Marion County High School
Advanced Placement Human Geography
2015-16 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
13, 2016 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.
CLASS WEBSITE
Supplemental resources, copies of most assignments and due dates for all assignments can be found at
marion.kyschools.us. Go to the MCHS website and to teacher websites on the left side of the page.
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. Cities and Urban Land
Use
VII. Industrialization and
Economic Development
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. 12-13
4 weeks
Rubenstein, Ch. 9, 11,
& 14
4 weeks
13-17%
13-17%
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
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
Periodic
formative
assessment
quizzes
Unit exammultiple choice
and free
response exam
Latitude and
Longitude Lab
"Globalization
of Culture"
Review
flashcards
Developing
Country Project
Rubenstein,
Ch. 2-3
Population
Migration
FRQ/Thesis
statement
writing
Human
Geography
Videos on DVD:
Cash Flow Fever
Understanding
essay question
command
3
Population
pyramids project
Demographic
Transition
Model: Sweden
& China
Rubenstein Ch. 2
& 3 Reading
Quizzes
natural hazards
-Population growth
and decline over
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
Population
Connection
articles, "The
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
statements
Debate
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
Debate
Population
theorists
(Malthus and his
critics and world
health threats)
Periodic
formative
assessment
quizzes
What in the
world is an
underdeveloped
nation?
Unit exammultiple choice
and free
response exam
Review
flashcards
Developing
Country Project
Critical
thinking skills
Making
inferences
based on data
Human
Geography
Videos on DVD
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
Discovery
Education:
Christianity,
Islam, Judaism,
Buddhism,
Animism
World map
skills
Rwanda
documentary
Comparative
Religions or
Countries
Project (Gallery
Walk)
Landscape
analysis of
China, the U.S.
and Italy for the
influence of
religion in
architecture and
landscape
Ethnicity Case
Studies
Periodic
formative
assessment
quizzes
Rubenstein
Chapter Exam
4-5-Multiple
Choice
World/regional
map tests
Review
flashcards
PBS: The Heart
of the Matter
4
Developing
Country Project
Unit exammultiple choice
and free
response exam
UNIT IV:
Political
Organization of
Space
-Defining state,
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
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
Mapping skills
Mapping activity
of the UN and
shapes of states
Writing FRQ’s
Political
organization of
space
independent
project
Technical
writing
Analysis of
data
Human
Geography
Videos on DVD
Waving flagsFIFA World Cup
Landscape
analysis of
Europe based on
political
divisions
Rubenstein Ch 8
Reading Quizzes
Periodic
formative
assessment
quizzes
World/Regional
Map Tests
Failed States
YouTube-Inside
North Korea,
National
Geographic
"The Journey
Back from 9/11"
Discovery Educ.
UN Analysis
Geography of
terror: A case
study
Unit exammultiple choice
and free
response exam
Review
flashcards
Developing
Country Project
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 ag. and
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
Internet
research skills
Mapping skills
Human
Geography
Videos on DVD
YouTube:
Grocery Store
Wars, Food
Matters, Is WalMart Good for
America?, The
Hungary Planet
Agricultural
Locations in the
U.S.
Rubenstein Ch
10 & 14 Reading
Quizzes
Harvest of Fear
Mapping U.S.
agriculture
Periodic
formative
assessment
quizzes
It All Starts with
a Seed
World/Regional
Map Tests
Miracle Grain
simulation
The Meatrix
Compare/Cont
rast skills
5
Review
flashcards
Unit exammultiple choice
and free
response exam
the effect of farming
on the environment.
UNIT VI:
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
-Urban services
-Urban planning and
design
-Patterns of race,
ethnicity, gender
and SES in cities
UNIT VII:
Industrialization &
Economic
Development
-Growth and
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
Planet"
Rubenstein,
Ch 12-13
Services
Urban
Patterns
Human
Geography
Videos on DVD
Critical
thinking
"Classic Map
Revisited: The
Growth of
Megalopolis",
"Eds, Meds
and Urban
Revival",
"Studies:
Gentrification
a Boost for
Everyone",
"The Six
Suburban Eras
of the U.S."-Annual
Editions
Rubenstein,
Ch 9, 11 & 14.
Development
Industry
Resources
Mapping skills
Spatial
planning skills
Geospacial
Revolution:
Kiberia mapping
YouTube:
"Gentrification
Nation"
Developing
Country Project
4-block Urban
Walk projectlandscape
analysis to
examine the
human
organization of
space
Central Place
Theory study of
McDonald’s
Human
Geography
Videos on DVD
Interpreting
data
Periodic
formative
assessment
quizzes
Comparison of
City Models with
Louisville, KY
Project
World/Regional
Map Tests
Review
flashcards
Unit exammultiple choice
and free
response exam
Developing
Country Project
Internet
research skills
Rubenstein Ch
12 & 13 Reading
Quizzes
Location of
industrial
regions around
the world based
on landscape
analysis
Rubenstein Ch 9,
11 & 14 Reading
Quizzes
World/Regional
Map Tests
"The Rise of
India",
"Outsourcing:
Beyond
Bangalore",
"Can the BRICs
Become a
Bloc?", and
"Failed States:
The 2011
Index"-Annual
Editions
World Walllevels of
development
Human
Development
Index Project
and Mapping
Mapping skills
Geo-Gender:
The Long Road
6
Periodic
formative
assessment
quizzes
restructuring
-Globalization and
international
division of labor
-Natural resources
and environmental
concerns
-Sustainable
development
-Local development
initiatives:
government policies
-Women in
development
AP EXAM REVIEW
Review of all course
material
Review
flashcards
"Gendercide"
"Ten Worst
Countries for
Women"
Developing
Country Project
Multiple
choice
strategies
Posters
FRQ Writing
strategies
Reading
strategies
Review games
Review projects
Unit exammultiple choice
and free
response exam
Practice AP
exam
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 models booklet, 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.
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Classwork/Homework—Small grades will be given for periodic classwork/homework such as
data analysis, notes/reading guide questions, review flashcards or article reviews.
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 Wednesday, the entire school will spend 45 minutes in Academic Time. 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 Thursday Academic Time after a
mandatory tutoring/review session during a previous AT 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) with 8 tab dividers
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
$7 for full access to Learnerator.com online prep course
Suggested--A prep book for the AP exam like 5 Steps to a Five, Princeton Review, Kaplan, etc.
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AP Human Geography Syllabus Agreement 2015-16
(Please return to Mrs. Brown)
I have fully read the course description and student responsibility for APHG on
Mrs. Jamie Brown’s teacher website at http://marion.kyschools.us. Specifically,
 I understand that this website is available for students and parents to check regularly for
class calendar updates about dates of tests, due dates for assignments, to reprint
homework assignments, to work ahead, etc.
 I understand that I will need to pay a $7 course fee for access to an online prep service
called learnerator.com and that I need to turn in the $7 the first week of school.
 I understand that my child has the opportunity to retake 3 unit exams any time during
the course to improve the grade if needed, per SBDM policy;
 I understand that work not turned in at the time that it is due can still be turned in, but
with a 40% deduction on the score;
 I understand that cheating and/or plagiarism will strictly not be tolerated and will result
in an automatic zero and office referral;
 I understand that the grade book scoring is 60% Summative (major exams/projects),
20% Formative (homework, classwork, quizzes) and 20% final exam.
 I understand that the final exam for this course in May will count 20% of the course
grade for the year, but per SBDM policy, a student can be exempted from a final by
taking the College Board AP exam on May 13, 2016;
 I understand that I will receive the 5-point GPA scale as this is an AP course meaning
that I can receive a B in the course and still maintain a 4.0 GPA on my transcript (A=5,
B=4, C=3, D=2);
 I understand that I can check grades on Infinite Campus at any time or email/call Mrs.
Brown with concerns; and
 I understand that Mrs. Brown tutors before and after school upon request.
I have fully read the course description and student responsibilities for Advanced
Placement Human Geography, and I am fully aware of the commitment required
for a student to succeed in this class. I am prepared to make the necessary
commitment, understanding all that it entails.
____________________________
Student Signature
Date
____________________________
Parent Signature
Date
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