo_8, which correlates with Rubenstein’s The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography. It provides higher level activities and writing prompts for the students.
College Credit:
In addition to mastering the course content, each student should be prepared to pass the national college-level Advanced Placement Examination in May. Students successfully completing this exam may receive college credit at the university level. AP HUMGEO is one of the newer AP courses and students should check directly with the university they are interested in attending as to their credit policy. There is a link to many universities on the College Board student web site. Preparation for this exam as well as course requirements include a balance between learning substantial amounts of factual knowledge and increasing critical thinking skills in a geographic context.
Homework Policy:
Students planning to earn a grade of “A” or “B” will discover that about three to five hours of reading and independent study per week is REQUIRED. I recommend you use a planner on a daily basis. You will need to be organized and keep track of due dates.
Attendance Policy:
--Tests are to be made up the day you return from a one day absence. Test must be made up outside of class time. Contact me and schedule a time to take the test.
--If you know that you will be absent, please make arrangements with me to receive your assignment prior to your absence.
--If absent, please refer to the Homework File for the missing work.
--If you are absent for one day you have one day to make up the work.
--Being absent the day before the test does not excuse you from taking the test when it is scheduled.
Grading Policy:
--Each quarter will be worth 40% of your grade while your semester final is worth 20%.
--I will print grades after each unit. If you are concerned about your grade before the end of the unit, come before class and I will print one out.
--There is no extra credit.
Classroom Policies:
1. Each student is to come to class prepared to participate. This involves having your textbook, 3 ring notebook, assignment calendars, completed homework and proper attitude. Student must have his or her school ID with them in order to leave the room with a pass from Mr. Taylor.
2. School attendance and dress code policies will be enforced.
3. Electronic devices such as pagers, cell phones, palm pilots, calculators, CD players, etc. are not allowed to be in sight or used during class. If it causes a disruption it will be confiscated and given to an administrator.
4. No food, candy or drinks in class.
5. Sleeping or lying on the desks is not allowed. If you are feeling ill ask to go to the nurse; you are expected to be alert, awake and attentive and ready to learn. Your enthusiasm is appreciated!
6. Be polite to each individual in the class. The study of history and current events invites discussion of different points of view. When expressing your opinions or beliefs do so in a manner that is respectful of yourself and others.
7. Discipline will be handled on an individual basis. This may include a verbal warning, individual conference or detention, parental contact or referral to administration.
7. Homework assignments will be given weekly with due dates posted. You are also required to fill in an assignment calendar and complete bell work every day.
Newspaper Activities:
You are responsible for completing 8 different newspaper articles per quarter. Each article must be about topics we have discussed in class. Try to pick topics that include maps/ charts that help explain the article. Each newpaper review is worth 25 points. [c2, c3, c4]
Final Research Paper:
Your paper will include anyalysis of a city (Phoenix or San Fransico). Before your trip you need to do the background information and obtain different maps of the area, including city maps, bus routes, and population density throughout the existence of the city. You will also include information about the cultural history and make observations on culture, industries, and urban land use. More information will be given to you in the second semester. The project will be worth 100 points.[c1,c2,c3,c4]
Understanding the requirements:
Please sign and return the attached “challenge form”. Your signature and your parents indicate your commitment and agreement to the course requirements. Please keep the syllabus available for reference.
***I reserve the right to modify any of the preceding information as needed throughout the school year.
Student Name ______
Student Signature______
Student Email ______
Parent Signature______
Parent Email ______
Scope and Sequence
First Semester: Cultural Geography
1. Geography: Its Nature and Perspectives (2 weeks)
A. Thinking about Space [c2]
B. Thinking about Place
C. Thinking about Region
D. Thinking about Scale [c3]
E. Thinking about Connections
Required Reading:
1. Rubenstein, Chapter 1: “Thinking Geographically” [c2]
Activity: Key issue #3: “Why are different places similar?” [c2]
2. “Why Geography” by Charles F. Gritzner
3. Activity using different map/scales of the United States [c3]
2. Population Geography (6 weeks)
A. Where the World’s Population Is Distributed?
B. Where the World’s Population Has Increased
C. Population Is Increasing at Different Rates in Different Countries
D. Demographic Transition Model [c4]
E. The World Might Face an Overpopulation Problem
F. Why People Migrate
G. Distribution of Migrants
H. Obstacles Faced by Migrants
I. People Migrate Within a County
Required Reading and Activities:
Obituary Activity:
1. Using obituaries from the local newspaper have students plot on a map where people were born and where they died.
Have them use the following key to sort data according when people were born: Before 1920, 1920–1945, 1946–1965, 1966 to present. Draw lines, using the color for the birth year, from places of birth to the local region. Have students analyze the patterns and relate them to migration trends. [C4] (For example, most people born before 1920 came to Oregon from the Midwest while more people who were born from 1966 to the present came from Latin America and Asia.) [c4]
2. PRB Web site: “Making Population Real: New Lesson Plans and Classroom Activities” [http://prb.org/Educators/] [c4]
3. “Refugees and Nation-States in a Changing World” by Adrian Bailey
3. Cultural Patterns and Processes (9 weeks)
A. Folk and Pop Culture
1. Where Folk and Popular Cultures Originate and Diffuse
2. Folk and Popular Culture and the Cultural Landscape
3. Folk Culture Is Clustered
4. Popular Culture Is Widely Distributed
5. Globalization of Popular Culture Causes Problems
B. Language
1. Where English Language Speakers Are Distributed
2. Indo-European Languages
3. Where Other Language Families Are Distributed
4. People Preserve Local Languages
C. Religion
1. Universalizing and Ethnic Religions
2. Origin and Diffusion of Religions
3. Religions Organize Space
4. Territorial Conflicts Arise Among Religious Groups
D. Ethnicity
1. Distribution of Ethnicities
2. Why Some Ethnicities Have Been Transformed into Nationalities
3. The Clash of Ethnicities
Required Reading/ Activities
1. Rubenstein, Chapter 7: “Ethnicity”
2. Kuby, Chapter 12: “Do Orange and Green Clash? Residential Segregation in Northern Ireland”
3. “Survival of a Folk Culture: The Old Order Amish” by Carol Ann Gillespie
4. Kuby, Chapter 12: “Layers of Tradition: Culture Regions @ Different Scales” [c3]
Second Semester: Political and Economical Geography:
Second Semester Research Paper: Analysis of a city: A Term paper will be created providing analysis of a city (Mesa, Tempe, San Francisco)
4. Political Organization of Space (3 weeks)
A. The Difference between a State and a Nation
B. Boundaries
C. Boundary Problems
D. Cooperation between States
E. Electoral Collage Process
Activity and readings:
1. Demography and Democracy activity
2. Read article, “Sharing Colorado River Water: History, Public Policy and the Colorado River Compact” by Joe Gelt
5. Economic Development (3 weeks)
A. Economic, Social, and Demographic Indicators
B. More Developed Regions versus Less Developed Regions
C. Obstacles to Development
Readings/ Activities:
1. Kuby, Chapter 7: “Rags and Riches: The Dimensions of Development”
6. Agriculture and Rural Land Use: (3 weeks)
A. Agricultural Hearths
B. Classification of Agricultural Regions
C. Agriculture in Less Developed Countries
D. Agriculture in More Developed Countries
E. Economic Issues Involving Agriculture
F. Rural Land Use Models [c4]
G. Rural Landscape Analysis [C2]
Readings and Activities
Lecture Notes: “Geography of Modern Agriculture” from David A. Lanegran, Macalester College, St. Paul Minnesota, 2005.
http://www.macalester.edu/geography/courses/geog111/Lanegran/modern_ag.pdf
Rural Land Use Project: This project requires fieldwork.
Groups of students are assigned different sections of the school district to explore, observe, and collect data.
They then analyze the data they collected and give presentations. The presentations must include a map of their area. This can be a hand drawn map, an aerial photo with explanation, or a GIS generated map. They must apply the principles of Von Thǜnen’s Model in their analysis.
7. Industrialization (3 weeks)
A. Origins of Industrial Revolution
B. Distribution of Industry
C. Situation Factors and Site Factors
D. Weber’s Industrial Location Model
E. Obstacles to Optimum Locations
F. Problems Faced by Industry
G. A Look at NAFTA
Readings and Activities:
Read article, “The Outsourcing of America’s jobs”
By Harry R. Davidson, Ph.D. Discuss the implications of impacts in terms of jobs wages and land in American cities
8. Cities and Urban Land Use (4 weeks)
A. Origin and Location of Urban Areas at Multiple Scales [c3]
B. Urban Models
C. Problems of Inner Cities
D. Problems in Suburbs
Readings/ Activities:
1. Rubenstein, Chapter 13: “Urban Patterns”
2. Kuby, Chapter 10: “Urban Landscape: Census Data and Field Observation” [c2]
9. Issues with resources (1 Week)
A. Fossil Fuel Depletion
B. Source of Pollution
C. Global Food Resources
Articles/ Activities:
1. Al Gore’s video on Global Warming
2. How Does Waste Affect Our Natural Resources? Activity
Footnotes of the curriculum:
· [c1] The course provides a systematic study of human geography, including the following topics outlined in the Course Description:
o Nature of and Perspectives on Geography
o Population
o Cultural Patterns and Processes
o Political Organization of Space
o Agricultural and Rural Land Use
o Industrialization and Economic Development
o Cities and Urban Land Use
· [c2]The course teaches the use of spatial concepts and landscape analysis to examine human organization of space.
· [c3] The course teaches spatial relationships at different scales ranging from the local to the global.
· [c4] The course teaches students how to use and interpret maps, data sets, and geographic models. GIS, aerial photographs, and satellite images, though not required, can be used effectively in the course.