AP Human Geography Course Overview
AP Human Geography is a yearlong course in which students will learn how to study and
view the world through spatial organization- relating how location of places, people and events
are connected, organized, and how they shape the Earth. Students will learn to use geographic
methods such as observation, data collection, cartography, and case study analysis to help gain
insight into the dynamics of the Earth's various landscapes. Additionally, students will learn of
the impact global cultural interactions can have on the environment both on a local and global
scale.
Units of study:

Geography: Its Nature and Perspective

Population and Migration

Cultural Patterns and Processes

Political Organization of Space

Agricultural and Rural Land Use

Industrialization and Economic Development

Cities and Urban Land Use
Texts and Study Materials
Fouberg, Erin H., Alexander B. Murphy, and H.J. de Blij. Human Geography: People, Place, and
Culture. 10th ed. John Wiley and Sons. 2012.
Wood, Ethel. AP* Human Geography: A Study Guide. 3rd ed. Germantown,
NY. WoodYard Publications. 2012.
AP Human Geography Test Date
May 13, 2014
Grade layout:
60% major grades and 40% daily grades
Major Grades:
Major grades consist of unit tests, document essays, and projects.
Daily Grades:
Daily grades consist of in-class assignments, homework, and quizzes on assigned readings.
Class Policies
-The school tardy policy and attendance policy will be strictly enforced.
-The school restroom policy is followed.
-No food or drink is allowed in the classroom per school policy.
-I must be able to read your handwriting. If I can’t read the work, the grade is a ZERO.
Make Up and Late Work
If you are going to be frequently absent, you will not be successful in this class. However, if you
do miss a day of class, it is YOUR responsibility to find out what you missed. Any assignments
that were due on the day you were absent are to be turned in the class period you return. For
each day you were absent, you will receive one school day to turn in homework and class work
missed without penalty.
Course Assessments
Students will be assessed in a variety of ways. Primarily, students will be assessed in the
classroom as they will be assessed on the May APHG Exam. Students will take unit multiple
choice exams and free response exams. Students will take chapter quizzes over readings and
lecture. Finally, students will have multiple geographic activities, applications and mini-projects
to complete in all units throughout the yearlong course. Students will use multiple forms of
technologies this year.
Course Outline:
Unit 1- GEOGRAPHY: ITS NATURE AND PERSPECTIVES – 3 weeks
C1- The course provides a systematic study of the nature of geography.
C2- The course provides a systematic study of perspectives of geography.
C11- The course teaches students how to use and interpret maps and spatial data.
A. What is human geography?
B. Basic terminology of geography – globalization, spatial distribution, 5 themes of
geography, perception of places, patterns, distribution, scale, location (absolute and
relative), environmental determinism, cultural landscape, sense of place, built
environment, possibilism, place, centrality, GIS, diffusion (expansion, contagious,
hierarchical, stimulus, relocation), cultural barrier, time-distance decay, mental
maps, remote sensing, regions (functional, formal, perceptual), mental maps,
sequent occupance, hearths, independent invention
C. EXAM I – Multiple Choice and Free Response Question
D. Unit Breakdown:
Unit
1. Geography- It’s
nature and perspectives
Percentage
of AP exam
covered
5 – 10 %
Reading/activities
De blij- Chapter 1
 Geographic map skills- world mapping
project
 Making a world map out of an
orange/balloon activity
 “Mental Mapping: your elementary
playground
 Types of maps activity
 Dating assignment- sequence occupance
 Scale activity
 Exercise – Making, Manipulating, and
Interpreting Maps
UNIT 2. POPULATION and MIGRATION- 3 weeks
C3- The course provides a systematic study of population geography.
C12- The course teaches students how to use and interpret geographical models.
A. Population terminology – distribution, density, arithmetic and physiologic density, dot
maps, megalopolis census, demography, dependency ratio, J-curve, fertility, crude birth
rate, crude death rate, total fertility rate, infant mortality, child mortality, natural
increase, sex ratios, negative population growth, eugenics, carrying capacity, cohort,
natal, demographic momentum, exponential growth, doubling time, age-sex diagrams,
mortality types/rates, step migration, chain migration, intervening opportunity,
immigration (internal, external, forced, international), transhumance, activity space,
emigration, push/pull factors, refugees, guest workers, quotas, history of US migration,
demographic transition model, residential mobility
B. Exam II and Free Response Question
C. Unit breakdown:
Unit
2. Population and
migration
Percentage of AP
exam covered
13-17%
Reading/activities
De blij- Chapter 2-3
 Create population pyramids/age sex diagrams
and analyze type of growth, level of
development and future implications. Sources:
www.prb.org, www.census.gov
 Migration project- chose a major global
migration, research it, and present via
powerpoint presentation
 Models – What is a model? Why do
geographers use models?
 Population Models and Theories –
Demographic Transition Model, Gravity Model,
Malthusian population issues
 Population Policies – pro-natal and anti-natal
policies, case studies from China, India, Japan
and Russia
 Hans Rosling 200 countries, 200 years, 4
minutes www.gapminder.org
 Choropleth Maps
 Demographic Calculations – calculating RNI,
total population, etc.
 The Gravity Model
UNIT 3. CULTURE: PATTERNS AND PROCESSES- 7 weeks
C4- The study provides a systematic study of cultural patterns and processes.
A. Cultural Terms – folk and pop culture, local culture, material and nonmaterial culture, built
environment, acculturation, assimilation, cultural appropriation, neolocalism, ethnic
neighborhoods, commodification, distance decay, time-space compression, placelessness,
glocalization, maladaptive diffusion, sequent occupance, architecture, folk foods, characteristics
of Popular and Folk Culture, Ethnocentrism, Cultural Relativism, Homogeneity, Heterogeneity,
Material and Nonmaterial Culture, Housing types
B. Race, Ethnicity, Gender, Identity and Sexuality – changing US populations of race, racial
segregation in cities, invasion and succession, identity and space, cultural identity, sexuality and
space, queer theory, women, gender issues, power and space, barrioization
C. Language– standard language, dialect, groups, families, isogloss, language (family, group,
divergence & convergence), Renfrew hypothesis, Indo-European languages
D. Modern language issues – lingua franca, Creole, pidgin, multi-lingual states, sound shifts,
Esperanto, linguistic transition zones, official languages, Linguistic revival, extinct languages,
languages laws, toponym – post-colonial, post-revolution, memorial, commodification
E. Religion -secularism, animism, syncretism, ethnic religion, universalizing religion,
proselytizing, monotheism, polytheism, Shamanism, diaspora, sacred sites, pilgrimage,
geomancy, reincarnation, social distance
F. Political Conflict and Religion – ethnic cleansing, enclave, exclave, jihad, fundamentalism,
extremism, Israel and Palestine, Northern Ireland, former Yugoslavia, Horn of Africa,
Christianity (Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, others), Islam (Sunni, Shi’a, Sufi), Judaism
(Orthodox, Conservative, Reform), Buddhism (Theravada, Mahayana), Sikhism, Taoism,
Confucianism, Shintoism and other religions, Sacred architecture, sacred space, sacred
directions, burial practices, Feng Shui
H. Language theories & diffusion – agricultural, dispersal & conquest theories
I. EXAM III – Multiple Choice and Free Response
J. Unit Breakdown:
Unit
3. Culture patterns and
processes
Percentage
of AP exam
covered
13-17%
Reading/activities
De blij- Chapter 4-7
 Cultural Landscape project
 Succession in Vancouver
 Dowry Deaths to illustrate power
relationships
 Culture Stations (compare and contrast
folk vs. popular culture, McDonald’s:
trace the diffusion from local to global,
Types of music-what is the hearth and
map diffusion, material vs. non-material
culture)
 Identity map- how it’s constructed
 “Toponyms: Seriously! Possum Grape
and Booger Hollow?”
 Video – “In French, Please!!”
 Pop –vs- Soda – students use the
www.popvssoda.com webpage to
attempt to define cultural regions using
linguistic differences among users of soft
drinks
 “English Will Be the Global Lingua Franca
of the Future” – Classroom debate (pro
and con) over this statement
 “Is Your Religion What You Think It Is?” –
Students use a SelectSmart.com
webpage to learn about 27 different
religions
 “Re-mapping Africa: Creating nonColonial Boundaries” – Students work in
groups to create new political
boundaries in Africa using cultural data.
Students decide if boundaries should be
based more on ethnolinguistic, religious,
tribal and/or other cultural
characteristics
UNIT 4. POLITICAL ORGANIZATION OF SPACE –The Political Imprint
(Political Organization of Space)- 2 weeks
C5- The course provides a systematic study of political organization of space.
A. Political terminology – sovereignty, territorial integrity, boundary types, evolution
of boundaries, territorial morphology types, nation, state, nation-state, stateless
nation, Conference of Berlin, mercantilism, Peace of Westphalia, irredentism,
enclave, exclave, theocracy, landlocked, centripetal/centrifugal forces,
unitary/federal states, core, periphery, semiperiphery, tribalism, colonialism,
neocolonialism, electoral geography, gerrymandering, reapportionment, majorityminority district, forward capital, primate city, median-line principle, EEZs, law of the
sea, devolution, supranationalism, geopolitics, gateway state, Nunavut, raison
d’être, shatterbelt, Balkanization, annexation, confederation Territorial Morphology
and Boundaries, Political Theories – Heartland, Rimland, Organic, World Systems
Analysis
B. EXAM IV – Multiple Choice and Free Response
C. Unit breakdown:
Percentage
Unit
of AP exam
Reading/activities
covered
4. Political
organization of space
13-17%
De blij- Chapter 8
 One Day at War
 Political Issues Project
 Territory Disputes
 Antarctica Conflict
 “Mapping Electoral Change” –
Students map electoral changes using
web resources. Major focus during
national elections.
www.redistrictinggame.com
 “Devolution and Supranationalism” –
Students read and use case studies to
apply these terms
UNIT 5. CIVILIZATION AND URBANIZATION- 2 weeks
C8-The course provides a systematic study of cities and urban land use.
C9- The course teaches the use of landscape analysis to examine human organization of
space.
C11- The course teaches students how to use and interpret maps and spatial data.
C12-The course teaches students how to use and interpret geographical models.
A. Urban terminology – urban morphology, agricultural surplus, urban hierarchy, urban
function, Sunbelt phenomenon, hinterland, site, situation, central business district,
suburbs, exurbs, edge cities, hamlet, village, town, city, metropolis, megalopolis,
redlining, blockbusting, white flight, gated communities, tear-downs, McMansions,
covenants, zoning, gentrification, NIMBY, DINKs, suburbanization, rank-size rule,
basic/nonbasic sectors, multiplier effect, urban specialization, range of sale
(economic reach), threshold, nesting, centrality, megacities, world cities, tenement,
census, in-filling, sprawl, bid rent, peak land value intersection, informal economy,
Urban Models – Central Place Theory, Concentric Zone, Sector, Multiple Nuclei,
Urban Realms, World City, Latin American, Southeast Asian, African
B. Gender Issues in Urban Geography
C. EXAM VI – Multiple Choice and Free Response
D. Unit Breakdown:
Unit
Percentage
of AP exam
covered
Reading/activities
5. Civilization
and
Urbanization
13-17%
De blij- Chapter 9
 100 Person earth
 Latin America City Study
 Who is Moving Where?” – students study
shifting U.S. urban patterns using
http://www.forbes.com/2010/06/04/migration
-moving-wealthy-interactive-countiesmap.html
 Video - Veggie Tales – Gated Communities
 “Three Classic Models of Urban Structure” –
students compare and contrast the three
classic urban models
 Urban Geography using the NFL, NHL, MLB and
the NBA – students map professional sports
franchises in 1950 and again today to see the
shifts in urban population and patterns.
 Video - Power of Place Video segments on
Boston and Chicago
UNIT 6. AGRICULTURE: AGRICULTURE AND RURAL LAND USE- 3 weeks
C6: The course provides a systematic study of agriculture and rural land use.
C11- The course teaches students how to use and interpret maps and spatial data.
C12: The course teaches students how to use and interpret geographical models.
A. Agricultural terminology – organic agriculture, economic activities (primary,
secondary, tertiary, quaternary,quinary), plant/animal domestication,
hunting/gathering, subsistence farming, shifting agriculture (milpa, swidden, patch,
slash and burn), land survey systems (metes & bounds, long-lot, township-&-range,
rectangular land), nucleated and dispersed settlements, plantation agriculture,
extractive activities, luxury crops, staple crops, cash crops, dairying, livestock,
ranching, Mediterranean agriculture, organic agriculture, truck farm, market
gardening, yields, double-cropping, transhumance, illegal drug crops, sustainable
agriculture, aquaculture, favela, debt-for-nature swap, intertillage, feedlot, loss of
productive farmland
B. Agricultural Revolutions – 1st, 2nd, 3rd, biotechnology, biogenetics, cloning,
genetically modified foods
C. Intensive and Extensive Agriculture
D. Plant Origins
E. Agricultural Models and Major Concepts - von Thünen’s Model, Agribusiness,
Vertical Integration, Commercial Agriculture, Green Revolution, Organic Agriculture,
Genetically Modified Foods/Organisms (GMF/O)
F. Geographies of Illegal Drugs and Alcohol
G. Gender issues in agriculture
H. Exam V and Free Response
I. Unit Breakdown:
Percentage
Unit
of AP exam
covered
6. Agriculture
13-17%
Reading/activities
De blij- Chapter 11







Field Trip to grocery store- map your food origins
Food Inc. reflection
“Where is What Grown?” – Students use the 21st
Edition of Goode’s Atlas to ascertain what crops
are grown where and in what quantities
Starbucks activity
Scivee.tv videos – corn, potatoes, genomes and
cotton
Videos - The Butcher – study of meat processing
and the rise of agribusiness and Harvesters –
study of modern agricultural mechanization and
hybridization of crops to allow for machine
harvest
Videos – The Meatrix I, II and II½, Grocery Store
Wars
UNIT 7. INDUSTRIALIZATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT- 2 weeks
C7- the course provides a systematic study of industrialization and economic development
A. Development terminology – commodity chain, GNP, GDP, GNI, formal and informal
economy, HDI, PPP, neo-colonialism, barriers of economic development, export
processing zones, maquiladoras, special economic zone (SEZ), NAFTA, government
policy and development, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), microcredit
Industry and Services terminology – industrial revolution, locational
interdependence, location theory (agglomeration, deglomeration, transportation
costs, labor costs, raw materials), globalization, deindustrialization, outsourcing,
offshore, Fordist, post-Fordist, just-in-time delivery, global division of labor,
intermodal connections, break-of-bulk point,
B. Additional Texts - comparative advantage, friction of distance, distance decay,
footloose industries, location theory, substitution principle, variable costs, bid rent,
zonal costs, isotim, inputs, economic sectors (primary, secondary, tertiary,
quaternary, quinary), weight-gaining and weight-losing industries
C. Economic/Industrial/Development Models and Theories – Weber’s Least Cost
Theory, Dependency Theory, Rostow’s Modernization Model, Liberal Model, World
Systems (three-tier)Theory, Structuralist Theory, Hotelling’s Model
D. Global Shifts in Economic Geography
E. Exam VII and Free Response Questions
F. Unit Breakdown:
Percentage
of AP
Unit
Reading/activities
exam
covered
7.Industrialization
13-17%
De blij- Chapter 10 & 12
and Economic
Development
 “Where Do I Manufacture?” exercise – Isotim
exercise where students have to calculate the best
location for a manufacturing plant
 “Thirsty Town” exercise – Where would a beer or
cola manufacturer locate?
 “Why don’t we have a mall?”- analyze why malls
locate where they do
 “Outsourcing – Who is doing what and where?”
exercise – A look at global outsourcing
 Video: Made in America- a look at an American
household’s products and tracing the origins and
impact on the American economy
 “Transport and Shipping Modes” exercise– An
exercise for students to determine what products
are shipped cheapest by which transport mode
 Video – Economic Geography - Trade
 Maquiladora FRQ
Return by Friday, August 30, 2013
To ,
I have read the course description for AP Human Geography. I understand my responsibilities in
this course, the requirements to be successful, and that there will be more work than in a
typical class. I understand this is a college course. I will do my best to abide by class
expectations, because “with great power (knowledge is power) comes great responsibility.”
Please initial by each statement:
Student/ Parent
______/ ______ I understand that if I am absent, it is MY responsibility to get work I
missed before the absence if it was planned in advance (i.e. sporting event, school or
family trip) or the day I return to class if it was unplanned (illness), or check the website
to get said assignments missed.
______/ ______ I understand this course requires the completion of outside of the
school day projects, current events, and various other assignments for which I am
responsible.
_______________________________
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Date
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Student email: __________________________________________________
Parent/Guardian email: ____________________________________________
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