Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
2017 - 2018
INTRODUCTION
Advanced Placement Human Geography presents high school students to the equivalent of an introductory
human or cultural geography college level course. Students will be exposed to a rigorous curriculum that
encourages them to think and process at a higher level. This requires students to embrace college level work
ethic, effort, maturity and discipline to complete the curriculum. The payoff for students’ hard work is the
opportunity to earn college credit by passing the AP exam taken in May. More importantly, the content of an
AP Geography course helps students develop critical thinking skills through the understanding, application and
analysis of the fundamental concepts of geography.
REQUIRED TEXT
1. Human Geography: Culture, Society, and Space, 10th ed. Harm de Blij, Alexander B. Murphy and Erin H.
Fouberg. John Wiley and Sons, 2012.
Text has a student companion and an AP study guide that can be purchased separately.
2. Harm de Blij, Why Geography Matters: More Than Ever. Oxford Press, USA (August 12, 2012) 368 pages
You must purchase separately. Used copies can be found on Amazon, Ebay or similar sites.
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
1. Barron’s AP® Human Geography Flash Cards; 2nd Edition, 2013.
2. Barron’s AP® Human Geography; 6th Edition; 2016 Edition by Meredith Marsh
3. Cracking the AP Human Geography Exam, 2017 The Princeton Review
4. Kaplan AP Human Geography, 2016 Edition by Kelly Swanson
5. 5 Steps to a 5 AP Human Geography 2016 Edition by Carol Ann Gillespie
6. AP Human Geography Crash Course All Access by Christian Sawyer, 2011
7. Rubenstein, James M. The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson
Education, Inc., 2013.
8. Domosh, Mona, Roderick P. Neumann, Patricia L. Price, and Terry G. Jordan-Bychkov. The Human Mosaic: The Cultural
Approach to Human Geography. New York: W.H. Freeman and Company, 2011.
9. Kuby, Michael, John Harner, and Patricia Gober. Human Geography in Action. 4th ed. New York: Wiley, 2007. Print.
10. The Power of Place: Geography for the 21st Century. Annenburg Media. Web. [http://www.learner.org/powerofplace/]
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Through AP Human Geography, students are introduced 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 analyze human social organization and its environmental consequences.
They will also learn the methods and tools geographers use in their science and practice. This study includes
topics of the nature of perspectives on geography, population, migration, cultural patterns and processes,
language, human identity, religion, political organization of space, cities and urban land use, economic
development, agricultural and rural land use, industrialization, services, human environment, and globalization.
The course will place emphasis on geographic models and their applications and use case studies for
comparative analyses of differing regions. This course teaches the use of spatial concepts and landscape
analysis to examine human organization of space at different scales, ranging from local to global.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
The overall goal of AP Human Geography is to introduce students to the study of geography as a social science
by emphasizing the relevance of geographic concepts to human problems.
In addition to the described content, the course will also work to refine important skills. They include
analyzing data, writing, and presenting written and oral arguments. In order to help students master the ability to
write a good essay the course will concentrate on the instruction of several essential skills:
Effective writing style
The ability to make arguments
The ability to evaluate critically and to compare scholarly works
The ability to synthesize data
The ability to analyze, interpret, and respond to stimulus-based data including charts, graphs,
cartoons, and quotes
The course will cover a large amount of content since the study of Human Geography is both historical
and contemporary. Therefore, it is essential that students remain aware of what is happening in the world. It is
suggested students read newspapers and news magazines as well as regular viewing of news broadcasts
throughout the course. Students must be able to draw upon factual knowledge in order to exercise analytic skills
intelligently. Solid reading and writing skills, along with a willingness to devote time to independent reading,
homework, and study are necessary to succeed.
Procedure 2: Absenteeism
Any absences in this class will put you behind. If you are absent, it is YOUR responsibility to find out what
you’ve missed – ask before or after class or through email. Since assessments are announced many days in
advance, students should be ready to take the missed assessment the day they return to school. If the absence is
excused, students have FIVE school days from the last missed day to make up any work. DO NOT FAIL TO
TAKE TESTS. They weigh heavily on your grade. Tests not taken in a timely manner will be altered to an
essay style test. I also suggest students find a “buddy” in class to contact if you are absent or to study with at
home.
Procedure 3: Submission of Assignments
Course assignments will be completed in your course notebook. ALL assignments will include your name, date,
class period, assignment title and page number on ALL pages of the assignment. Work will not be accepted
beyond the scheduled time and date in class. Any work not submitted on time will receive a zero.
ASSESSMENT
Students and parents should not be discouraged if grades seem low at first. This is normal as students adjust to
the rigors and demands of college-level coursework. The key to success in AP Human Geography is consistent
effort and improvement. Student grades are based on the following criteria:
25% - Classwork/Homework: These assignments consist of independent work, group work, or any other
assignments completed by the student in class or at home. It may consist of notes, vocabulary, short writing
assignments, etc. All notes and vocabulary are mandatory and will be kept in a 1 subject spiral notebook that
will be checked periodically.
25% - Comprehension Quizzes and Unit Tests: Comprehension Quizzes are administered during each unit.
They provide students with a chance to practice before the Unit Test and address areas they need to study
further. They may be open note at the teacher’s discretion. Unit Tests are administered at the end of each
Unit. They are not open note and are much longer than Comprehension Quizzes. Most quizzes and tests will
be taken online in our virtual classroom on Schoology.
25% - Unit Free Response Questions: FRQs will have a completion time of 30 mins or less. FRQs are meant
to measure a student’s depth of knowledge in any particular unit. They are completed on paper. Some may
be written with a partner but the end goal is for students to complete accurately and individually.
25% - Participation: Class Participation grades are given based on attendance and active engagement in the
classroom. Participation includes daily classroom attentiveness, completion of assignments, and following
directions.
Student grades can be checked and followed on Skyward. I will do my best to keep the grades as up to date as
possible. Late assignments will not be accepted unless the student has an excused absence. Grading policies are
subject to change at the discretion of the teacher. If any changes are made, students will be made aware.
Academic integrity will be upheld at all times. Plagiarism of any sort will not be tolerated and will earn a grade
of zero with the potential of disciplinary action. Please see the Code of Conduct.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
Fall Semester Spring Semester
1. Geography: Nature and Perspectives 5. Agricultural and Rural Land Use
2. Population and Migration 6. Industrialization and Economic Development
3. Cultural Practices and Processes 7. Cities and Urban Land Use
4. Political Organization of Space 8. Globalization and Resources
Course by Unit
Please keep in mind there are many assignments listed and we may not complete all of them. I will do my best
to cover content through lecture and research activities in class but ultimately, students must complete the
assigned reading with integrity and proficiency to increase their grades and likeliness of passing the exam.
Movie Night:
Half the Sky
Supranationalism Research
Model UN
Agriculture and Rural Land Chapter 11 Types of Agriculture Matching Unit Vocabulary
Use Agriculture
13-17% of AP Exam The Green Revolution Fill in the Blank Notes
in India
A. Development of agriculture USA Agriculture Mapping
led to widespread alteration Two US
of the natural environment Commodity Chains: Poultry & Global Farmer’s Market
B. Major agricultural regions
reflect physical geography
Pork
and economic forces Trip to the Grocery Store!
C. Settlement patterns and rural The Meatrix
land use are reflected in the Green Revolution Reading
cultural landscape Power of Place Video #6, 21, Assignment & 1 Pager
D. Changes in food production 25
and consumption present
Film: King Corn & Handout
challenges and opportunities
Cities and Urban Land Use Chapter 9 New York Times Upfront Unit Vocabulary
13-17% of AP Exam Urban Magazine March 31, 2014
Geography Move or Else Urban Game/City Planning
A. The form, function, and size with Urban Development
of urban settlements are Power of Place Video Discussion
constantly changing #12, 16
B. Models help to understand
the distribution and size of
Urban Models Review
cities Movie Night: Poster
C. Models of internal city City of Joy
structure and urban Slumdog Millionaire
development provide a
framework for urban analysis
D. Built landscapes and social
space reflect the attitudes and
values of a population
E. Urban areas face economic,
social, political, cultural, and
environmental challenges
Movie Night:
The Day After Tomorrow
An Inconvenient Truth
Students, please retain the syllabus in your class notebook or binder and RETURN THIS PAGE TO
MRS. MAURO by August 16th, 2017.
Phone ___________________________________________________________________________________