AP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY
(SECONDARY)
ESSENTIAL UNIT 4 (E04)
(Religion & Ethnicity)
(July 2015)
Unit Statement: Essential unit four explores cultural interaction at various scales, along with
the conflicts that may result. The geographies of religion and ethnicity are studied to illustrate
patterns and processes of cultural differences. The student will learn to distinguish between
ethnic and universalizing religions, and ethnic political movements to understand why each
has a different geographic pattern. Built environments enable the geographer to interpret
cultural values, tastes, symbolism, and sets of beliefs.
Essential Outcomes: (must be assessed for mastery)
1. The Student Will identify the major universalizing and ethnic religions and describe
their global distributions. (6.1)
2. TSW describe the distribution of religions in the United States. (6.3)
3. TSW describe the distinctive role sacred structures play in each of the universalizing
religions. (6.6)
4. TSW explain the importance of the physical environment in ethnic religions. (6.7)
5. TSW describe the conflicts between Jews, Muslims, and Christians for control of
Israel/Palestine. (6.9)
6. TSW identify the concept of nationality and distinguish it from race and ethnicity.
(7.1,7.5)
7. TSW apply the concept of scale to the distribution of ethnicities within urban areas. (7.2)
8. TSW explain the legal segregation of races in the historical U.S. south and Apartheid
South Africa. (7.4)
9. TSW discuss how Balkanization leads to the breakdown of states. (7.8)
10. TSW hypothesize on the reasons for African genocide in recent decades. (7.9)
Practiced/Ongoing Outcomes: (not formally assessed)
1. The Student Will interpret maps and analyze geospatial data.
2. TSW understand and explain the implications of associations and networks in places.
3. TSW recognize and interpret the relationships among patterns and processes at
different scales of analysis.
4. TSW define regions and evaluate the regionalization process.
5. TSW characterize and analyze changing interconnections among places.
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Key Terms and Concepts: (also look at Ch.6 & Ch.7 glossary)
Animism
Buddhism
Cargo cult
pilgrimage
Christianity
Confucianism
Ethnic religion
Geomancy (feng
shui)
Hadj
Hinduism
Interfaith
boundaries
Islam
Jainism
Mono/polytheism
Mormanism
Muslim
pilgrimage
Proselytic
religion
Reincarnation
Religious
conflict
Shamanism
Secularism
Sharia law
Shintoism
Sikhism
Sunni/Shia
Theocracy
Universalizing
Apartheid
Balkanization Acculturation
Adaptive
strategy
Ethnic cleansing
Ethnic conflict
Ethnic enclave
Ethnic group
Ghetto
Plural society
Fundamentalism
Landscapes of
the dead
Religious
culture hearth
Zoroastrianis
m
Barrio
Segregation
Exclave/enclave
Judaism
Sacred space
Taoism
Assimilation
Race
Suggested Materials/Resources:
 Rubenstein, Chapter 6 and 7: “Religion” and “Ethnicity”
 Kuby, Harner, and Gober, Chapter 12: “Do Orange and Green Clash?: Residential
Segregation in Northern Ireland”
 Pearson’s Human Geography video series, “Untouchable?” and “Srebrenica: Looking
for Justice”
 Pearson Online Support via www.MasteringGeography.com
Technology Links:
WebPath Express (found in school library)
A Fine Line: Is Religious Real Estate Kosher?
http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2011/09/29/a-fine-line-is-religious-real-estate-kosher/
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
http://israelipalestinian.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000636#chart1
Demography in Israel/Palestine: Trends, Prospects, Policy Implications
http://www.iussp.org/Brazil2001/s60/S64_02_dellapergola.pdf
List of major world religions, branches, churches http://www.adherents.com
Handbook for Census Users
http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/handbooks/ACSGeneralHandbook.pdf
Detroit Census Confirms a Desertion Like No Other
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/23/us/23detroit.html
400 Years of Struggle for Freedom and Culture, African Resistance
http://www.un.org/en/events/slaveryremembranceday/video.shtml
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South Africa’s Post-Apartheid Geography
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0HCgNef9N8
When Nationalism and Sports Collide
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2007/oct/13/whennationalismandsportcol
Gillespie, Nick. Blurred Vision: Seeing Beyond Government Racial Categories
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1568/is_n3_v29/ai_20150659/
Ethnic and Racial Sub-Population Focus Group Research
http://www.middleeastern.maryland.gov/documentsMidEast/CensusFocusGroup.pdf
Multi-Ethnic Societies: http://www.unesco.org/most/giordeng.htm
U.S. Bureau of the Census Distribution by Race and Ethnicity in the United States:
www.census.gov
Assessment Tools and Strategies:

After completing Chapter 6, students could compare and contrast the characteristics of
universalizing and ethnic religions.
Have students complete the following religion project

Religion and geography might appear to the average student as totally unrelated and have
little in common with each other. Some geographers find religion interesting enough to
include it in the study of human geography. Geography looks at religious philosophies but
its focus is on its origin, diffusion, distribution pattern, and landscape expressions.
Religions:
Hinduism
Buddhism
Judaism
Christianity
Islam
Sikhism
You are not limited to this selection.
For this research, you will examine ONE of the above religions, while considering the
following questions:
i. Brief religious philosophy.
ii. Classification of the religion (universalizing or ethnic religion). For this you must
show how the religion conforms to characteristics of universalizing or ethnic
religions.
iii. Origin and diffusion of the religion and current geographic distribution. You must
include maps in your discussion here.
iv.
How geography influences the religion and how religion influences the physical
landscape.
v. Conflicts associated with the religion.
vi.
Religious taboos and the influence of geography.
Output of Religion Project
i.
A PowerPoint presentation.
ii. Class presentation.
iii. Individual paper.
For the paper, you will formulate a thesis statement based on your findings and discussion
above. Your paper must be properly cited and include a bibliography of sources used in your
presentation and paper
 Students could discuss the creation of distinctive cultural landscapes formed when
segregation or the deliberate separation of ethnic groups takes place as in the United
States and South Africa.
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




Discuss the origin, distribution, and consequences of forced migration of enslaved
Africans. Students can discuss the influence of geographical factors on the “triangular
trade.”
Sports and nationalism - Have students read the article “When Nationalism and Sports
Collide” then discuss the spatial cause and impact. This article is listed under additional
resources below.
Discuss the causes and consequences of when national territories and ethnicities don’t
correspond.
Create a map of ethnicities in the United States using census data.
Have students research ethnicity conflicts since 1900. Discuss the cause and spatial
consequences of the conflicts.





Teacher created assessments
Teacher Observation
Generated Tests from textbook
Previous AP Exam Questions
Student created projects/presentations
RUBRIC FOUND ON FOLLOWING PAGE………………………………
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Copyright © 1988-2015
AP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY
Suggested Essential Unit 4 (E04) Rubric:
Name _____________________________________Class________ Date _______________
• All TSW’s must be mastered for a ‘B’.
• 3 of 5 ‘A’-level blocks should be met for an ‘A’.
• Teachers may choose to use their own rubrics; however, all TSW’s must be assessed.
The Student Will
1. identify the major universalizing
and ethnic religions and describe
their global distributions
‘A’ Above Mastery
‘B’ Mastery
identify the major universalizing and
ethnic religions and describe their
global distributions
2. describe the distribution of
religions in the United States
describe the distribution of religions
in the United States
3. describe the distinctive role
sacred structures play in each of
the universalizing religions
describe the distinctive role sacred
structures play in each of the
universalizing religions
4. explain the importance of the
physical environment in ethnic
religions
explain the importance of the
physical environment in ethnic
religions
5. describe the conflicts between describe the conflicts between Jews,
Jews, Muslims, and Christians for Muslims, and Christians for control
control of Israel/Palestine
of Israel/Palestine; develop possible
solutions
describe the conflicts between Jews,
Muslims, and Christians for control
of Israel/Palestine giving an
overview
6. identify the concept of
nationality and distinguish it from
race and ethnicity
identify the concept of nationality
and distinguish it from race and
ethnicity
7. apply the concept of scale to the apply the concept of scale to the
distribution of ethnicities within distribution of ethnicities within
urban areas
urban areas by applying maps
apply the concept of scale to the
distribution of ethnicities within
urban areas
8. explain how races were legally explain how races were legally
segregated in the U.S. and South segregated in the U.S. and South
Africa
Africa by comparing the two
explain how races were legally
segregated in the U.S. and South
Africa
9. discuss how Balkanization leads discuss how Balkanization leads to
to the breakdown of states
the breakdown of states in different
regions of the world
discuss how Balkanization leads to
the breakdown of states in the former
Yugoslavia
10. hypothesize why Africa has
suffered multiple instances of
genocide in recent decades
hypothesize why Africa has suffered hypothesize why Africa has suffered
multiple instances of genocide in
multiple instances of genocide in
recent decades citing specific details recent decades giving an overview
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QSI AP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY SEC E04
Copyright © 1988-2015
Notes