Richard A. Giddens
School for the Talented and Gifted Magnet High School
1201 East 8th Street, Suite 302
Dallas, Texas 75203
August 24, 2015
Dear Parents and Students:
Advanced Placement Human Geography is a college-level survey course which serves as an introduction
to human geography through a survey of the concepts, methods, techniques, and application of
geographical analysis. Students study human-environment interactions, which include discussions of the
growth and distribution of world populations, the impact of human beings on the environment, and the
nature of resource and resistance. The course also stresses locational analysis, including pattern of
agricultural land use, the internal structure of cities, the size and spacing of settlements, and spatial
interaction.
Advanced Placement Human Geography is part of a cooperative endeavor by high schools, colleges, and
the College Board that provides highly motivated students the opportunity to earn college credit during
their high school years. If the student does not choose to take the AP exam, the course still fulfills the
graduation requirement for social studies.
Extra-credit is not offered in this course.
Further information about the course and exam is available at www.collegeboard.com/apstudents and
http://TeacherWeb.com/TX/TAGMagnet/GiddensAPHumanGeography/.
Sincerely,
Richard A. Giddens
AP Human Geography Teacher
AP Human Geography Syllabus
Course Title: Advanced Placement Human Geography
Pre-requisites: none
Course Description: Advanced Placement Human Geography serves as an introduction to human geography
through a survey of the concepts, methods, techniques, and applications of geographical analysis. Students study
human-environment interaction, which includes discussions of the growth and distribution of world populations, the
impact of human beings on the environment, and the nature of resources and resistance. Also, the course stresses
locational analysis, including patterns of agricultural land use, the internal structure of cities, the size and spacing of
settlements, and spatial interaction.
Course Objectives: Students will…
 Employ spatial concepts and landscapes analysis to analyze human social organization and its
environmental consequence.
 Engage in higher–level thinking skills.
 Use a variety of technological and informational resources.
 Conduct research on geographical issues and interests.
 Understand the importance of ethics and compromise and work effectively with others to solve problems.
 Analyze population distribution, density, and scale.
 Gain understanding and origins and evaluations of cities and urban land use.
 Compare cultural patterns and processes.
 Understand political organization of space.
 Prepare for the Advanced Placement exam.
Resources/Textbook/Supplementary Works:
1. Human Geography: People, Place, and Culture by Harm de Blij
2. Human Geography: Landscapes of Human Activities by Jerome D. Fellman
3. Human Geography in Action by M. Kuby, J. Harner, and P. Gober
4. An Introduction to Human Geography: The Cultural Landscape by James M. Rubenstein
5. Annenberg’s Power of Place Videos
Other works may be added to this list, but will be provided. It is the student’s responsibility to read all material on
the reading list in a timely manner. Please see course calendar for reading assignments and due dates (quizzes
or tests).
Grading Policy
Chapter Test: 30%
Section Quizzes: 25%
Map Test: 10%
Chapter and Video Notes: 15%
Current Events and Current Maps: 5%
Comparison/FRQ Writing: 10%
TREK/TAG-IT: 5%
If homework is not received at the beginning of class, it can only receive a maximum grade of “70.”
Extra-credit is not offered in this course.
Homework assignment policy is determined by the TAG social studies department.
Notes must be hand-written.
Classroom Guideline and Resp0nsibilities
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All students will be on time to class. When bell rings, students should be in their seats.
Students should bring all necessary books and supplies to class.
Make-up work is the student’s responsibility and must be returned before the end of the grading period.
Students will follow the code of conduct outlined by the school district.
Testing Procedures
Phones or other devices should be turned off and remain in backpacks during the test or quiz.
Please refer to the TAG honor code for detailed information on cheating.
Group Work
Throughout the course students will be organized into groups and will present various assignments.
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No reading
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No more than 15 words per slide
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More pictures than text
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Audience activity, such as graphic organizer, during presentation
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Follow Powerpoint or Powerpointless chart.
Powerpoint or Powerpointless?: Self-evaluation
rubric
How do your
slides rate?
Circle the appropriate choice for
each category.
SLIDE
DESIGN
font:
size
style
use of caps
background
# of graphics
per slide
graphics
choice of image
words per slide
bullets
design elements
sound and
animation
bibliography
It's Powerful!!
It's almost there!
It's Powerpointless!
26-32
clear, neat
16-24
somewhat readable
<16
difficult to read
begins a sentence
one background
throughout
all major words
all caps
two
variety
one
relevant to slide
text
left justified
two
more than two
somewhat connected
right justified
random choice
centered
1-12
13-18
19+
left justified
[not applicable]
centered
very consistent
somewhat consistent
inconsistent
used appropriately
used a bit too often
overused
not annotated or
hyperlinked
annotated and
hyperlinked
annotated or
hyperlinked
Topic Outline of AP Human Geography’s lectures, class activities, field studies, and
presentations:
 Unit I:
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Geography: Its Nature and Perspectives
Field of Inquiry
Notable geographers and key geographical concepts and models
Location, space, place, scale, pattern, regionalization, and globalization
Key geographic skills
GIS, GPS, remote sensing and other technologies
Sources of geographic ideas and data
 Unit II: Cultural Patterns and Processes
o Concepts of culture: traits, diffusion, acculturation, and cultural regions
o Cultural differences: language, religion, ethnicity, gender, popular and folk culture
o Environmental impact of cultural attitudes and practices
o Cultural landscapes and cultural identity: values and preferences
o Symbolic landscapes and sense of place
 Unit III: Population Geography
o Density, distribution, and scale
o Consequences of various densities and distributions
o Patterns of composition: age, sex, race, and ethnicity
o Historical, present, and future natural hazards impact on populations
o The demographic transition model and other theories of population growth
o Historical and future population trends
o Fertility, mortality, and health patterns
o Regional variations of demographic transition
o Effects of population policies
o Push and pull factors of immigration
o Major voluntary and involuntary migrations at different scales
o Migration selectivity
o Short-term, local movements, and activity space
 Unit IV: Political Geography
o The concept of territoriality
o The nature and meaning of boundaries
o Influences of boundaries on identity, interaction, and exchange
o The nation-state concept
o Colonialism and imperialism
o Changing nature of sovereignty
o Fragmentation, unification and alliance
o Supranationalism and devolution
o Electoral geography, including gerrymandering
o Federal and unitary states
o Spatial relationships between political patterns and patterns of ethnicity, economy, and
environment
o Democratization
 Unit V:
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Cities and Urban Land Use
Historical patterns of urbanization
Past rural-urban migration and urban growth
Global cities and megacities
Models of urban systems
Changing employment mix of contemporary cities
Changing demographic and social structure of contemporary cities
Models of internal city structure in North America and around the world
Transportation and infrastructure
Political organization of urban areas
Urban and regional planning and design
Patterns of race, ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status
Uneven development, ghettoization, and gentrification
Impacts of suburbanization and edge cities
 Unit VI: Agriculture and Rural Land Use
o First (Neolithic) Agricultural Revolution
o Second Agriculture Revolution
o Major agricultural production regions
o Rural land use and settlement patterns
o Third Agriculture Revolution
o Green Revolution
o Biotechnology
o Spatial organization and diffusion of industrial agriculture
o Future food supplies and environmental impacts of agriculture
 Unit VII: Industrial and Economic Development
o Changing roles of energy and technology
o Industrial Revolution
o Evolution of economic cores and peripheries
o Geographic critique of models of economic localization ( land rent, comparative cost of
transportation), industrial location, economic development, and world systems
o Spatial organization of the world economy
o Variations in levels of development
o Deindustrialization and economic restructuring
o Pollution, health, and quality of life
o Industrialization, environmental change, and sustainability
o Local development initiatives: government policies
o Globalization and international division of labor