Course Description:____________________________________________
Geography is the study of patterns and trends around the Earth. To succeed in this discipline, you must train yourself to
think spatially. For a given something you must be able to answer the question: Where is it? Why is it where it is? To
answer these questions, you will need to use maps, charts, data, and a lot of critical thinking.
The more you look at the world in a geographic way the more you will realize that this class is essential for students success
in a global economy. As the world becomes smaller and more interconnected, as the world’s resources become harder to
access, we run the risk of creating a world that is more unstable and explosive. To avoid this, we must all become globallyaware citizens and act accordingly.
Teacher Contact Information:_______________________________________________
Ms. Kovacs Rm 334
Lauren.Kovacs@jefferson.kyschools.us
School Phone Number: 502-485-8251
Website: http://aphgferncreek.weebly.com/
Grading:__________________________________________________
This course represents a college level course. This means that your grades will reflect how well you can demonstrate your
level of understanding for the different units of study. You will have the opportunity to raise a grade if you can
demonstrate that you have gained a better understanding of the concept. In the opposing way, your grade can also decrease
if you have trouble retaining the concepts. The point is that you will always have a way to improve your grade.
APHG will be testing the level of understanding in the following areas:

Students apply geographic knowledge and skills (e.g., location, place, human/environment interactions, movement, and
regions)

Students demonstrate an understanding of the effects of time, continuity, and change on historical and future
perspectives and relationships

Students make informed decisions based on an understanding of the economic principals of production, distribution,
exchange, and consumption

Students demonstrate an understanding of the impact of human interactions and cultural diversity on societies.

Students analyze how people create and change structures of power, authority, and government to understand the
operation of government and to demonstrate civic responsibility.
The standards that students will be evaluated on are laid out by the College Board for AP Human Geography Courses. Your
final grade will be based on an average of all the standards. (4.0 for exceeding standard, 3.0 for meeting, 2.0 for
approaching and 1.0 for not meeting standard).
• Use and think about maps and spatial data. Geography is concerned with the ways in which patterns on
Earth’s surface reflect and influence physical and human processes. As such, maps and spatial data are
fundamental to the discipline, and learning to use and think about them is critical to geographical
literacy. The goal is achieved when students learn to use maps and spatial data to pose and solve
problems, and when they learn to think critically about what is revealed and what is hidden in different
maps and spatial arrays.
•Understand and interpret the implications of associations among phenomena in places. Geography looks
at the world from a spatial perspective, seeking to understand the changing spatial organization and
material character of Earth’s surface. One of the critical advantages of a spatial perspective is the
attention it focuses on how phenomena are related to one another in particular places. Students should
thus learn not just to recognize and interpret patterns but to assess the nature and significance of the
relationships among phenomena that occur in the same place, and to understand how tastes and values,
political regulations, and economic constraints work together to create particular types of cultural
landscapes.
• Recognize and interpret at different scales the relationships among patterns and processes.
Geographical analysis requires a sensitivity to scale, not just as a spatial category but as a framework
for understanding how events and processes at different scales influence one another. Thus, students
should understand that the phenomena they are studying at one scale (e.g., local) may well be influenced
by developments at other scales (e.g., regional, national, or global). They should then look at processes
operating at multiple scales when seeking explanations of geographic patterns and arrangements.
• Define regions and evaluate the regionalization process. Geography is concerned not simply with
describing patterns but with analyzing how they came about and what they mean. Students should see
regions as objects of analysis and exploration and move beyond simply locating and describing regions to
considering how and why they come into being and what they reveal about the changing character of the
world in which we live.
• Characterize and analyze changing interconnections among places. At the heart of a geographical
perspective is a concern with the ways in which events and processes operating in one place can influence
those operating at other places. Thus, students should view places and patterns not in isolation but in
terms of their spatial and functional relationship with other places and patterns. Moreover, they should
strive to be aware that those relationships are constantly changing, and they should understand how and
why change occurs.
Grading Scale
A->
B->
C->
D->
U->
100% to 90%
89% to 80%
79% to 70%
69% to 60%
59% or below
Grade Weight
Classwork
Formative Assessment
Summative Assessment
Homework
Final Exam
20%
20%
30%
20%
10%
**Students must complete homework to be successful. Extended School Day (ESD) will be available on Mondays for students
who require extra help.
Textbooks/Resources:_____________________________________________________
Rubenstein, James M. The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography. 9th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.:
Prentice Hall, 2008 (the textbook that will be coming home)
de Blij, H.J. and Alexander B. Murphy, Human Geography: Culture, Society and Space, 8th ed. New York: John Wiley, 2007
Knox, Paul L. and Marston, Sallie A. Human Geography: Places and Regions in Global Context, 5th ed. New Jersey, 2010
Jordan-Bychkov, Terry and Domosh, Mona. The Human Mosaic: A Thematic Introduction to Cultural Geography, 10th ed. New
York: Freeman 2006
U.S. Census Bureau (www.census.gov)
Nationalatlas.gov
AP Human Geography Examination:____________________________________________
Tuesday, May 13th at 12:00 pm is the APHG Exam. It is expected that if you are in this class, you will be taking
the exam. If you are concerned about the cost of the AP exam, arrangements can be made in order for you to
demonstrate your knowledge of Human Geography.
Assignment Extension Requests:_____________________________________________
Any work that is submitted will get feedback; which will allow you to be able to determine your next steps in
your learning. However, for your work to be considered for a grade you MUST submit your work on time!! Late
work will not be accepted unless if is an excused absence. However, all work we do in class should be meaningful,
so late work will still help you achieve mastery of geographical concepts.
If you know that you will be unable to submit work in on time, you make speak with me and I will decide whether
or not to accept your assignment. This discussion needs to be made before the due date if at all possible. I will
make the final decision on whether or not to I will accept the work.
Expectations:___________________________________________________________
You are expected to:
 Treat yourself and others in the class with respect at all times.
 Arrive on time for class
 Be prepared for class at all times
 To take care of all personal matters before the bell rings
 TRY—even when it may seem too difficult, too boring, or too easy.
You should expect from me:
 To treat you with the same respect that you show me.
 A meaningful, challenging lesson
 A passion for learning new things.
 Meet you at the level you are, but care enough to challenge you out of your comfort zone.
Supply List Highly Recommended: ____________________________________________
1 2-3” 3 Ring Notebook
1 package of Loose Leaf Paper (Wide or College
Rule)
Tab Dividers
Mechanical or Regular Pencils
Blue or Black Ink Pens
Binder: Organization is essential to academic success. Some of you may not practice any system of orderliness
and so, therefore, must do so in this course. Your class binder will be used for organizing all class materials,
handouts, notes, returned work or exams, etc. Each unit will have its own tab, under which will be all notes and
materials from that unit. All work will be placed in the notebook chronologically.
Units of Study:__________________________________________________________
I.
Nature of Geography - Basic Concepts
Essential Questions:
 What is Geography?
 Why does Geography Matter?
 How do Geographers learn about the world?
 What does it mean to organize something
geographically?
Concepts:
 The advantages and disadvantages of Maps and
globes
 What is a mental map and why do we have them?
Basic Map Skills: Latitude/Longitude, time and
space, scale, projections, spacial organization.
 Historical background for Geography as a
discipline
 Spatial Organization: place, region, site,
situation, density, distribution, pattern, diffusion
Assignments:
 Reading(s) Chapter 1
 Power of Place Program 1 One Earth, Many Scales
 Map Quizzes
 Vocabulary Quiz


Unit 1 Exam
___________________________________________________________________________________
II.
Population and Migration III.
Essential Questions:
 How do populations affect your choices and
resources?
 Why do people move?
 How do geographers understand and evaluate
human population patterns and trends?
 Why do people live where they do?
Concepts:
 Basic demographic concepts: population size,
density, distribution, growth rate, doubling time,
life expectancy
 Predict the consequences of growing and
declining population
 Analyze world food and population trends from a
Malthusian perspective
 Natural Hazards and population impacts
 Read population cartograms, density, and
distribution maps
 Interpret population pyramids
Demographic transition model
Compare and contrast China and India’s
approaches to population control
 Epidemiologic transition for different stages of
demographic transition
 Push/Pull Factors
 Distinguish between types of movement
circulation, migration, forces/voluntary migration
Assignments:
 Reading(s) Chapter 2-3
 Population Pyramid Assignment
 Map Quizzes
 Vocabulary Quiz
 Power of Place (Program 3 – Supranationalism and


Devolution; Program 5 – The Transforming
Industrial Hinterland)


Chapter Tests
Unit 2 Exam
___________________________________________________________________________________
III.
Cultural Patterns
Essential Questions:
 How does geographical location affect culture?
 When can culture cause conflict?
 Is Folk culture more preferable than pop
culture?
Concepts:
 Explain how geographic isolation resulted in
groups that shared similar genetic traits
 Aspects of cultural identity including race,
ethnicity, nationality, gender, religion, language,
gender and sub cultural groups
 Distinguish folk and popular cultural origins,
diffusion, distribution
 Structures of language
 Common aspects of religion
Assignments:
 Reading(s) Chapter 4-7
 Map Quizzes
 Vocabulary Quizzes
 Power of Place (Program 7 – Northwest Contrast;
Program 8 – Holding the Hinterlands)
 Chapter Tests
 Unit 3 Exam
_____________________________________________________________________
IV.
Political Organization of Space
Essential Questions:
 Are geographical boundaries necessary?
 How do humans organize space?
 When do boundaries cause conflict?
Concepts:
 Explain how states are organized by structure,
political authority and government
 Evolution of the notion of state: city states,
empire, colony, imperialism, nation states
 Identify the advantages and disadvantages of
different types of boundaries
Identify the advantages and disadvantages of
different shapes of states
 Supranational and non-governmental
organizations
 Impact on terrorism on the political
organizations
 Centripetal and centrifugal forces
Assignments:
 Reading(s) Chapter 8
 Map Quizzes
 Vocabulary Quizzes


Power of Place (Program 19 – Strength to
currently or historically. Also, maps are
accompanied with a written explanation of
the dispute including people involved, type
of boundary dispute and effects dispute has
on people and environment.
Overcome; Program 20 – Developing Countries)


Unit 4 Exam
Political Concepts in Current Events
Case Study – Creation of map displaying
border disputes within chosen countries
___________________________________________________________________________________

V.
Agriculture and Rural Land Use
Essential Questions:
 To what extent does a diverse landscape affect
people and their use of it?
 How acceptable is it for humans to alter their
environment to grow/develop what they desire?
 How can agricultural patterns influence economic
activity?
Concepts:
 Agricultural products hearths world-wide
 Agricultural revolutions(Neolithic, Industrial,
Agriculture, Green Revolution and GM Revolution)
 Farming styles (Subsistence, commercial,
intensive)
 Von Thunen’s model of land use in application to
agricultural regions
Whittlesey’s Agricultural regions
Rural settlement types (Linear, Cluster,
Dispersed)
 Sustainability
Assignments:
 Reading(s) Chapter 10
 Map Quizzes
 Vocabulary Quizzes
 Power of Place (Program 17 – Sacred Space,


Secular States; Program 18 – Oil and Water)


Unit 5 Exam
Agriculture Project
___________________________________________________________________________________
VI.
Industrial and Economic Development
Essential Questions:
 Who is responsible for determining rights to land
and resources?
 Should humans use of land and natural resources
be limited?
Concepts:
 How do space-time compression and the
international division of labor affect market
orientation and the production process?
 Primary, secondary and tertiary economic
activities
 Comparative and Absolute Advantage
 Causes of poverty, in relation to MDC and LDC
issues
 Issues of Development:
o Microcredit Model
o Gender Issues
o Self-Sufficiency Model
o Rostow Development Mode
o Spread of Industrialization
 Major industrial regions of the world and the
United States
 Site and situation factors that influence the
location of industries
 Weber’s Industrial Location Theory
 Problems of industry in developed and developing
countries
Assignments:
 Reading(s) Chapter 9 & 11
 Map Quizzes
 Vocabulary Quizzes
 Power of Place (Program 16 – Urban and Rural


Contrasts)
Chapter Tests
Unit 6 Exam
_____________________________________________________________________
VII. Cities and Urban Land Uses
Essential Questions:
 Are cities more appealing or more necessary?
 What are the purposes of urban areas?
Concepts:
 Urban Models (concentric zone, multiple-nuclei,
sector) and identify the characteristics of the
largest city in the local region
 Use census data on US cities to verify the rank
size rule





Contrast American city structure to one other
region
Describe how market area for services are based
on threshold and range (central place theory)
Christaller’s Central Place Theory
Service types and map specialization of different
cities
Comparison of the bid-rent curve of cities and
Von Thunen’s model
Rural to urban mitigation patterns and the impact
on world cities
 Problems of inner cities and suburbs from a
geographic perspective
Assignments:
 Reading(s) Chapter 12 & 13
 Map Quizzes




Vocabulary Quizzes
Chapter tests
Power of Place (Program 9 – Changes on the
Chang Jiang; Program 10 – The Booming Maritime
Edge)

Unit 7 Exam
Exams: Exams will be similar in format to the Advanced Placement test. They will be timed based on the
number of questions. They will consist of multiple choice and free response questions.
Oral Reports & Essays/Research Papers: Students will be required to present information to the
class in both oral and written forms. Sometimes the information will be a formal presentation, while other
times students will be required to present a discussion question to the class. Writing formats will be covered in
class. Students will not plagiarize and will cite their resources appropriately.
The AP Human Geography Exam will be held on Tuesday May 13th at 12:00 pm.
*Assignments listed on this syllabus are subject to change at the discretion of the instructor.
Case Study Project: Each student is assigned 5 locations- their neighborhood, a U.S. state, and three countries.
Students will use their locations as examples as they study the various topics. Students act as our “in class”
experts on each assigned location.
i.
Geography: Its Nature and Perspective
a.
Case Study – Written and Visual reports
i. Identify the relative and absolute location of your assigned U.S. state and countries.
ii. Find a different type of map for each of your assigned countries.
iii. Find or create a map associated with the US and your assigned U.S. state that illustrates
scale.
iv. Identify the regions (and their types) associated with your neighborhood, assigned U.S.
state, and assigned countries.
v. Identify the climate type and key features (countries only)
ii.
Population
a.
Case Study – Written an d Visual reports
i. Distribution (key concentrations)- state, countries
ii. Density (arithmetic and physiological)- state, countries
iii. Population pyramids- neighborhood, state, countries
iv.
Natural hazards (past, present, future)- state, countries
v. Population trends over time- state, countries
vi. Where it fits in the Demographic Transition Model- countries
vii. Fertility, mortality, and health statistics- countries
viii. Population policies- countries
ix. Push and pull factors- state, countries
x. Migrations- state, countries
xi. Immigration patterns and policies- state, countries
iii.
Cultural Patterns and Processes
a.
Case Study – Facebook webpage creation OR Written Report
i. Language patterns- state and countries
ii. Religions present and their beliefs- state and countries
iii. Presence of popular and folk culture- countries
iv. Major ethnic groups- state and countries
v. Ethnic conflicts- countries
vi. Cultural landscape- neighborhood, state, and countries
vii. Environmental impact of cultural attitudes and practices- countries
iv.
Political Organization of Space
a.
Case Studyi. Boundary types and conflicts- countries
ii. Boundary impacts (identity, interaction, exchange)- countries
iii. Role of countries in colonialism and imperialism
iv. Type of government organization- countries
v. Alliances- countries
vi. Centrifugal and centripetal forces- countries
v.
Agriculture and Rural Land Use
a.
Case Study
i. Major agricultural imports- countries
ii. Major agricultural exports- countries
iii. Settlement patterns- countries
iv. Traditional housing- countries
Industrialization and Economic Development
vi.
a.
Case Study - Core-Periphery Mapping Assignment
i. Economic cores and peripheries- countries
ii. Role in the world economy- countries
iii. Economic activities- state and countries
iv. Variations of development within countries
v. Quality of life- countries
vi. Government development initiatives- countries
Cities and Urban Land Use
vii.
a.
Case Study
i. Major cities- state and countries
ii. Evolution of cities over time- state and countries
iii. Transportation and infrastructure- state and countries
iv. Political organization of cities- state and countries
v. Urban planning and design- state and countries
vi. Development within and surrounding cities- state and countries
Student
Neighborhood
U.S. State
Country 1
Country 2
Country 3
1
2
3
Maryland
Arizona
Alaska
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Switzerland
Algeria
Argentina
Brazil
Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
4
Indiana
Sweden
Bulgaria
Angola
5
Wyoming
Sweden
China
Bahrain
6
Ohio
Spain
China
Bangladesh
7
Florida
Spain
Cuba
Barbados
8
Hawaii
Portugal
Czech Republic
Belarus
9
Louisiana
Norway
Egypt
Belize
10
Georgia
New Zealand
Greece
Bolivia
11
Nevada
Netherlands
India
Botswana
12
Utah
Netherlands
India
Cambodia
13
Virginia
Japan
Indonesia
Chad
14
New Jersey
Japan
Indonesia
Chile
15
Washington
Italy
Iran
Colombia
16
Missouri
Italy
Iran
Costa Rica
17
North Carolina
Ireland
Israel
Cote d’Ivoire
18
Alabama
Germany
Mexico
Cyprus
19
Illinois
France
New Zealand
Ethiopia
20
Michigan
France
Nigeria
Ghana
21
Texas
Finland
Russia
Guatemala
22
New Mexico
Denmark
Saudi Arabia
Haiti
23
Wisconsin
Denmark
Saudi Arabia
Honduras
24
Tennessee
Canada
Singapore
Kenya
25
South Carolina
Canada
South Africa
Lesotho
26
New York
Belgium
South Africa
Madagascar
27
Oklahoma
Belgium
South Korea
Nigeria
28
Mississippi
Austria
Turkey
Philippines
29
Colorado
Austria
Uruguay
Rwanda
30
California
Australia
Venezuela
Yemen
31
Pennsylvania
Australia
Vietnam
Yugoslavia