Marion County High School
Advanced Placement Human Geography
2013-14 Syllabus
Instructor: Jamie L. Brown
Phone: 270-692-6066 ext. 203
E-mail: jamie.brown@marion.kyschools.us
This 9th grade course will fulfill one required Social Studies credit towards high school graduation. Three hours
of college credit available upon successful national exam passing score. The test is scheduled for Friday, May
16, 2013 at 8 a.m.
Course Overview: Advanced Placement Human Geography is an introductory college course in human
geography. The exam assumes that you have taken the equivalent of one semester of college-level
preparation, with the understanding that at Marion County High School, this is a full-year course. The course
correlates to a typical introductory college course, whose purpose is to introduce you to a systematic study of
patterns and processes that have shaped human’s understanding, use and alteration of Earth’s surface. You
will look spatially at the Earth to analyze human’s organization of space and the environmental consequences
of their decisions. You will be looking for patterns across the cultural landscape, trying to identify trends and
anticipate future phenomena. You will also explore different methods and tools geographers use in their
science and practice.
Standards:
Upon completion of the APHG course, students should be able to:
 Use and think about maps and spatial data;
 Understand and interpret the implications of associations among phenomena in places;
 Recognize and interpret at different scales the relationships among patterns and processes;
 Define regions and evaluate the regionalization process;
 Characterize and analyze changing interconnections among places.
Course Content:
 Geography: It’s Nature and Perspectives;
 Population;
 Cultural Patterns and Processes;
 Political Organizations of Space;
 Agricultural and Rural Land Use;
 Industrialization and Economic Development;
 Cities and Urban Land Use.
PRIMARY TEXT
Rubenstein, James M. The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography. 10th ed. Upper Saddle
River, N.J.: Prentice Hall. 2011. (PRIMARY TEXT)
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TEXTS USED
de Blij, H.J. and Alexander B. Murphy, Human Geography: Culture, Society and Space, 8th ed. New York: John
Wiley, 2008.
Annual Editions for Geography 23rd ed., Urban Society 15th ed., Global Issues 12/13, Environment 12/13 and
World Politics 12/13.
I reserve the right to use additional sources to prepare my lessons.
COURSE PLANNER
Topic
I. Geography: It’s Nature
and Perspective
II. Population
III. Cultural Patterns and
Processes
IV. Political Organization
of Space
V. Agricultural and Rural
Land Use
VI. Industrialization and
Economic Development
V. Cities and Urban Land
Use
EXAM REVIEW
Multiple-Choice
Coverage on the
APHG Exam
5-10%
Text Readings
Time
Rubenstein, Ch. 1
3.5 weeks
13-17%
13-17%
Rubenstein, Ch. 2-3
Rubenstein, Ch. 4-7
4.5 weeks
6 weeks
13-17%
Rubenstein, Ch. 8
5 weeks
13-17%
Rubenstein, Ch. 10
&14
Rubenstein, Ch. 9, 11,
& 14
Rubenstein, Ch. 12-13
4 weeks
13-17%
13-17%
4 weeks
4 weeks
4 weeks
2
COURSE AND UNIT OUTLINE
Unit Outline &
Objectives
Required
Reading
Course Introduction
AP course
expectations and
perspectives
introduction
UNIT I: Nature&
Perspective
-Geography as a
field of inquiry
-the historical
development of
geography
-Key concepts
underlying the
geographic
perspective:
location &
distribution.
-How to use and
think about maps &
spatial data sets
-How to define
regions & the
regionalization
process
-How to
characterize spatial
interaction
-Geographic
technologies, such
as GIS, remote
sensing, and GPS
UNIT II:
Population
-Density,
distribution & scale
-Consequences of
growth
-Patterns and
composition
-Population and
natural hazards
-Population growth
and decline over
Skills/
Technology
Instruction
Organization
Goal Setting
Time
Rubenstein,
Ch 1
Thinking
Geographically
Management
Reading skills
Note-taking/
Study skills
Media
Instruction
2 Million
Minutes: A
Documentary
Calculating the
Educational
Divide
Human
Geography
Videos on DVD
R.E.M.’s “Stand”
and perspectives
Essay on “My
Two Million
Minutes of High
School”
Defining Regions
of the U.S.
True Maps, False
Impressions:
Making,
Manipulating
and Interpreting
Maps
Map skills and
scale
Assessment
Rubenstein Ch. 1
Reading
Quizzes
"The Big
Questions in
Geography"
Annual
Editions
"The Four
Traditions of
Geography" by
W. Pattison
Sample
Activities
Globalization101
.org
Unit exammultiple choice
and free
response exam
Latitude and
Longitude Lab
"Globalization
of Culture"
Review
flashcards
Rubenstein,
Ch. 2-3
Population
Migration
Population
Connection
articles, "The
Thesis
statement
writing
Human
Geography
Videos on DVD:
Cash Flow Fever
Understanding
essay question
command
statements
Population
pyramids project
NFL Project
Demographic
Transition
Model: Sweden
& China
Debate
Rubenstein Ch. 2
& 3 Reading
Quizzes
Unit exam-
3
time and space
Historical trends &
projections for the
future
-Natural increase
and fertility
-Regional variance
-Why people
migrate
-U.S. immigration
-Obstacles to
migration
-Short term
migration between
regions of a country
UNIT III:
Cultural Patterns
and Processes
-Folk & Pop Cultureorigin & diffusion
and globalization of
pop culture
-Languagedistribution and
origin & diffusion
-Preservation of
local languages
-Religionuniversalizing and
ethnic religions
-Religion-origin &
diffusion and
organization of
space
-Religion and
territorial conflict
-Ethnicitydistribution of
ethnicities in the US
-Ethnicity and
nationality
-Ethnic clash and
genocide
Thirsty Billion"
and "Ten
Environmental
and
Population
Connections"
"The New
Population
Bomb", "Why
Migration
Matters",
"Manifest
Destinations"
Annual Edition
Rubenstein,
Ch. 4-7
Folk and
Popular
Culture
practice
Reading and
constructing
graphs, bar
and pie charts,
population
pyramids
Map work-U.S.
regions and
North America
YouTubeNational
Geographic "7
Billion"
The Lost Boys
(YouTube)
Ted Talks-Hans
Rosling on
Global
Population
Growth
Critical
thinking skills
Making
inferences
based on data
Human
Geography
Videos on DVD
Debate
Population
theorists
(Malthus and his
critics and world
health threats)
What in the
world is an
underdeveloped
nation?
Review
flashcards
The World in Six
Drinks: Food,
Culture and
APHG
Language Tree
Rubenstein Ch.
4, 5, 6 & 7
Reading Quizzes
Language
Religion
Ethnicity
"Should
English be the
Official
Language of
the U.S.?
Presentation
skills
Article Review
skills
Mind Maps
Mountain Talk,
Tennessee
Crossroads-The
Amish, Ebonics
Comparative
Religions Project
Discovery
Education:
Christianity,
Islam, Judaism,
Buddhism,
Animism
Landscape
analysis of
China, the U.S.
and Italy for the
influence of
religion in
architecture and
landscape
World map
skills
Ethnicity Case
Studies
Rubenstein
Chapter Exam
4-5-Multiple
Choice
World/regional
map tests
Rwanda
documentary
Review
flashcards
PBS: The Heart
of the Matter
UNIT IV:
Political
Organization of
Space
-Defining state,
multiple choice
and free
response exam
Mapping skills
Mapping activity
of the UN and
shapes of states
4
Unit exammultiple choice
and free
response exam
nation and nationstate
-Investigate the
development of
state concept from
ancient, colonial and
imperialist examples
-Boundaries and
their influence
-Federal & unitary
states
-Changes and
challenges to
political-territorial
arrangementssovereignty,
unification,
alliances,
supranationalism,
and devolution
-Electoral geography
-Terrorism
UNIT V:
Agriculture and
Rural Land Use
-Development and
diffusion of
agriculture
-Agricultural areas in
LDC’s
-Agricultural areas in
MDC’s
-Variations within
major zones and
effects of markets
-Agricultural
variation among
regions on a global
scale
-Application of the
von Thunen
agricultural model.
-Modern
commercial
agriculture and the
effect of farming on
the environment.
UNIT VI:
Industrialization &
Economic
Development
-Growth and
Rubenstein,
Ch. 8
Political
Geography
"Global Trends
2025: A
Transformed
World",
"Demystifying
the Arab
Spring", "The
Great
Democracy
Meltdown",
"The Global
Financial
System and
the Challenges
Ahead"-Annual
Editions
Rubenstein,
Ch. 10 & 14
Agriculture
Resources
"The
Agricultural
Impact of
Global Climate
Change",
"Troubled
Waters", "The
New
Geopolitics of
Food" -Annual
Editions
"Confined
Livestock
Better for the
Planet"
Rubenstein,
Ch 9, 11 & 14.
Development
Writing FRQ’s
Technical
writing
Analysis of
data
Human
Geography
Videos on DVD
Waving flagsFIFA World Cup
Political
organization of
space
independent
project
Rubenstein Ch 8
Reading Quizzes
Landscape
analysis of
Europe based on
political
divisions
World/Regional
Map Tests
Failed States
YouTube-Inside
North Korea,
National
Geographic
"The Journey
Back from 9/11"
Discovery Educ.
Internet
research skills
Mapping skills
Human
Geography
Videos on DVD
YouTube:
Grocery Store
Wars, Food
Matters, Is WalMart Good for
America?, The
Hungary Planet
UN Analysis
Geography of
terror: A case
study
Review
flashcards
Agricultural
Locations in the
U.S.
Fear of Harvest
Rubenstein Ch
10 & 14 Reading
Quizzes
Mapping U.S.
agriculture
World/Regional
Map Tests
It All Starts with
a Seed
Miracle Grain
simulation
Compare/Cont
rast skills
The Meatrix
Review
flashcards
Internet
research skills
Human
Geography
Videos on DVD
5
Unit exammultiple choice
and free
response exam
Extreme
Makeover-LDC
Edition
Unit exammultiple choice
and free
response exam
diffusion of industry
-Changing roles of
energy and
technology
-Industrial
Revolution
-Contemporary
patterns and
impacts of
industrialization and
development
-Define and classify
problems
encountered by
industries in both
the LDCs and MDCs
of the world.
-Spatial organization
of the world
economy
-Deindustrialization
and economic
restructuring
-Globalization and
international
division of labor
-Natural resources
and environmental
concerns
-Sustainable
development
-Local development
initiatives:
government policies
-Women in
development
UNIT VII:
Cities and Urban
Land Use
-Development and
character of cities.
-Global cities and
megacities
-Suburbanization
and edge cities
-Models of Urban
Systems
-Models of internal
city structure
including
ghettoization and
gentrification
Industry
Resources
Interpreting
data
"The Rise of
India",
"Outsourcing:
Beyond
Bangalore",
"Can the BRICs
Become a
Bloc?", and
"Failed States:
The 2011
Index"-Annual
Editions
Location of
industrial
regions around
the world based
on landscape
analysis
Rubenstein Ch 9,
11 & 14 Reading
Quizzes
World Walllevels of
development
Mapping skills
Human
Development
Index Project
and Mapping
"Gendercide"
World/Regional
Map Tests
"Ten Worst
Countries for
Women"
Geo-Gender:
The Long Road
Review
flashcards
Rubenstein,
Ch 12-13
Services
Urban
Patterns
"Classic Map
Revisited: The
Growth of
Megalopolis",
"Eds, Meds
and Urban
Revival",
Human
Geography
Videos on DVD
Critical
thinking
Mapping skills
Geospacial
Revolution:
Kiberia mapping
4-block Urban
Walk projectlandscape
analysis to
examine the
human
organization of
space
Unit exammultiple choice
and free
response exam
Rubenstein Ch
12 & 13 Reading
Quizzes
World/Regional
Map Tests
Spatial
planning skills
YouTube:
"Gentrification
6
Central Place
Theory study of
-Urban services
-Urban planning and
design
-Patterns of race,
ethnicity, gender
and SES in cities
"Studies:
Gentrification
a Boost for
Everyone",
"The Six
Suburban Eras
of the U.S."-Annual
Editions
AP EXAM REVIEW
Review of all course
material
Nation"
McDonald’s
Comparison of
City Models with
Louisville, KY
Project
Unit exammultiple choice
and free
response exam
Review
flashcards
Posters
Multiple
choice
strategies
Review projects
FRQ Writing
strategies
Reading
strategies
Review games
Review
flashcards
TEACHING STRATEGIES
This course will feature a mixture of lecture, instructional video, student activities/projects and writing. Since
free-response questions comprise 50% of the AP exam, all unit exams include free-response questions. These
responses are graded using a scoring guideline in the same manner as the AP exam is scored. Students will
also write 2-3 analytical 5-paragraph essays organized around a thesis, to also develop analytical writing skills.
A variety of resource and references materials will be used beyond the textbook to be used a case studies and
current event references from the newspapers, current magazines and Internet resources. There is a strong
emphasis on examining, analyzing and constructing maps, graphs, charts, models and theories of Human
Geography. There will be regular reading quizzes based on the Rubenstein textbook.
GRADING/STUDENT EVALUATION
Assessment of APHG will occur in a variety of ways including:
Exams—7 Summative unit exams in the AP style of 50 multiple choice questions and 2 freeresponse essays. Larger units will also have text chapter exams of 35 multiple choice and 1 freeresponse essay.
Quizzes—Formative quizzes over the text selections.
Projects—Group and individual—Examples include a NFL Project based on U.S. population data,
Urban City Model, and a Comparative Religions Project.
Readings—Students will read teacher-chosen and personal-chosen literature and articles
throughout the course and complete written or oral discussion and analysis of the
selection.
Classwork/Homework—Small grades will be given for periodic classwork/homework such as
map work, data analysis, key issue questions, review flashcards or article reviews.
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GRADING POLICY
The MCHS Social Studies Department maintains a 60/20/20 grading policy.
60% Summative (Major exams or unit projects)
20% Formative (Quizzes, daily assignments, homework)
20% Final Exam (Cumulative course exam)
Each Tuesday and Thursday, the entire school will spend 45 minutes in Core. During that time, teachers will
work with small groups of students to reteach missed concepts. Students may also opt to go to a quiet room
to retest. The retake test will not be the same exam or not necessarily the same format as the original, and
students may only have three opportunities to retest in the course.
Grades in AP Human Geography will be calculated on 5-point AP scale. In accordance with the Marion County
High School AP Policy, student GPA will be determined on a 5-point AP scale where an A will receive 5 points
on the 4-point GPA scale, a B will receive 4 points, C will receive 3 points and a D will receive 2 points.
STUDENT WORK LOAD AND TEACHER ASSISTANCE
This is an AP course equivalent to a college class. Therefore, the work load will be greater and more
demanding than in a regular high school class. The teacher is available before and after school barring bus
duty and professional meetings to help students be successful in the course as well as the AP exam. Students
should ask the day before about availability of tutoring for any given day. A regular study session schedule will
be set up closer to the date of the AP exam, but the teacher is available for help year-round. I want you to
master this content. For this reason, students may retake tests during Tuesday Core time after a mandatory
tutoring/review session during a previous Core period or before or after school with Mrs. Brown.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Cheating is disrespectful to your teacher, your parents and fellow students and absolutely will not be
tolerated. This includes plagiarism. Per SBDM policy, plagiarism is defined as “to steal and pass off as one’s
own the ideas or words of another; use without crediting the source; to commit literary theft; present as new
and original an idea or product derived from an existing source.” Cheating also includes the person who was
“just helping” another student by giving his/her paper to someone else to copy, as well as coping homework,
quizzes, or tests. Cheating and/or plagiarism will be an automatic zero that will not be recovered, an office
referral and your parents will be notified.
COURSE MATERIALS
3-ring binder (2 inch binder or larger)
Index cards with an index card box or “O” ring or access to an online flashcards service like Quizlet
Pencil/pen and paper
Regular Internet access
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Course Policies and Procedures:
STUDENT RESPONSIBILTIES
1. Come to class prepared with textbook, notebook, paper and writing utensil every day.
2. Speak only when others are not speaking. Do not interrupt.
3. Participate in every activity including note taking. Sleeping will not be allowed.
4. Students may not have food or drink in the classroom.
5. Electronic devices are outlawed in the classroom except when a teacher allows them for instructional purposes.
Confiscated phones/devices will be turned in to the office.
Late-Work--Late work will be accepted in AP Human Geography, but late work will receive an automatic 40%
deduction on the grade. Students are expected to meet deadlines on assignments, and are rarely given less
than 2-3 days to complete assignments.
Make-Up Work—After an absence, check your mailbox in the back of the classroom for worksheets, returned
work, etc. Check with a classmate for notes. You have the number of days that you missed plus one day to
turn in all make-up work and to get notes or the grades will be subject to the late work policy. It is the
student’s responsibility to get notes and assignments, and this follows the school’s attendance policy.
Make-Up Exams—If a student misses on the day of a test, he/she must make up the test before or after
school.
Leaving the Classroom—Students should come to class prepared, and will not be allowed to leave the
classroom unless deemed an emergency by the teacher.
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