SYLLABUS
AP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY
Ms. Luttrell
659-3088 - Social Studies Office
Plan time – 1:30-2:50 (4th block)
marcia.luttrell@jcps.k12.mo.us
TEXTBOOK: James M. Rubenstein, The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human
Geography, 6th ed., Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1994.
Edward B. Espenshade, Jr., Goode’s World Atlas, 19th Edition, Rand McNally: 1995.
As people on our planet become increasingly interconnected, an understanding of
geography becomes essential. We live in a global community. To function effectively in
this new world demands an understanding of how political, cultural, and environmental
issues are related. Geography provides the method of gaining this global perspective.
Advanced Placement Geography involves more than simply memorizing the location of
places and features. In AP Geography students will develop a geographic perspective by
studying the tools of geography. Students will then apply this geographic perspective to
topics such as: the analysis of population dynamics; understanding cultural systems; the
political organization of space; agricultural and rural land use; the spatial character of
industrial and economic development; and the origin, evolution, and functional character
of cities as a way to understand the built environment.
Students enrolled in AP Geography should be prepared to read and write extensively
on the topics included in this course.
Grading:
Tests/Essays = 60%
Homework/Classwork = 30%
Final Exam = 10%
Makeup Work – All missed work due to an absence, must be made up either before or after
school or during Tuesday or Thursday academic labs.
PERSPECTIVES OF HUMAN GEOGRAPHY
James M. Rubenstein, The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography,
Ch.1: "Basic Concepts," pp. 1-48; Appendix: "Map Scale and Projections," pp. 520-26.
Goode’s: "Map Scale" and "Map Projections," pp. viii-xi.
GEOGRAPHY
Defining Geography, pp. 3-4.
Site and Situation, pp. 12-14.
"How Geography Grew as a Science by Asking ‘Where?’" pp. 7-11.
MAPS AND MAPPING
"Maps," pp. 4-7.
"Mathematical Location," pp. 15-18.
Appendix: "Map Scale and Projections," pp. 520-26.
Goode’s: "Map Scale" and "Map Projections," pp. viii-xi; "Physical Processes," pp. 2425.
DISTRIBUTION
"Distribution: Spatial Regularities," pp. 18-21.
REGIONS
Martin W. Lewis and Kren E. Wigen, The Myth of Continents: A Critique of
Metageography, Berkeley: University of California Press, 1997, "Introduction,"
pp. 1-19, 208-14.
"Region: Areas of Unique Characteristics," pp. 28-33.
GLOBALIZATION
"Spatial Interaction: Interdependence Among Places," pp. 33-37.
"Diffusion: Movement Between Places," pp. 37-42.
Students read the introduction to The Myth of the Continents. They prepare a list of
problems resulting from an over reliance on the continental division of the world, then
write about the authors’ proposed “solution” to the problem.
CULTURE
James M. Rubenstein, The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography,
Ch 4: “Folk & Pop Culture,” pp. 119-149.
Ch 5: "Language," pp. 153-80. Ch. 6: "Religion," pp. 191-228.
CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY
Origin and diffusion of Folk and Pop Culture, pp.119-126
Folk Culture and the Physical Environment, pp. 126-134
Distribution and Diffusion of Pop Culture, pp. 134-143
Issues related to Globalization of Pop Culture, pp. 143-148
Students will compare and contrast folk and pop culture based on origin, cultural region
and method of diffusion.
LANGUAGE
Origin and Diffusion of Indo-European, pp. 171-73
Language Families, pp.153-68
Diffusion of Language Families, pp.168-80.
Language Issues, pp. 180-88.
RELIGION
World Religions, pp. 191-213.
Sacred Places, pp. 213-20.
Religious Issues, pp. 220-26.
Students receive a handout of photos of places sacred to various religions. In groups, they
organize the photos according to which religion they represent, then make lists of the
characteristics of the sacred places related to each religion.
POPULATION AND MIGRATION
James M. Rubenstein, The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography,
Ch. 2, "Population," pp. 49-82; Ch. 3, "Migration," pp. 85-115.
POPULATION
CONCENTRATION AND DENSITY
Joel Cohen, "Choosing Future Population."
Where is the World’s Population Distributed?" pp. 49-58.
DEMOGRAPHICS
"Where Has the World’s Population Increased?" pp. 58-63.
Joel Cohen, "Four Evolutions in Population Growth," How Many People Can the Earth
Support, New York: W. W. Norton, 1995, pp. 25-31.
THE DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION
"Why Is Population Increasing at Different Rates in Different Countries?" pp. 64-67.
POPULATION ISSUES
"Why Might the World Face an Overpopulation Problem?" pp. 76-79.
Joel Cohen, "People Control the Growth of Human Populations," How Many People Can
the Earth Support, New York: W. W. Norton, 1995, pp. 46-75.
MIGRATION
MIGRATION CONCEPTS
"Why Do People Migrate?" pp. 85-93.
Massimo Livi-Bacci, "European Emigration: A Unique Phenomenon," A Concise History
of World Population (Storia Minima Della Populazione Del Mondo), translated by
Carl Ipsen, 2nd Ed., Oxford: Blackwell, 1997, pp. 135-42.
HISTORICAL MIGRATION
"Why Has U.S. Immigration Changed?" pp. 93-100.
"Why Do Migrants Face Obstacles?" pp. 100-07.
INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL MIGRATION
"Why Do People Migrate Within a Country?" pp. 107-14.
Students read an excerpt about the African Diaspora. They then prepare a time line
showing the internal migration of blacks within the U.S. since the end of slavery.
POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY
James M. Rubenstein, The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography,
Ch. 7, "Ethnicity," pp. 229-63; Ch. 8: Political Geography," pp. 265-301.
RACE
Kwame Anthony Appiah, "Race: An Interpretation,"
Race, pp. 237-41
ETHNICITY
Distribution in the U.S., pp. 231-37
Race, pp. 237-41
Nationalities and Ethnicities, pp. 242-48.
Ethnic and National Conflict, pp. 248-61.
POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY
The State, pp. 266-75.
The Physical State, p. 276-82, 289-90.
Nationalism, pp. 282-89.
Unions of States, pp. 291-99.
Working in groups, students research “stateless nations” assigned to them. They then
illustrate a poster showing the proposed state and include information about the nation
and problems which keep the people from becoming a nation state.
AGRICULTURE
James M. Rubenstein, The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography,
Ch. 10, "Agriculture," pp. 335-67.
HEARTHS AND DIFFUSION
"Origins of Agricultural," pp. 337-38.
"Location of Agricultural Hearths," pp. 338-40.
Charles B. Heiser, Jr., Seed to Civilization: The Story of Food, New Edition, Cambridge,
MA: Harvard University Press, 1990, pp. 1-26, 217-19.
AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES
"Shifting Cultivation," pp. 344-46.
"Pastoral Nomadism," pp. 346-48.
"Intensive Subsistence Agriculture," pp. 348-54.
"Mixed Crop and Livestock Farming," pp. 351-54.
"Grain Farming," pp. 354-55; "Livestock Ranching," pp. 355-59.
AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTIONS
Paul L. Knox and Sallie A. Marston, "Agricultural Revolutions," Places, Regions, Global
Context: Human Geography, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1998, pp. 330-37.
J. R. McNeill, "The Green Revolution," Something New Under the Sun: An
Environmental History of the Twentieth Century, New York: Norton, 2000, pp. 219-27.
AGRICULTURAL ISSUES
"Environmental and Cultural Factors," p. 360.
"Economic Issues and Subsistence Farmers," pp. 360-63.
"Economic Issues for Commercial Farmers," pp. 362-64.
Rachel Carson, "Earth’s Green Mantle," Silent Spring, 25th Anniversary Ed., Boston:
Houghton Mifflin, 1962, pp. 63-83.
Aldo Leopold, "The Land Ethic," A Sand County Almanac: And Sketches Here and
There, Special Commemorative Ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1962, 1987, pp. 201-26.
Rural Landscape Analysis – Rural Land Use Map: Students use maps showing
agricultural activities in the U.S. to create a map showing the distribution of selected
features (i.e., dairy, cattle ranching, wheat, corn, etc.). After locating New York, Chicago,
and Los Angeles, we discuss which of those cities best “fits” the von Thunen model of
the distribution of agricultural activities.
ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY
James M. Rubenstein, The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography,
Ch. 11, "Industry," pp. 368-405.
INTRODUCTION
Economic Sectors" pp. 316-17.
THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
"The Industrial Revolution," pp. 371-72.
"Why Europe? Why Then?" "Why Not India?" from David Landes, The Wealth and
Poverty of Nations: Why Some Are So Rich and Some So Poor, New York: Norton, 1999,
pp. 200-12, 225-30.
"Diffusion of the Industrial Revolution," pp. 372-75.
INDUSTRIAL GEOGRAPHY
"Distribution of Industrial Regions," pp. 375-82.
INDUSTRIAL LOCATION THEORY
"Site and Situation of Industrial Regions," pp. 382-95.
POST-INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY
"Post-Industrial Society," from: Daniel Bell, The Coming of Post-Industrial Society: A
Venture in Social Forecasting, Special Anniversary Edition, New York: Basic Books,
1973, 1999, pp. xciv-xcvii, 12-33.
Students create a chart to show the diffusion of the Industrial Revolution around the
globe.
Students will analyze the location of local industries and evaluate the economic and
physical impact of those industries.
DEVELOPMENT
James M. Rubenstein, The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography,
Ch. 9, "Development," pp. 303-33.
MODERNIZATION
DEFINING DEVELOPMENT
Introduction, pp. 305-07.
Paul Seabright, "The Road Upward," New York Review of Books, March 29, 2001, pp.
41-43.
DEVELOPMENT INDICATORS
Indicators, pp. 315-23.
DEVELOPMENT AND THE CORE-PERIPHERY
Regions, pp. 306-14.
DEVELOPMENT MODELS
Models, pp. 323-26.
W. W. Rostow, The Stages of Economic Growth: A Non-Communist Manifesto, 2nd Ed.,
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1971, pp. 4-12.
Working in groups, students create a poster of Rostow’s stages of economic growth. The
poster will have a central theme with which to illustrate each stage of growth. With each
stage students include an illustration related to their theme and a short description of that
stage.
URBAN GEOGRAPHY
James M. Rubenstein, The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography,
Ch. 12, "Services," pp. 407-41; Ch. 13, "Urban Patterns," pp. 443-79.
DEFINING URBANISM
"Urbanization," pp. 445-47; "Defining Urban Settlements," pp. 447-52.
ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF CITIES
"Services in Rural Settlements," pp. 414-17; "World Cities," pp. 423-28; "Hierarchy of
Business Services," pp. 428-30 "Economic Base of Settlements," pp. 430-32.
Michael P. Conzen, "The Progress of American Urbanization, 1860-1930," in Robert D.
Mitchell and Paul A. Groves, North America: The Historical Geography of a Changing
Continent, Savage, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 1990, pp. 347-70.
CHRISTALLER’S CENTRAL PLACE
"Central Place Theory," pp. 417-23.
"Central Place," in Paul L. Knox, Urbanization: An Introduction to Urban Geography,
Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1994, pp. 33-35.
William Cronon, "Gateway City," Nature’s Metropolis: Chicago and the Great West,
New York: Norton, 1991, pp. 263-309, 447-53.
INTERNAL MODELS
"Central Business District," pp. 432-36; "Three Models of Urban Structure," pp. 452-55;
"Use of the Models Outside North America," pp. 455-62.
"The Arab City," From: Albert Hourani, A History of the Arab Peoples, Cambridge, MA:
Belknap Press, 1991, pp. 122-29, 234-38, 295-98, 333-40, .384-88
THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT
"Suburbanization of Business," pp. 436-38; "Inner-City Physical Problems," pp. 463-68;
"The Peripheral Model," pp. 468-76.
Joel Garreau, "The Search for the Future Inside Ourselves: Life on the New Frontier,"
Edge City: Life on the New Frontier, New York: Doubleday, 1991, pp. 4-15.
Analyze Urban Patterns in Central Missouri: Using the Missouri Highway map and
population data, students use proportional symbols to show the distribution of places
around Jefferson City, MO according to the size of population. As a class, we then
discuss whether Christaller’s central place theory applies to our area.