Houston Independent School District



ADVANCED PLACEMENT HUMAN GEOGRAPHY2015-2016 COURSE SYLLABUSJOHN H. REAGAN HIGH SCHOOLHOUSTON, TEXASTEACHER: Ms. Rebecca OzunaROOM: M223EMAIL: rozuna@CONFERENCE PERIOD: 4TH period (11:30-12:55)PLEASE NOTE: Students in an AP course are expected to be highly motivated and dedicated. The students must be dedicated to learning the required material and mastering the methods necessary to pass an AP exam. There is absolutely NO ROOM OR TIME for poor scholarship, citizenship, or attitude. Students exhibiting any of these qualities may be asked to withdraw from the course entirely.COURSE OVERVIEWAP Human Geography is a year-long course designed to fulfill the curriculum requirements of a university human geography course. The course introduces students to the systematic study of patterns and processes that have shaped human understanding, use, and alteration of the earth’s surface. Students will employ spatial concepts and landscape analysis to study human social organization and its environmental consequences. The geographic concepts emphasized throughout the course are: globalization, diffusion, assimilation, acculturation, integration, interaction, location, space, scale, pattern, regionalization, and place. The course is organized into a prescribed set of topics:Geography: Its Nature and PerspectivesPopulation and MigrationCultural Patterns and ProcessesPolitical Organization of SpaceAgriculture, Food Production, and Rural Land UseIndustrialization and Economic DevelopmentCities and Urban Land UseNote: The level of academic rigor in an Advanced Placement course is higher than students may be used to. Remember, the curriculum requirements for Human Geography reflects what the College Board deems to be appropriate college-level study. Students will be constantly exposed to information, expectations, and methods that embody a collegiate atmosphere. In conclusion, it is important for all students to understand the commitment required for success in this course.In order to show their dedication to this AP Human Geography course, students must:Be prepared with the necessary materials Be on time to class each dayActively discuss information derived from assigned reading materialBe courteous in order to maintain a positive learning environmentUtilize strong reading, writing, and cognitive skills (these skills will be emphasized throughout the entire course)COURSE OBJECTIVES:The student will develop a geographic perspective to better understand the relationship between people and events at varying degrees of scale.The student will use interpretive abilities to develop spatial concepts at different scales.The student will use spatial concepts, geographic terminology, and landscape analysis to examine human organization of space at multiple levels of scale.The student will use and interpret maps, data sets, and geographic models from different sources to evaluate the human landscape. This includes sources from GIS, aerial photographs, and satellite images and data sets from NGO’s and Government agencies.COURSE MATERIALSThe programs in this series are used for specific case studies within the required course themes. Additional case studies, reading from current resources, films, photographs, and field study work will supplement the main textbook.Fellmann, Jerome D, Mark D Bjelland, et al.?Human Geography. 11. New York,New York: McGraw-Hill Science/Engineering/Math, 2010. Print.Fouberg, Erin H., Alexander B. Murphy, and Harm J. De Blij.?Human Geography, People, Place, And Culture. Nineth. Jefferson: Wiley, 2009. Print. [MAIN TEXT]Hudson, John C. Goode’s World Atlas. 22nd ed. N.p: Rand McNally, 2005.Malinowski, Jon C., and David H. Kaplan.?Human Geography. 1st ed. New York, NY: McGraw Hill, 2013. Print.Rubenstein, James M.?The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography. 11th ed. Pearson Education, Inc., 2014. Print.Additional case studies, films, articles, and websites are incorporated in the units. In order to apply the concepts and illustrate the connectivity of people and places, continual incorporation of outside materials is essential. Some of the sources used in this course are:Human Geography: People, Places, and Change; Annenberg FilmsThe EconomistNew York TimesForeign PolicyPopulation Reference BureauCensus DepartmentGeoTimesAnnual Editions: Urban Society, Developing World, Geography, Global Issues, World Politics, EnvironmentAmong others.SELECTED WEBSITES:United Nations Development and TradeGlobalization 101GlobalPolicy forum globaliz/NASA Photo Gallery Geography/Annenberg/CPB Lonely Planet Pyramids & World Info States Census BureauCenter for Immigration Studies Development Reports Statistics Economic Forum Protection AgencyInstitute for Agriculture and Trade PolicyNational Agricultural Librarynal.National Agricultural Statistics Main Page. Dept. of AgricultureForeign Policy Association Policy OrganizationThe Carter Center Press Review The Living Earth, Inc./Earth Images Observatory COURSE OUTLINE:Geography: Its Nature and Perspectives (5-10% of the AP Exam)Geography as a field of inquiryMajor geographical concepts underlying the geographical perspective: location, space, place, scale, pattern, nature and society, regionalization, globalization, and gender issuesKey geographical skillsHow to use and think about maps and geospatial dataHow to understand and interpret the implications of associations among phenomena in placesHow to recognize and interpret at different scales the relationships among patterns and processesHow to define regions and evaluate the regionalization processHow to characterize and analyze changing interconnections among placesUse of geospatial technologies, such as GIS, remote sensing, global positioning systems (GPS), and online mapsSources of geographical information and ideas: the field, census data, online data, aerial photography, and satellite imageryIdentification of major world regionsREQUIRED ACTIVITIES:Reading & Study Guide responseFouberg, Chapter 1: Introduction to Human GeographyHandouts:“The Five Themes of Geography” (handout)“Key Geographical Skills” (handout)Maps:Regional maps (done at beginning of course, keep for use throughout course)Article Reviews:Rediscovering the Importance of Geography, Alexander B. Murphy. In Annual Editions: Geography02/03, edited by edited by Gerald Pitzl. Guilford, CT: Duskin, 2002.*The Challenges We Face, Jeffrey Kluger and Andrea Dortman. In Annual Editions: Global Issues 04/05, edited by Robert M. Jackson. Dubuque, IA: Duskin, 2005.*The Four Traditions of Geography, William D. Pattison. In Annual Editions: Geography 02/03, edited by Gerald Pitzl. Guilford, CT: Duskin, 2002.*Media and Projects:Power of Place #1 – “One Earth, Many Scales”“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off ” or “Guns N’ Roses World Tour”Population and Migration (13-17% of the AP Exam)Geographical analysis of populationDensity, distribution, and scaleImplications of various densities and distributionsComposition: age, sex, income, education, and ethnicityPatterns of fertility, mortality, and healthB. Population growth and decline over time and space1. Historical trends and projections for the future2. Theories of population growth and decline, including the Demographic Transition Model3. Regional variations of demographic transition4. Effects of national population policies: promoting population growth in some countries or reducing fertility rates in others5. Environmental impacts of population change on water use, food supplies, biodiversity, the atmosphere, and climate6. Population and natural hazards: impacts on policy, economy, and societyC. Migration1. Types of migration: transnational, internal, chain, step, seasonal agriculture (e.g., transhumance), and rural to urban2. Major historical migrations3. Push and pull factors, and migration in relation to employment and quality of life4. Refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced persons5. Consequences of migration: socioeconomic, cultural, environmental, and political; immigration policies, remittancesREQUIRED ACTIVITIES:Reading & Study Guide responseFouberg, Chapter 2: Population and Chapter 3: MigrationArticle Reviews:Gray Dawn: The Global Aging Crisis, Peter G. Peterson. In Annual Editions: Geography 02/03, edited by Gerald Pitzl. Guilford, CT: Duskin, 2002.*Helping the World’s Poorest, Jeffrey Sachs. In Annual Editions: Geography 02/03, edited by Gerald Pitzi, 89-90. Guilford, CT: Duskin, 2002.Malthus Redux: Is Doomsday upon Us, Again?, Donald G. McNeil, Jr. In Annual Editions: Geography 10/11, edited by Gerald Pitzi, 141-145. New York City, NY: 2010.Video: World in Balance: The People ParadoxPower of PlaceMigration and Conquest Case StudiesPopulation, Food Supply, and Energy DevelopmentThe Legacy of Colonization Case StudiesPopulation Geography Boundaries and BorderlandsMexico: Motive to MigrateOther Activities:Patterns of Population: Manipulating Population Growth-Predicting the FutureChoropleth Map construction of World demographic data; Regional analysis based on data from the current Population Reference Bureau World Data Sheet (activity)Case Study:Migration – RefugeesEXAM: CHAPTERS 1, 2, & 3Cultural Patterns and Processes (13-17% of the AP Exam)Concepts of cultureCulture traitsDiffusion patternsAcculturation, assimilation, and multiculturalismCultural region, vernacular regions, and culture hearthsGlobalization and the effects of technology on culturesB. Cultural differences and regional patterns1. Language and communications2. Religion and sacred space3. Ethnicity and nationalism4. Cultural differences in attitudes toward gender5. Popular and folk culture6. Cultural conflicts, and law and policy to protect cultureC. Cultural landscapes and cultural identity1. Symbolic landscapes and sense of place2. The formation of identity and place making3. Differences in cultural attitudes and practices toward the environment4. Indigenous peoplesREQUIRED ACTIVITIES: Reading & Study Guide ResponseFouberg, Chapter 4 (Culture), Chapter 5 (Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Sexuality), Chapter 6 (Language), and Chapter 7 (Religion)Handouts:“The Global Mosaic” (handout)“ Ethnicity and Race” (handout)Article Reviews:Micro Melting Pots, William H. Frey. In Annual Editions: Geography 02/03, edited by Gerald Pitzl. Guilford, CT: Duskin, 2002.*Modernization’s Challenge to Traditional Values: Who’s Afraid of Ronald McDonald? By Ronald Inglehart and Wayne E. Baker. In Annual Editions: Global Issues 04/05, edited by Robert M. Jackson. Dubuque, IA: Duskin, 2003.*Video:Frontline Video – “Merchants of Cool”Frontline Video – “The Way the Music Died”Power of Place #24 – Boston: Ethnic MosaicPower of Place #25 – “Vancouver: Hong Kong East” and “Montreal: An Island of French”Human Geography: People, Places, and Change – “Alaska: The Last Frontier?”Power of Place #17 – “Jerusalem: Capital of Two States?”Case study:Ethnic Cleansing; Genocide; Cultural landscapes EXAM: CHAPTERS 4, 5, 6, & 7Agriculture, Food Production, and Rural Land Use (13-17% of the AP Exam)A. Development and diffusion of agriculture1. Neolithic Agricultural Revolution2. Second Agricultural Revolution3. Green Revolution4. Large-scale commercial agriculture and agribusinessB. Major agricultural production regions1. Agricultural systems associated with major bioclimatic zones2. Variations within major zones and effects of markets3. Interdependence among regions of food production and consumptionC. Rural land use and settlement patterns1. Models of agricultural land use, including von Thünen’s model2. Settlement patterns associated with major agriculture types: subsistence, cash cropping, plantation, mixed farming, monoculture, pastoralism, ranching, forestry, fishing and aquaculture3. Land use/land cover change: irrigation, desertification, deforestation, wetland destruction, conservation efforts to protect or restore natural land cover, and global impacts4. Roles of women in agricultural production and farming communitiesD. Issues in contemporary commercial agriculture1. Biotechnology, including genetically modified organisms (GMO)2. Spatial organization of industrial agriculture, including the transition in land use to large-scale commercial farming and factors affecting the location of processing facilities3. Environmental issues: soil degradation, overgrazing, river and aquifer depletion, animal wastes, and extensive fertilizer and pesticide use4. Organic farming, crop rotation, value-added specialty foods, regional appellations, fair trade, and eat-local-food movements5. Global food distribution, malnutrition, and famineREQUIRED ACTIVITIES:Readings & Study Guide Responses:Fouberg, Chapter 11: AgricultureArticle Reviews:The New Geopolitics of Food, Lester R. Brown. In Annual Editions: Global Issues 13/14, edited by Robert M. Jackson. New York City, NY: 2014.Video:“Guns, Germs, Steel” – first segment on AgriculturePower of Place #24 – “Chicago: Farming on the Edge”Power of Place #7 – “Vologda: Russian Farming in Flux”Power of Place #16 – “Dikhatpura: Help Through Irrigation”Houses and Village Types (power point presentation)Commercial Agriculture (power point presentation)“The Meatrix”“Store Wars”Exercises:“Von Thunen Agricultural Location: Economic Rent” see pg. 65, Student Study Guide, Human Geography, Landscapes of Human Activities, Fellman & Getis, McGraw-Hill publishers.“Least Cost Theory of Industrial Location” see pg. 74, Student Study Guide, Human Geography, Landscapes of Human Activities, Fellman & Getis, McGraw-Hill publishers.EXAM: CHAPTER 11Industrialization and Economic Development (13-17% of the AP Exam)A. Growth and diffusion of industrialization1. The changing roles of energy and technology2. Industrial Revolution3. Models of economic development: Rostow’s Stages of Economic Growth and Wallerstein’s World Systems Theory4. Geographic critiques of models of industrial location: bid rent, Weber’s comparative costs of transportation and industrial location in relation to resources, location of retailing and service industries, and local economic development within competitive global systems of corporations and finance and world systemsB. Social and economic measures of development1. Gross domestic product and GDP per capita2.Human Development Index3. Gender Inequality Index (GII)4. Income disparity and the Gini coefficient5. Changes in fertility and mortality6. Access to health care, education, utilities, and sanitationC. Contemporary patterns and impacts of industrialization and development1. Spatial organization of the world economy2. Variations in levels of development (uneven development)3. Deindustrialization, economic restructuring, and the rise of service and high technology economies4. Globalization, manufacturing in newly industrialized countries (NICs), and the international division of labor5. Natural resource depletion, pollution, and climate change6. Sustainable development7. Government development initiatives: local, regional, and national policies8. Women in development and gender equity in the workforceREQUIRED ACTIVITIES:Reading & Study Guide ResponseFouberg, Chapter 10 (Development), Chapter 12 (Industry), Chapter 13 (HEI), Chapter 14 (Globalization)Article Reviews:Helping the World’s Poorest, Jeffrey Sachs. In Annual Editions: Geography 02/03, edited by Gerald Pitzl. Guilford, CT: Duskin, 2002.*The End of Cheap China, The Economist: May 10, 2012.Handouts:“Weber’s Theory of Industrial Location” (handout)“Rostow’s Theory of Industrial Development” (handout)Videos:Power of Place #20 – “Gabon: Sustainable Resources?”Power of Place #23 – “A Second Chance for Amazonia?”Frontline Video – “Wal-Mart’s influence on Bentonville, Arkansas” Study:GlobalizationEXAM: CHAPTERS 10, 12, 13, & 14Cities and Urban Land Use (13-17% of the AP Exam)A. Development and character of cities1. Origin of cities; site and situation characteristics2. Forces driving urbanization3. Borchert’s epochs of urban transportation development4. World cities and megacities5. Suburbanization processesB. Models of urban hierarchies: reasons for the distribution and size of cities1. Gravity model2. Christaller’s central place theory3. Rank-size rule4. Primate citiesC. Models of internal city structure and urban development: strengths and limitations of models1. Burgess concentric zone model2. Hoyt sector model3. Harris and Ullman multiple nuclei model4. Galactic city model5. Models of cities in Latin America, North Africa, and the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia, and South AsiaD. Built environment and social space1. Types of residential buildings2. Transportation and utility infrastructure3. Political organization of urban areas4. Urban planning and design (e.g., gated communities, New Urbanism, and smart-growth policies)5. Census data on urban ethnicity, gender, migration, and socioeconomic status6. Characteristics and types of edge cities: boomburgs, greenfields, uptownsE. Contemporary urban issues1. Housing and insurance discrimination, and access to food stores2. Changing demographic, employment, and social structures3. Uneven development, zones of abandonment, disamenity, and gentrification4. Suburban sprawl and urban sustainability problems: land and energy use, cost of expanding public education services, home financing and debt crises5. Urban environmental issues: transportation, sanitation, air and water quality, remediation of brownfields, and farmland protectionREQUIRED ACTIVITIES: Reading & Study Guide Response:Fouberg, Chapter 9: Urban GeographyVideo:Power of Place # 4 – “Berlin: United We Stand”Power of Place #24 – “Chicago: Farming on the Edge”Human Geography: People, Places, and Change – “Berlin: Changing Center of a Changing Europe”Power of Place #12 – “Tokyo: Anatomy of a Mega-City”Power of Place #23 – “Sao Paulo: The Outer Ring”Case Study: Urban Land Use – The Urban Models and how they apply to real cities of today. (TBD)EXAM: CHAPTER 9Political Organization of Space (13-17% of the AP Exam)Territorial dimensions of politicsThe concepts of political power and territorialityThe nature, meaning, and function of boundariesInfluences of boundaries on identity, interaction, and exchangeFederal and unitary states, confederations, centralized government, and forms of governanceSpatial relationships between political systems and patterns of ethnicity, economy, and genderPolitical ecology: impacts of law and policy on the environment and environmental justiceEvolution of the contemporary political patternThe nation-state conceptColonialism and imperialismDemocratizationFall of communism and legacy of the Cold WarPatterns of local, regional, and metropolitan governanceChanges and challenges to political-territorial arrangementsChanging nature of sovereigntyFragmentation, unification, and cooperationSupranationalism and international alliancesDevolution of countries: centripetal and centrifugal forcesElectoral geography: redistricting and gerrymanderingArmed conflicts, war, and terrorismREQUIRED ACTIVITIES:Reading & Study Guide ResponseFouberg, Chapter 8: Political GeographyArticle Reviews:Continental Divide, Torsten Wohlert. In Annual Editions: Geography 03/04, edited by Gerald Pitzl,. Guilford, CT: Duskin, 2003.*The Rise of the Region State, Kenichi Ohmae, In Annual Editions: Geography 03/04, edited by Gerald Pitzl,.Guilford, CT: Duskin, 2003.*Handouts:“Review of the Political Organization of Space” (handout)Video:Power of Place # 3 – “Slovakia: New Sovereignty” and “Strasbourg: Symbol of a United Europe”“Model Berlin Conference”“Hotel Rwanda” (examples)“The Nature of Political Boundaries”Power of Place # 2 – “Boundaries and Borderlands”Power of Place # 4 – East Looks WestPower of Place #13 – Global InteractionPower of Place # 17 – Sacred Space Under SiegeCase Study:TerrorismEXAM: CHAPTER 8GRADING:Grades will be given in the following areas as described above:Homework AssignmentsProjectsWritten Assignments (article/journal reviews, short position papers, etc.)Reading and note-takingExaminations (reading quizzes, multiple-choice examinations and essay questions)Note: Examinations will be given in the AP format that they will see on the exam in May. This may lead to having exams split up over two days in order to have the accurate time allotment.Classroom effort, participation, and ATTENDANCE, ATTENDANCE, ATTENDANCE.Evaluation:Exams and Projects60% (This category includes all essays, quizzes, and examinations)Daily Work 40% (This category includes homework, classwork, case studies, and participation)NOTE: All assignments are due at the beginning of class. Work received after that class period is late, and will have points deducted as a penalty. The amount of points is at the discretion of the teacher.These points will be converted into the following grade distribution:90-100%A80-89%B70-79%C60-69%DLate Work and Make-Up Work/ExaminationsWhen a student is absent, he/she should see me immediately upon returning to school to obtain the missed assignment and turn it in by the date set by the teacher. Work missed due to an unexcused absence cannot be made up. Late work will be penalized an amount of points at the discretion of the teacher.Examinations must be made up within one calendar week of the day they were originally given. Make-up examinations must be made up afterschool after setting an appointment with the teacher. If you cannot make it afterschool, you must discuss this with your teacher in order to fix an alternate place at the teacher’s discretion.AN IMPORTANT NOTE ON ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Cheating is disrespectful to your teacher, your parents, and fellow students. The freedom of a clean conscience is far better than receiving a grade you do not deserve. If you have been cheating in your high school career thus far, I invite you to take my class as an opportunity to begin again your academic career with integrity. I promise that you will not regret it (not to mention that otherwise, you will be discovered). Should you ignore this advice and be caught cheating, you will receive a zero on the assignment and your parents/guardians will be notified. COLLEGE BOARD: The College Board creates the Advanced Placement outline for each AP course offered in the country. The College Board website has many useful tips, strategies, resources, and general information on AP Human Geography and all Advanced Placement courses. It would be beneficial to navigate the site throughout the year in order to gain insight into how the course is outlined in order to be more prepared for the Human Geography National Exam. apcentral. SOME FINAL THOUGHTS AND INSIGHTS ABOUT THIS COURSE & YOUR SUCCESS IN IT: By selecting to participate in an AP Human Geography course, a student instantly becomes a member of a small group of scholars and therefore, the student is to be commended. It is important to note, however, that the AP experience is designed to be a college-level; challenging course and that there are no guarantees with regard to grades. A student will not receive an A or a B in this course simply because he or she decided to take “a hard AP course.” Taking AP Human Geography simply to “bump up one’s GPA” will backfire. A student must be dedicated to reading, note-taking, participating, and writing throughout the course of the school year in order to achieve an A or a B in AP Human Geography. Focus on the course material, not on the grade. Keep in mind, also, that the student who receives high grades in my course will not necessarily receive the top score on the AP examination, though the odds are good that they will. A good performance throughout the school year will translate into a sense of confidence that one has the skills necessary to conquer a rigorous one-day examination for which there is no adequate way to examination, but that doesn’t guarantee that a student will receive a qualifying score on this one-time examination. The only guarantee that comes with this course is that it will be the most rigorous geography course you will have the opportunity to take. Reading is both essential and a necessity in the study of geography. Reading is to be done for the day assigned to complement the activities in class. Do not expect to gain a firm foundation reading the text material or other supplementary materials the night before an examination. One cannot rush through readings at the last minute and expect to grasp the more subtle aspects of the authors’ arguments, and that is where some of the most important material is likely to reside. Therefore, have the readings from the text and other assigned readings done by the date assigned. I urge you to take notes as you read. Your textbook is well written secondary source that is entertaining to read, and it will help “fill in the gaps.” Ultimately, each student must put forth a college-level effort to earn high grades in this class. Nothing will be given to a student simply because of his/her enrollment in an AP level course. Perhaps the greatest benefit in taking this course and other future AP courses is that, being a high school student, one will still receiving training and practice in the skills required for future academic success: time management and communications, both written and oral. My goal is to provide each student with the best geography education that one could hope for, and in the process, give each student the confidence that will be needed to perform well on the AP examination. Supplies Students will need a sturdy 2-inch three-ring binder in which to collect and organize their work. Students will need to bring 8 dividers for their binder. Things like old manila folders or pieces of card stock will work wonderfully for dividers. Colored pencils (at least 15 different colors) will also be used in some sketch mapping. If there is any problem obtaining these items, students should see me.*As a PowerUp school, you will be required to have your laptop, CHARGED AND READY, to use for the day’s work. ................
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