Unit 3: Cultural Patterns and Processes APHG
Course Goal:
Recognize and interpret at different scales the relationships among patterns and processes and characterize and analyze
changing interconnections among places.
Topics:
A. Culture and Cultural Diffusion (Human Geography: People, Place and Culture; Chapter 1, 23-33)
1. Connectedness through Diffusion
2. Environmental Determinism and Possibilism
B. Folk and Popular Culture (Human Geography: People, Place and Culture; Chapter 4)
1. Diffusion and Origination of Folk and Popular Cultures
What are local and popular cultures? How are local cultures sustained? How is popular culture diffused?
2. Cultural Landscape
How can local and popular cultures be seen in the cultural landscape
C. Language (Human Geography: People, Place and Culture; Chapter 6)
1. Role of Language in Culture
2. Distribution of Languages
What are the language families of the world? What is the distribution of English Language Speakers?
3. Indo-European Branches
4. Classification of Languages
5. Preservation of Local Languages
6. Role of Language in making places
What do toponyms tell us about place and globalization?
D. Religion (Human Geography: People, Place and Culture; Chapter 7)
1. Role of Religion in Culture
2. Distribution of Religions of the World
Where did the major religions of the world originate? How do religions defuse?
3. Universalizing and Ethnic Religions
4. Holy Places, Sacred Spaces
5. Territorial Conflicts among Religious Groups
What role does religion play in political conflicts?
E. Identity (Human Geography: People, Place and Culture; Chapter 5)
1. Construction of Identity
What is identity and how are identities constructed? How do race, ethnicity and gender affect identity?
2. Ethnicity and Place
Why have ethnicities been transformed into nationalities? Why do ethnicities clash?
3. Power Relationships
How does geography reflect and shape power relationships among groups?
Text Readings:
Human Geography: People, Place and Culture;
Chapter 1 (28-33), Chapter 4 (112-143), Chapter 5 (144-171), Chapter 6 (172-202), Chapter 7 (203-248)
AP Human Geography: A Study Guide;
Unit 3 (65-98)
Projects/Assessments:
Demographic Profile - Students will research and explore the cultural landscape of several regions
around the world with the goal of exhibiting what they have learned.
AP prep Students will answer free responses questions and take a multiple choice test that covers AP
Human Geography content.
Unit 3: Cultural Patterns and Processes APHG