Welcome to A.P. Human Geography!
This is a course that explores the connections between humans and their natural and built environment on the
planet Earth. You will be exploring topics such as population growth, migration patterns, agriculture, urban
development, culture and industrial development. This class requires the use of "Spatial thinking" which
involves: analysis, problem solving, and pattern prediction involving objects and their spatial
relationships. There will be analysis, critical thinking, reading and writing involved in learning about the topics
listed above.
Class expectations:
 Purchase of the textbook: The Cultural Landscape: An introduction to human geography, 11th
Edition by James M. Rubenstein.
o As each student will have reading homework each night, weekends and over breaks each
student must have their own book. It is also an expectation that the students will annotate
(highlight, write) in their book to help prepare them for tests and discussions.
o Book may be purchased through Amazon.com or CampusBooks.com
 Ability to work in groups for discussion
Summer Assignments/Expectations
1)
EXPAND YOUR MENTAL MAP
a. You WILL have a map quiz over countries of the world. It is not all the countries of the world
but major ones on each major landmass. The countries are listed on the third page of the
packet. You will be given a blank map and expected to be able to label all of the countries.
b. This quiz will be given in the first week of school
c. There are links to labeled and blank maps on the school website
2. READ, READ, READ, and then… READ some more
a. You must read a book from the listed on the second page, write an analysis of the major points
of the book and be prepared to discuss the book in small groups within the first two weeks of
school.
3. CHAPTER 1
a. We will be moving quickly and you will need to be familiar with the concepts and terms in the
first chapter in the Rubenstein textbook
4. FOLLOW CURRENT EVENTS
a. Watch the news and keep up with what is happening where in the world around you
b. Read the headlines for world/international news throughout the summer (Wall Street Journal,
New York Times, etc.)
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Human Geography Reading List (CHOOSE ONE THAT INTERESTS YOU)
1. Why Geography Matters: More Than Ever (2nd Edition) by Harm de Blij*
2. The Power of Place by Harm De Blij
3. States of Mind by Brad Herzog
4. The World is Flat: A Brief History of the 21st Century by Thomas Friedman
5. Hot, Flat, & Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution & How It Can Renew America by Thomas Friedman
6. The Lexus and the Olive Tree by Thomas Friedman
7. Longitudes and Attitudes by Thomas Friedman
8. City of Joy by Dominique Lapierre
9. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal by Eric Schlosser
10. In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan
11. Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan*
12. Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky
13. Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World by Mark Kurlansky
14. Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond*
15. Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond
16. The Geography of Nowhere: The Rise & Decline of America's Man-Made Landscape by James Howard Kunstler
17. How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization by Franklin Foer
18. Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi
19. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven Levitt
20. Cool It: The Skeptical Environmentalist's Guide to Global Warming by Bjorn Lomborg
21. We Just Want to Live Here: An Unlikely Teenage Friendship in the 2 Jerusalems by Amal Rifa'I & Odelia
Ainbinder
22. The New Geography of Jobs by Enrico Moretti
23. Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas D. Kristof & Sheryl Wu
Dunn
24. 10 Geographic Ideas That Changed the World by Susan Hanse
25. The Revenge of Geography by Robert D. Kaplan
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Countries AP Human Geography students MUST be able to locate on a blank map
SW Asia & North
Africa
Europe
Asia
Iraq
Iran
Afghanistan
Yemen
Morocco
Israel
Libya
Egypt
Saudi Arabia
Turkey
Oman
Algeria
Syria
Jordan
Lebanon
Cyprus
United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Mali
Sudan
Tunisia
France
Germany
Sweden
Greece
Spain
United Kingdom
Denmark
Poland
Austria
Italy
Switzerland
Belgium
Netherlands
Romania
Croatia
Ukraine
Czech Republic
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Serbia
Iceland
Russia
China
Kazakhstan
South Korea
North Korea
Kyrgyzstan
Mongolia
Nepal
Pakistan
India
Bangladesh
Sri Lanka
Laos
Vietnam
Cambodia
Thailand
Myanmar (Burma)
Bhutan
Armenia
North America
Latin America
Africa
Canada*
Know the provineces
United States **
know locations of all 50 states
Mexico
South Africa
Guatemala
Madagascar
Honduras
Nicaragua
Costa Rica
Panama
Brazil
Bolivia
Peru
Ecuador
Venezuela
Colombia
Chile
Argentina
Paraguay
Uruguay
Dominican Republic
Haiti
Lesotho
Tanzania
Kenya
Ethiopia
Angola
Botswana
Rwanda
Uganda
Nigeria
Malawi
Ghana
Zimbabwe
Somalia
Liberia
Sierra Leone
Namibia
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
Pacific Rim
Australia
New Zealand
Indonesia
Singapore
Malaysia
Philippines
Japan
Taiwan
Papua New Guinea
Cuba
Jamaica
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Eritrea
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