AP Human Geography- Sinski
Somerset College Prep Academy
AP Human Geography
AP Human Geography at our schools is a half year long course that will meet for 90 minute periods every day. This
course is meant to replicate a semester long college level human geography course. The goal of this course is to help
students better critically think about and understand the role that people and societies play in shaping places and the
world around them, to provide a better knowledge base for understanding the world around them, and understand the
ongoing process development of an increasingly interdependent world. This course will also look locally at the Florida
Everglades and the impact that humans have had on our own environment.
Main Course Texts
Human Geography 9th Edition (2009) by Erin H. Fouberg, Alexander B. Murphy, and H. J. de Blij
Supplemental Texts/Resources
Human Geography in Action (2009) by Michael Kuby
The Human Mosaic (2009) by Mona Domosh
The Power of Place: Geography, Destiny, and Globalization’s Rough Landscape (2010) by H. J. De Blij
Why Geography Matters: More Than Ever (2012) by H. J. De Blij
*** Additional case studies, readings, photos, films/documentaries, and documents will also be used to supplement the
learning materials for the duration of this course.
Course Planner
Topic
I. Geography: Its
Nature and
Perspectives
Percent Goals
for Exam
(Multiple
Choice)
5-10%
II. Population
13-17%
III. Cultural Patterns
& Processes
13-17%
Readings

Human Geography CH 1 “Introduction to Human
Geography”
 Why Geography Matters CH 2 “Reading Maps and
Facing Threats”
 Human Geography CH 2 “Population”
 Human Geography CH 3 “Migration”
 Why Geography Matters CH 3”Geography and
Demography”
 The Human Mosaic CH 3 “Population Geography”
 Human Geography in Action CH 5 “One Billion and
Counting”


Human Geography CH 4 “Local Culture, Popular
Culture, and Cultural Landscapes”
Human Geography CH 5 “Identity: Race, Ethnicity,
Coverage
Timeframe
1 Week
2 Week
3 Week
AP Human Geography- Sinski
Somerset College Prep Academy
IV. Political
Organizations of
Space
13-17%
V. Agricultural and
Rural Land Use
13-17%
VI. Industry &
Economic
Development
13-17%
VII. Cities & Urban
Land Use
13-17%
Gender, and Sexuality”
 Human Geography CH 6 “Language”
 Human Geography CH 7 “Religion”
 The Human Mosaic CH 4 “Speaking about Places”
 The Human Mosaic CH 5 “Geographies of Race and
Ethnicity”
 The Human Mosaic CH 6 “ Political Geography”
 The Power Of Place CH 3 “ The Fateful Geography
of Religion”
 (Human Geography in Action CH 2- Activity
2:Cultural Trains of your Culture Sub region)
 Human Geography CH 8 “Political Geography”
 The Human Mosaic “Political Geography”

 Human Geography CH 11 “Agriculture”
Human Geography CH 13 “Human Environment”
[Up to Pg. 423]
 Why Geography Matters CH 4 “Geography and
Climate Change”
 The Human Mosaic CH 8 “Agriculture”
 Human Geography CH 10 “Development”
 Human Geography CH 12 “Industry and Service”
 Human Geography CH 14 “Globalization and the
Geography of Networks”
 Human Geography CH 9 Pgs. 247-251 (Wallerstein)
 The Human Mosaic CH 9 “Geography of Economics”
 Human Geography in Action CH 7 “Rags to Riches”
 Human Geography CH 9 “Urban Geography”
 Human Geography Urban Environmental Issues
(CH 13 Pg. 423-434)
 The Human Mosaic CH 10 “Urbanization”
 The Power of Place CH 8 “Power and the City”
2 ½ Weeks

Review Week
Course Outline
I.
2 Weeks
Introduction to Human Geography: Nature & Perspectives of Geography
A. What is Human Geography? (History & Modern Day)
B. Spatial Perspectives
C. What do Maps Tell Us
i. Mental Maps
ii. Generalization in Maps
iii. Remote sensing, GIS, and Global Positioning Systems (GPS)
D. Scale
E. Culture &Regions
2 Weeks
2 Weeks
1 Week
AP Human Geography- Sinski
Somerset College Prep Academy
II.
Population
A. Where do People live, and why?
B. Population Density & Distribution
i. Reliability of Population Data
ii. Why do populations rise and fall?
C. Demographic Transition Model (Graphing DTM Activity)
D. Future Population Growth
E. Population Dynamics
i. Population Pyramids (Population Pyramid Activity)
ii. Infant Mortality
iii. Child Mortality
iv. Life expectancy/Disease
F. What is Migration and why do people migrate?
i. Cyclical v periodic movement
ii. Migration
iii. Forced Migration
iv. Push & Pull Factors
G. Global vs Regional vs National Migration Flows (Residential Mobility)
H. Legal restrictions on Migration
III.
Cultural Patterns & Processes
A. Culture
i. Cultural Diffusion
ii. Rural v Popular Culture
1. Hearths of Popular Culture
2. Cultural Region & Vernacular Region (How Y'all, Youse and You Guys Talk - The New York
Times: Online Activity)
a. (Human Geography in Action CH 2- Activity 2:Cultural Trains of your Culture Sub
region)
iii. Acculturation, Assimilation, Multiculturism
B. Identity
i. Race
ii. Ethnicity, Place, nationalism
C. Language
i. Language Distribution
ii. Language Families (Interconnectedness of Language)
iii. Lingua Franca
iv. Multilingualism & Official Languages
D. Religion
i. 5 Main Religions
1. Hearths of Belief
ii. Sacred Space
AP Human Geography- Sinski
Somerset College Prep Academy
IV.
Political Organization of Space
A. How are boundaries established
i. Meaning & nature of Boundaries
ii. Spatial Relation between political systems & patterns of ethnicity, economy, and gender
B. How did we politically organize nations & states?
i. Nations & Nation States
ii. Mutistate Nations, Multinational States, & Statelessness
iii. Colonialism & Imperialism: History & Legacy
iv. Geopolitics: Democratization, Communism, and Legacy of the Cold War
C. What is the future of the state?
i. League of Nations & United Nations
ii. Supernational Organizations
iii. European Union
V.
Agricultural and Rural Land Use
A. Development & Diffusion of Agriculture
i. Hunting, Gathering, and Fishing
ii. First Agricultural Revolution
B. Agriculture changes after Industrialization
i. Second Industrial Revolution
ii. Von Thunen’s Model
iii. Green Revolution (Third Industrial Revolution)
iv. Genetically Modified Foods (GMOs)
C. Global Pattern of Agriculture and Agribusiness
i. Koppen Climate Classification System
ii. World Map of Agriculture: Cash Crops & Plantation Agriculture, Cotton & Rubber, Luxury Crops,
Commercial Livestock/ Fruit/ and Grain, Subsistence Agriculture, Mediterranean Agriculture,
Illegal Drugs
D. How has the Environment Changed Over Time?
E. Human impact on the Environment (Human Impact on the Florida Everglades)
i. Environmental Stress
ii. Renewable Resources
iii. Water Cycle
iv. Global Warming
v. Oxygen Cycle
vi. Deforestation
vii. Landfills
VI.
Industry and Economic Development
A. The industrial Revolution
B. Location Theories Explain Industrial Location
i. Weber’s Model
ii. Hotelling’s Model
iii. Losch’s Model
AP Human Geography- Sinski
Somerset College Prep Academy
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
VII.
Major Industrial Regions (Manufacturing Belts): Germany, American, Former Soviet Union, Japan,
Eastern China (Modern)
The Core, Semi periphery, and the Periphery
Economic Development
i. Gross National Product, Gross Domestic Product, Gross National Income
ii. Rostow’s Stages of Economic Growth
iii. Wallerstein’s World Systems Theory (CH 9 Pgs. 246-251)
iv. Dependency Theories
Barriers to Economic Development
Role of Networks in Globalization
i. Time-Space Compression
ii. NGOs & Participatory Development
iii. Vertical vs Horizontal Integration
iv. Personal Connectedness
Cities and Urban Land Use
A. Development of Cities
i. Hearths of Urbanization
ii. Diffusion of Urbanization
iii. Greek & Roman Cities
iv. Megacities
v. Suburbanization
B. Where are cities located and why? (Models of Urban Hierarchies)
i. Gravity Model
ii. Christaller’s Central Place Theory & Hexagonal Hinterlands
iii. Rank-size Rule
C. Urban Models
i. Concentric Zone Model (Burgess)
ii. Sector Model (Hoyt)
iii. Multiple Nuclei Model (Harris & Ullman)
D. Models for Latin America, North Africa & Middle East, sub-Saharan Africa, East Africa, and South Asia
E. The making of cities
i. Urban Sprawl & Urbanization
ii. Gated Communities & McMansions (Cookie Cutter Towns/Geography of Nowhere)
F. Ethnicity and Urbanization
G. Urban Environmental Issues (CH 13 Pg. 423-434)
i. Desertification & Deforestation
ii. Landfills (Waste Disposal)
iii. Biodiversity
H. Patterns of Consumption
i. Technology
ii. Transportation
iii. Energy & Alternative Energy
iv. Protection of the Ozone Layer
AP Human Geography- Sinski
Somerset College Prep Academy
Class Procedures
Class will consist of a number of different types of assessments. Tests, quizzes, home study, class work,
notebooks, bell work, papers, presentations, and projects will all be used in some form throughout the year to
help determine the students’ understand and synthesis of the class material. Depending on activities students
may work alone or in groups, outside of school or in class, or in some other possible scenario.
Tests & Quizzes: Tests will be given regarding every topic covered in AP Human Geography. Assessments
will cover multiple chapters throughout the book, but every assessment will have a focus. Each test or quiz
will contain some questions from old material as a means of constant review. Students should be prepared for
a combination of short answer (multiple choice, matching, true/false) and free response questions (FRQ).
Quizzes are much shorter, less formal checks to see how students are absorbing and integrating information.
Quizzes could be anything from a short series of multiple choice questions, to analyzing primary source
information, or a short essay question. Quizzes will be used as a more frequent way of checking how students
are doing with the information. Quizzes will normally be announced, but the teacher reserves the right to give
unannounced quizzes if it is deemed appropriate.
Home Learning & Class Work: Home Learning & Class Work are an integral part to a student’s success in
US History. The scope of AP Human Geography is vast, and students need to be reviewing or pre-learning
information to make the information “stick”. With the ability to check the text, use the internet, consult
friends, or ask the teacher questions students should seek to consistently score the highest grade possible.
Doing well on the home learning will lead to success during in class activities.
Students will have classwork throughout the semester in AP Human Geography. Some assignments may be
meant to finish in class, and will be collected as such. Other assignments may be started in class and then
finished as homework. For this reason the two categories are grouped together.
Bell Work & Notebooks: Bell work will be a short introductory idea or question at the start of class
reviewing old material, introducing a new idea, or asking a student to explain a concept. Students will be
required to write the bell work question and their answer into their notes. Bell work will be checked on a
regular basis and entered as a grade.
Notebooks will be checked periodically to make sure students are completing the bell work, taking notes,
completing vocabulary lists, and keeping up with class.
Papers/ Presentations/ Projects: Throughout the year students will be required to complete a paper,
presentation, or project. This can range from a student having to talk about a current event that they think is
important and explaining it to the class for a few minutes, to doing independent research on a topic of their
choosing. The exact number or papers/ presentations/ projects will change based on events throughout the
year, but students can expect the complete them all by the end of the school year.
Late Work: Late work will be accepted, but will suffer a 10% penalty for every class it is late. If a student
was absent they are required to hand in work the NEXT SCHOOL DAY they are present or else it will be
counted as late. Students have One calendar week to hand in a late assignment. Late assignments will
not be accepted after that
(Ex: Student work was due on Monday the 15th, they must hand it in by Monday the 22nd for a
maximum possible score of a 30%).
Class Behavior: Students who are misbehaving in class: talking, passing notes, listening to music, using
their cell phones or other electronic devices (tablets, e-readers, etc.), sleeping, or anything else deemed to be
AP Human Geography- Sinski
Somerset College Prep Academy
a distraction by the teacher will be asked to stop. If after the behavior continues the student will be given a
detention or a referral as needed.
Electronics Policy: Students are not to use electronic devices in this class unless they are directed to do so by
the teacher.
Grade Breakdown: