AP Human Geography Syllabus
2014-2015
Ms. Angela Bridges
(985) 514-3279
abridges@sthpk-12.net
Course Overview
This course is structured to align with the AP Human Geography published by the College Board. Students will take
the College Board AP Human Geography exam at the end of the year, with the possibility of gaining college credit. There will
be seven units of study. At the beginning of each unit, students will be given an overview of the unit with due dates for papers,
the reading assignments, activities, and test dates.
This is a challenging course and students will be pushed to reach their full potential. I have no doubt that our students
can and will be successful in this course.
Goals
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The Five Goals of AP Human Geography
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 relationship among patterns and processes
Define regions and evaluate the regionalization process
Characterize and analyze changing interconnections among places
Textbooks
Rubenstein, James M. The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography. 11ed. Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Prentice Hall, 2013.
Supplemental Materials
Wood, Ethel AP Human Geography Workbook. (3nd Edition). WoodYard Publication, 2012.
DeBlij, Murphy, Fouberg. Human Geography: People, Place, and Culture (8th Edition). Wiley, 2006.
Course Planner
1. Thinking Geographically (4 weeks)
A. Geography as a field of inquiry
B. Geographical Locations
C. Key Geographical Skills
D. Geospatial Technologies
E. World Regions
2. Population and Migration (5 weeks)
A. Geographical Analysis of population
B. Population growth and decline
C. Migration
3. Cultural Patterns and Processes (5 weeks)
A. Concepts of Culture
B. Cultural differences and regional patterns
C. Cultural landscapes and cultural identity
4. Political Organization of Space (5 weeks)
A. Territorial dimensions of politics
B. Evolution of the contemporary political pattern
C. Changes and challenges to political-territorial arrangements
5. Agricultural and Rural Land Use (5 weeks)
A. Development and diffusion of agriculture
B. Major agriculture production regions
C. Rural land use and settlement patterns
D. Issues in contemporary commercial agriculture
6. Industrialization and Economic Development (5 weeks)
A. Growth and diffusion of industrialization
B. Social and economic measures of development
C. Contemporary patterns and impact of industrialization and development
7. Cities and Urban Land Use (5 weeks)
A. Development and character of cities
B. Models of urban hierarchies
C. Models of internal city structure and urban development
D. Built environment and social space
E. Contemporary urban issues
8. Review (2 weeks)
Teaching Strategies
The teaching of this course will be through short lecture, readings, educational videos (sometimes lectures from
professionals in the field), student activities, field trips, and guest speakers. Students will use the teacher’s website to find
additional sources, homework assignments, and interactive links to help them learn and review material.
Students will periodically take benchmark exams to demonstrate growth to the teacher and the district. Students will
take unit tests and results will be sent home for parents to know how their child is doing in the course. Students will also
complete free-response questions weekly in class and on exams, and analytical essays.
Video and Electronic Sources:
The Commanding Heights by Daniel Yergin and Joseph Stanislaw. PBS Productions.
The Power of Place: Geography for the 21st Century – Annenberg Series with Harm DeBlij.
The Economist
The New York Times-Times Select
The Christian Science Monitor
Foreign Policy Magazine
The Week Magazine.
Maps101.com
“Geography in the News”
Lab Component
Students will have access to computers and iPads to complete lab activities, using GIS software, and using interactive
apps to review information taught in class.
Student Evaluation
Each unit taught will be assessed through pre/post exams, daily grades (labs and current events), one major paper or
project, and the reading activities.
Quizzes have 15 multiple choice questions with five choices and one free-response item.
Exams have 50 multiple choice questions with five choices and two-response questions.
Multiple choice questions are worth two points each and free response questions are worth between 6 to 12 points.