AP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY (freshmen)
Mr. Domenico Fall 2015-2016
Advanced Placement Human Geography is the equivalent of a one-semester college-level course and is designed to
provide the student with an in-depth understanding of the earth’s regions, religions, languages, recent regional histories,
governments, economic systems, and physical features. The knowledge learned in this class is essential for citizenship and
is taken very seriously by the teachers. By the end of the semester, each student should be able to watch the news on
television and understand the issues that define our world. Furthermore, students will write frequently on current topics of
interest. The free response questions will be patterned after the type of questions asked on the AP Human Geography
Exam. These assignments should prepare them for the AP Exam in May as well as deepen the students’ understanding of
the issues.
The teaching strategies, products, and content involved in this course are designed around meeting the students’ needs;
therefore, the activities performed throughout the year may be differentiated according to each student’s ability level.
Furthermore, this class is exclusively for freshmen and is completely different from the AP Human Geography course Mr.
Page teaches.
Areas of Study
Fall Semester
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6.
Middle School Review requirements (Countries and Physical Features) Check my web site.
Catch Up #1 Physical/Industrialization
Catch Up #2 History
Unit 1 General Geographical Concepts
Unit 2 Demography and Migration
Unit 3 Culture Unit – Chapters 4, 5, & 6, Test during finals week
The Catch-Up Units involve two sections: Physical Geography/Industrialization and Recent History. These two units are
not a part of the College Board curriculum, but are designed to provide the ninth grade student with the prior knowledge
necessary for success in a college-level course.
The remaining units roughly align themselves with the AP Central Curriculum for Human Geography. See web site:
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/ap07_humangeo_coursedesc.pdf
Expectations: This is an AP course, which simply means it’s not like a college class, it is a college class. We expect all
students to act accordingly. We will be dealing with important world issues this semester and each student is expected to
handle this material with the maturity commensurate with the level of the course. It should go without saying that each
person, the teacher included, should treat others with dignity and respect. Please do not interrupt others when they are
talking, get up and walk around without asking permission, or stand around my desk. This area is off limits because it is
where we keep important documents and possessions. In our classes, you must be in your seat when the bell rings, not in
the doorway!! There are only a couple of reasons for being late to class. If you feel you have a good reason for being late,
plead your case to me at the end of the period.
Students will write in PEN, except for any scantron multiple choice tests. Have a blue or black ink pen with you at all
times!
Textbook: Rubenstein, James M. The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography. 9th edition. Upper
Saddle River, NJ. Prentice Hall, 2008. ISBN 0-13-142939-6
Recommended Book(s): Swanson’s “Kaplan AP Human Geography” (try to get the most recent edition) AND/OR
Moore’s “Cracking the AP Human Geography Exam” are strongly recommended for review.
GRADING SCALE
The grade for this course will be based on the following a +/-10,000 point scale:
Homework/ Minor Projects
Quizzes
Tests/Midterm (final)
Project
Final Exam
2,000
1,000
4,500
1,000
1,500
This grading scale may change at any time!!
Homework/Quizzes: Homework will be given frequently including most weekends. Assignments will be graded for
accuracy and thoroughness. It is unwise to rush through your homework. Quizzes will be given very regularly and are
usually given at the beginning of the period. If you are late to class (unexcused), you will receive a zero on it. Quizzes, if
missed, cannot be made up.
Make-up Work: It is the student’s responsibility to find out what they have missed after they have been absent – the
easiest way to do so is to ask a friend what you missed. Any assignments not completed within the timeframe will be
given a zero. Late work is penalized 50% and may be turned in no later than the day of the test for that unit. Excused
absences are often unavoidable, but the work missed must be made up. Make up tests may be different from the tests
given to the rest of the class and may be composed of essay and oral questions. It is strongly recommended that students
DO NOT miss exam days.
Tests: Each of the unit tests will count approximately 8% of your grade. It is NOT recommended that you only study the
night before the test. The test format is a smaller version of the AP Exam given in May. Consequently, it will include 3040 multiple-choice questions and one free response question.
Drawing the World Project: Students will be taught how to draw an outline map of the world from memory. This is
intended to give them a mental map of the world that will help them visualize regions and locations’ relative directions.
Tentative Due Date in December.
Final Exam: AP Finals in the fall are NOT exemptable! The Final is a cumulative review of all of the concepts we will
have learned over the course of the semester. It will be made up of challenging multiple-choice questions.
Extra Credit: There is none. But there will be optional assignments throughout the year.
Withdrawing from the class: You have until August 21st to drop out of the class.
Woodstock High School Tardy Policy 2015-2016
See the school’s web page for this information.
AP/Honors Policy on Academic Integrity
Academic dishonesty is “submission of work completed by another person as your own.”
It is academically unethical and unacceptable to:
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Submit work completed in whole or in part by another person as if it were your own.
Restate or paraphrase another writer’s work without acknowledging the source.
Copy another student’s homework and submit the work as if it were the product of your own labor.
Attempt to gain an advantage through the use of crib sheets, hidden notes, viewing another student’s
paper, revealing the questions or answers on exams or quizzes to other students or viewing quiz or exam
questions obtained by another student.
Store or communicate information not distributed to students through the use of electronic devices,
recording devices, cellular telephones, headsets or portable computers.
Academic dishonesty of any kind is not tolerated. The student who cheats or plagiarizes will receive a zero for
the assignment or test, the parent/guardian will be contacted, and the student will be referred to administration
for disciplinary action. In addition, as the teacher I reserve the right to decline to write a recommendation for
college admission, scholarships, and/or summer programs for any student who has cheated in my class or any
other class at WHS. Cheating in any class could result in removal from the AP Program.
First Two Weeks Requirements
I.
Know the exact and relative location of the world’s strategic physical features listed on the attached sheet.
II.
Know the exact and relative location of most of the countries in the world, plus the following nations/regions:
Darfur, FARQ, Chechnya, Sahel, Siberia, Manchuria, Crimea, Maghreb, Kosovo, Tibet, Basque,
Ossetia (both N & S), Kurdistan, Punjab, Quebec, Gaza Strip/West Bank, Crimea, and Kashmir.
For a list of the countries, physical features, and regions go to my web site.
Office Hours: Afternoon and morning appointments must be made ahead of time because my availability varies.
Please use email instead of telephone for all communications with the teacher:
allen.domenico@cherokee.k12.ga.us
No recordings, videos, or photographs are allowed without the teacher’s permission!
Special Note: AP Human Geography is a year-long advanced academic course designed to meet the needs and
challenges of gifted students and high achieving freshmen in Cherokee County Schools. Students who qualify
for gifted services are taught by a gifted-certified teacher during this course every day. Learning is
differentiated through in-depth analysis of events, sources, and formal essay assignments.
STUDENT NAME: _____________________________________ Period_______
STUDENT SIGNATURE: ______________________
PARENT SIGNATURE: ______________________