AP Human Geography Overview
AP Human Geography is a college level course that investigates why humans do what they do where
they do it which is open to all freshmen and upperclassmen as an elective credit. After taking the AP
test, students with high enough scores will be given credit for an introductory Geography class by
most university institutions. Due to this fact, this class is as rigorous as a college level class. It
requires outside reading (approximately 8-12 information-dense pages) which requires a time
commitment that varies based on students’ reading comprehension skills. Students must be selfdisciplined enough to read assigned sections of the textbook when assigned (daily) and be ready for
reading quizzes the subsequent class (also daily). Active participation in class is also a must for
success in this class. Students will complete case-studies analyzing how various topics impact
different locations such as class presentations analyzing the interactions of folk and popular culture
in various countries. Second semester involves completing a research paper in which students
create a realistic economic development plan for a struggling economy. This class is more reading
intensive than it is writing intensive and also requires students to complete a summer assignment.
By focusing on current events and a global distribution, this class is uniquely positioned to discuss
everything from global politics, to languages, to resources, to global economics. We discuss
population issues and growth, global diseases, economic development for struggling countries,
where different goods come from and why, global religions, ethnic conflict, how cities grow,
international organizations and many other topics relevant to today’s world. This class provides
foundational knowledge for a number of future classes and careers that involve global perspectives
and the ability to analyze relationships between various forces such as business, diplomacy, law,
history, politics, geography, and many others.
This class is designed to challenge any student who has watched domestic and international events on
the news and wondered, “Why is that happening?” Students excel when they are organized, selfmotivated and have the time necessary to develop effective reading and studying skills that are
essential to success at the university level.
AP Human Geography
Course and AP Overview
AP Human Geography is a yearlong class designed to give incoming freshmen, who desire the
experience of an introductory college-level course in Human Geography, the opportunity to develop
advanced critical thinking, analytical, reading and academic skills. Expectations for this class will be high
as they are designed to reflect the same objectives found in a college-level class. As with all AP classes,
students are expected to take the AP Human Geography test on Friday, May 15th in the morning (fee:
$89, financial help available). Depending on the score received on the AP test on a scale of 1-5, with 5
being the highest, students can be awarded university credit hours for an introductory Human
Geography course. The availability of credit and score required for university credit can vary depending
on the institution. For information concerning the requirements for individual universities, contact the
college directly or search for the school at
http://collegesearch.collegeboard.com/apcreditpolicy/index.jsp
Class Rigor
Students and parents/guardians must understand that they are undertaking a college-level class
designed for students 4 years older and more experienced. For many students this class is very
challenging—with parallel high rewards and a sense of academic fulfillment once it is completed.
Students will be expected to complete readings, research and homework outside of class on a nightly
basis that will necessitate a great deal of independence and self-discipline. Class time will be reserved
for enhancing topics introduced in the text and expanding on theories presented in the readings.
Students are expected to maintain the workload and expected to participate in class on a daily basis. It is
imperative that students not fall behind or they risk becoming overwhelmed. Students are
recommended to use a TimeTracker or other scheduling aide to help budget their time and plan
ahead.
Standards
AP Human Geography is driven by the standards set forth by the College Board, the institution that
creates and grades the May AP test. The particular topics studied in AP Human Geography follow the
five college-level goals that build on the National Geography Standards developed in 1994 and still in
use today. Upon a successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
 Use and think about maps and special data
 Understand an interpret the implications of links between phenomena in different locations
 Recognize and interpret at different scales the relationships among patterns and processes
created by humans as they interact with each other and the landscape
 Define regions and evaluate the bipolar relationship between regionalism and globalization
 Characterize and analyze changing interconnections among places
Additionally, these skills will be used to analyze the following geographic topics:
 The nature and perspectives of geography
 Population
 Cultural patterns and processes (including ethnicity, language, religion, etc.)
 Political organization of space
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


Agricultural and rural land use
Industrialization and economic development (including service industries)
Cities and urban land use
Resource distribution and use
Technology Component
Students will be expected to use valid internet resources (evaluated for reliability by themselves) for
research, homework and other investigations. If a student does not have access to the internet at home,
he or she needs to make arrangements for computer access before, during and after school hours. If
that is not possible, I need to be informed as soon as possible to ensure that he/she has access to
alternative assignments. Each student must have the AUP signed and returned to their homeroom
teacher to ensure that they have access to the network at Dunbar. Additionally, any student with a PC
at home is encouraged to download the free online program Google Earth from
http://earth.google.com/.
Assessments
In addition to possibly gaining university credit through the successful completion of the AP exam,
students will earn a high school transcript grade for this class. In conjunction with all classes at Dunbar,
the following grading breakdown will be used each semester:
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
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40% Formative work (in class daily work, homework)
45% Summative work (tests, quizzes, papers and presentations)
15% Semester final/AP exam
Extra credit will not be available in this class. My expectations are for students to complete assignments
and exams to their highest potential every time. If students honestly give a good faith effort for each
assignment extra credit is not necessary. Students should check their grades weekly in Infinite Campus
and conference with me after school with any issues or to acquire make up work.
The timely and accurate completion and grading of assigned readings is essential to this class. We will
not take time during the school day to read our textbook. Instead, students will receive daily quizzes on
readings from the previous night and/or section questions to answer as homework. Upon entering class
each day, those homework assignments will be immediately due (completion of homework at the
beginning of class or ‘checking answers’ is not appropriate) and/or quizzes immediately taken. Absent
students will be given written homework questions to complete rather than make up quizzes.
All students are encouraged to take the AP test on Friday May 15th in the morning (cost: $89). The exam
takes approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes. If a student elects not to take the test, they will be given
an alternative assessment commiserate with the difficulty of an AP test. The replacement test will follow
the same structure as the AP test: 75 multiple choice questions (50% of the test—1 hour) and 3 free
response questions (50% of the test—1 hour 15 minutes). College Board Online offers a few free online
practice supports at the following website: https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/apcourse/ap-humangeography. We will also practice test taking strategies and questions in class.
Writing Assignments
Students will practice writing free-response questions (50% of the AP test score) throughout each unit of
instruction. They will be taught how to grade, and therefore how scorers grade, free-response
questions. Each AP test has different expectations for student answers which they will be taught to
incorporate into their answers for AP Human Geography. Students will also be required to write at least
one research paper that include proper citation format and is based on critical thinking, analysis and
geographic skills. Research paper writing skills are integral to a successful college career though the
process does not appear on the AP test.
Class Materials
Students will need the following materials for this class and should bring them with their textbook to
class everyday:
 On 1 ½ or 2 inch binder
 Thin transparency markers available for approximately $7 at office supply stores for GIS projects
(should be kept with class materials—will not be used every day)
 Electronic device (at parent discretion)
 Pencils or black/blue pens
 Loose leaf paper
Course Materials
 Rubenstein, James M. The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography. 10th ed.
Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 2011.
 Gover, Brett. Atlas of World Geography. Ed. Rand McNally & Company, 2006.
 Cities of the World: World Regional Urban Development. 3rd e. Ed. Brunn, Stanley, et. al, New
York: Rowman & Littlefield, 2003.
Supplemental Course Materials
 Magazines/News
o National Geographic Society, The Economist, Time, Lexington Herald Leader, BBC, The
New York Times
 Internet Resources
o http://geography.usgs.gov/
o www.census.gov
o http://www.prb.org
o www.worldbank.org/data
o www.nationalgeographic.com
o http://www.themeatrix.com
o https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/
 Videos
o Hotel Rwanda
o Slumdog Millionaire
o Coal Country
o
o
o
Vice by HBO
Food Inc, King Corn or Farmaggedon
Trouble in Amish Paradise
School Wide & Classroom Behavioral Expectations:
 Personal electronic devices should only be used when specifically instructed by the teacher
for instructional purposes. If a phone is causing a student to be distracted, they will be given
1 warning to put it away. If it continues to be a distraction, it will be confiscated until the
end of class. If a cell phone continues to be a distraction on multiple days, it may be
confiscated and turned in to the office. A student is considered distracted when (but not
limited to) he/she is not listening to instructions, not making eye contact when
directions/information is being given, or when not working on classwork or group work
when he/she should be. Cell phones should never be out when tests/quizzes are present.
 5/5 Rule: There will be no hall passes given in the first or last 5 minutes of class. If students
will not be able to return before the 5/5 rule begins, they will not be able to leave.
 Be on time to class: If you are late, please go immediately to the tardy table. You have 3
minutes to get to class from the time your note is given.
 School Rules: All school rules will be followed and enforced, including dress code, bullying
consequences, etc.
Classroom Behavior Expectations:
There are certain procedures that will need to be followed to help the class to run smoothly. They are
to be:
 Be respectful of the classroom, yourself, your teacher and your classmates. Consider how your
actions affect others and how they reflect on yourself. Oftentimes, ‘perception is reality’.
 Protect the classroom by throwing away trash, cleaning up messes (they happen—just take
responsibility!), putting textbooks under chairs, and keeping desks unmarked.
 Make sure your work is your own by making sure you do not copy other work, no matter the
assignment, and no matter the source (another student, the internet, previous students’ work,
dividing up an assignment and sharing answers, pictures on phones, etc.), or giving your answers
to others. Complete your work with honesty and integrity.
 Be invested in your own education by taking advantage of all of the opportunities that an
education gives you. Don’t take the easy way out and enjoy learning!
I agree that the above expectations are reasonable and will work to the best of my ability to abide by
them. If you have any questions throughout the year, I am available. Please contact me at
[email protected].
Print Student Name:____________ _______________
_______________________________
Student Signature
__________
Date
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Parent Signature
__________
Date
Class Outline
This calendar is an approximate outline of topics and activities for AP Human Geography. Dates
are not set in stone and additional assignments and activities will be assigned or changed.
Exams and quizzes are noted in bold. Other summative assessments will be given.
Date
Subjects/Topics
Readings/Activities
*Students will be responsible for
*All readings listen come from the
these topics in addition to the
Rubenstein text. Additional readings and
information provided in the text
articles will be given
8/14
Course introduction and
Syllabus and summer assignment exam
introduction to summer assignment
exam
8/18-8/29
The historical development of
Chapter 1
Daily Quizzes cartography, evaluating map types,
introduction to scale, important
Project—mental map of Lexington, KY,
Summer
geographers, tools of the trade
the US and the world
assignment
test: 8/25
Mental maps and how they reflect
Investigation—historical and modern
the 5 themes of geography
maps and the perspectives they reveal
Chapter 1
Test: 8/29
Modern technology and geography: Activity—GoogleEarth GIS manipulation
satellite imagery, GIS, GPS
and GPS familiarity. Creating a proposal
for a new layer.
Case Study: Geography for the
people: Google Earth and CCTV
Map interpretation—Major geographical
features, symbols, isolines, etc. and how
Intro to note taking and short
they apply to construction
answer questions
9/3-9/9
Worldwide population distribution, Chapter 2 Sec. 1-2
factors that influence fluctuations in
Daily Quizzes population, demographic transition Investigation—Demographic transition
theory
theory for the United States and other
countries and implications for politics,
Case studies: The Black Death, the
economics and the environment. Is it
1918 Flu Epidemic, AIDS and
possible to follow the ‘traditional’
population control
demographic transition theory today?
Discussion—Global implications of the
demographic transition theory in MDCs
and LDCs
9/11-9/19
Demographics, population
pyramids, effects of population
Daily Quizzes demographics on development and
Debate/reflection—Does the world need
another pandemic?
Chapter 2 Sec. 3-4
Investigation—Population pyramids of
Chapter 2
Test: 9/19
government services in MDCs and
LDCs
How to analyze and construct
population pyramids
various countries and what they indicate
for the future (socially, politically and
economically) based on World Factbook
Data
Debate—The ethics of China’s “One
Child Policy”, and its effectiveness on
population pyramid. Should it be applied
to LDCs?
9/22-9/29
Push-pull factors, historical and
modern migration
Daily Quizzes
Case Study: The Great Irish Famine
vs. the Celtic Tiger
Case Study: Modern immigration to
the United States—disillusionment
with the American dream
Case Study: Temporary workers in
the Middle East—a force for
change?
Project—Changing school demographics
and what it indicates for the future of
Lexington and Dunbar
Chapter 3 Sec. 1-2
Project—Push-pull factors of immigrants
to the EU and United States from : Latin
America, India, Philippines, China,
Vietnam, Cuba, Korea, Columbia,
Northern Africa
Mapping/GIS—Which factors have the
most impact on immigration patterns?
Investigation/Reading—Modern issues
and refugees: Somalia, Liberia, Laos,
Sudan, Iran, Syria, Libya, North Korea
Refugees
10/1-10/7
Obstacles to migration in sending
Chapter 3 Sec. 3-4
and receiving countries, cultural and
Daily Quizzes governmental, “brain drain”
Guest Speaker—Making the move and
the push/pull factors and barriers
Chapter 3
Changes in American immigration
associated with the move
Test: 10/7
policy, current American
immigration policy
Research and writing assignment—What
should US immigration policy be? Why?
Case Study: Muslims in France
Impacts?
10/9-10/17
Case Study: Migration within the
British Commonwealth and the
demography of London
Folk culture—definition,
components, identification
Daily Quizzes
Case Study—Asian Culture: Chinese,
Korean and Japanese culture
Chapter 4 Sec. 1-2
Writing prompt—Does American folk
culture exist?
Housing types—traditional
(environmental influences) and
modern styles
10/21-10/23
Popular culture—definition,
components, dispersion, influence
Daily Quizzes of changing demographics and
economics on popular culture
Case Study—Bollywood films
Case Study—Technology and
cultural homogony
Investigation—Does McDonalds bring
peace?
Language origins and diffusion,
language trees, languages vs.
Daily Quizzes dialects
Case study—the Rosetta Stone
Case Study—Comparison and
diffusion of Chinese, Japanese and
Korea (verbal and written
characters)
Language mongrelization,
preservation and resurrection
Daily Quizzes
Case study—The “de-evolution” of
the English language and the French
Academy of language
Case study—Welsh
11/7-11/13
Video clip—London vs. Chinese Olympic
opening ceremonies
Chapter 4 Sec. 3-4
Investigation—Research and present
information about folk (and popular)
culture from various countries. Identify
sources of conflict between the two.
10/27-10/29
10/31-11/5
Debate—What are the moral limitations
of folk culture, if any?
Religions—Overview of
universalizing vs. ethnic religions,
Daily Quizzes distribution of major religions
Investigation—World music and
homogony
Chapter 5 Sec. 1-2
Investigation—Reading another
language, identifying similarities and
differences (creating language families
and branches)
Mapping/Translation—Dialects of
English and impact on culture, society,
mental maps
Debate—Esperanto: Should there be a
world language?
Chapter 5 Sec. 3-4
Investigation—Etymology of English
words. Spelling and word choice
differences from British English
Investigation—Identifying location via
language and dialects.
Discussion—The influence of technology
and globalization on languages in lexicon
and diffusion (e.g. texting language and
foreign advertising)
Chapter 6 Sec. 1-2
Investigation and presentations—Major
world religions, their similarities and
differences
Dispersion of religions in America
and encroachment of atheism in the
US and Europe
Discussion—Fundamentalism, Atheism
and organized religion: What impact will
Case Study: Religion in France
they have on the future?
Case Study: Turkey, Ataturk and the
quest for secularism and the EU in
the Middle East
11/17-11/21
Chapters 4-6
Test: 11/21
Influence of religion on place and
Chapter 6 Sec. 3-4
religious violence, places of religious
importance, religious buildings
Investigation—The geography of
(influence on town layout and
Jerusalem: Holiest of cities
skyline)
Investigation—Worldwide religious
Case Study: Palestine and Israel
buildings and styles
Case Study: Northern Ireland
Case Study: the Hajj
11/25-12/4
Ethnicity vs. Race
Daily Quizzes The complex interaction and
definitions of nations, states and
nation-states
Case Study—Germany from 18711989
Case Study—Soviet Union
Case Study—The partitioning of
Africa
12/8-12/12
Debate—Theocracies and democracy: Is
it possible? (Turkey investigation)
Ethnic conflict and cleansing
Daily Quizzes International standards on
intervention in cases of ethnic
cleansing
Case study—Somalia and ethnic
cleansing
Investigation options: Northern Ireland,
partition of India, religion under
Communist rule, Hamas, US-Taliban
peace talks
Chapter 7 Sec. 1-2
Video—Apartheid in South Africa
Investigation/Map reading and
impacts—Deconstruction and
categorization of a nation, nation-state
and state
Investigation—The changing face of the
US and how the government records
ethnic and racial data
Chapter 7 Sec. 3-4
Investigation—Evidence of ethnic
cleansing. How are genocides classified?
How do they develop?
Video clip: Hotel Rwanda
Investigation options regarding ethnicity
Case study—Cambodia (‘Children of
the Cambodian Killing Fields’
reading)
and nationalism: Russia, the United
Kingdom, Kazakhstan, Sudan, Lebanon,
the Kashmir region, Kosovo, Bosnia &
Herzegovina, Quebec, Kurdish
nationalism, Albania
12/15-12/19
Review for Fall Semester Final and Exam
1/5-1/7
Introduction to sovereignty from
Chapter 8 Sec. 1-2
the perspectives of geography and
Daily Quizzes political science, boundaries
Group presentations—Nation-building in
the wake of the Arab Spring
The development of states over
time (city-states, empires, types of
Class debate—the future of the Korean
modern states)
peninsula and East Asia
Case studies: China/Taiwan and
North/South Korea
Investigation—Iran, sovereignty and
nuclear weapons
Boundaries: artificial, natural and in
dispute
Investigation—Why are boundaries
where they are (benefit analysis)
Case study: China’s One Time Zone
Policy
1/9-1/15
International Organizations
 Regional economic, security
Daily Quizzes
 UN
 World Bank
Chapter 8
Test: 1/15
Terrorism and the acquisition of
nuclear technology
Chapter 8 Sec. 3-4
Class debates—the effectiveness of the
UN, NATO, EU in modern politics,
military, economy, leadership
1/20-1/26
Written response—support a position:
Should the EU continue? Is it a threat to
US and/or Chinese power?
Chapter 9 Sec. 1-2
1/28-1/30
Activity—Material World comparison
Chapter 9 Sec. 3-4
Measurements of development and
the geography of the resources
Daily Quizzes necessary for development (e.g. raw Class discussion—What does the HDI
materials, transportation, centers of hide about conditions within countries?
education)
Investigation—Promoting development
Distribution of countries in HDI
in LDCs: Where to start? Who has and
categories (GSI)
will help?
Gender and development—the
rationale of micro-loans to women
Daily Quizzes for sustainable development,
traditional roadblocks to
development for women
Debate—Who should the money go to
for a country to develop (gender)?
Development theories—selfsufficiency or specialization
Global development programs—
World Bank, IMF, Fair Trade
Investigation and Reflection—The Bono
Theory and World Debt
Discussion—What would happen if all
consumer items met “Fair Trade”
standards of fair price, fair working
conditions, community development and
environmental sustainability? Would the
world stand for it?
Video: Conditions in Chinese factories
Investigation—the downside of
development theories: specialization in
OPEC
Development Research Paper (2/3-2/12)
2/18-2/20
Historical agriculture
Chapter 10 Sec. 1-2
 Agricultural hearths
Daily Quizzes
Class discussion—Changing evidence of
 The second agricultural
wealth: from land to Lamborghinis
revolution
 Types of agriculture
Project—landscape change and
predominant agricultural practices under
The impact of subsistence and
geographic constraints
commercial agriculture on the
landscape
Investigation—identifying locations
based on agricultural scenario
2/24-3/2
Food distribution, supply and
Chapter 10 Sec. 3-4
starvation, the Green Revolution
Daily Quizzes Chinese agriculture under
Debate and Evaluate: How profitable is
communist control and the Great
farming in the US. Should we import all
Chapter 10
Leap Forward
foodstuffs?
Test: 3/2
Why does agriculture predominate
Debate—Genetically modified foods and
in LDCs and in many lower socioagriculture in MDCs and LDCs: Do the
economic areas in MDCs?
benefits outweigh the risks?
Farming in the US historically and
into the future, economic stimulus:
new energy uses for agricultural
products
3/4-3/6
Site, situation and transportation of
industry on global, national, and
Daily Quizzes state scales
Video—King Corn or Food, Inc.
Investigation—Undernourishment on
local, national and international scales:
How prevalent is it? What can/should we
do about it?
Chapter 11 Sec. 1-2
Discussion and Photo Essay—News
Historical and international hearths
of industry and the influences of
resources, Soviet industrialization
Special: Detroit is Disappearing. Can it be
revitalized?
Investigation—Georgetown, Kentucky
and the Toyota manufacturing plant
Case Study—Industrialization in
Japan
Case Study—The decline of Detroit
3/10-3/18
Changing industrial distribution and
the factors contributing to it
Daily Quizzes (energy, pollution restrictions,
labor, government incentives,
Chapter 11
alliances)
Test: 3/18
Case Study—NAFTA and
Maquilladoras
Case Study—Special Economic
Zones in China
Outsourcing
3/23-3/27
Historical urban development and
service industries
Daily Quizzes
 Changing services provided
over time
 Accessibility changes and
technology over time
Urbanization
Market Areas and the gravity model
4/7-4/16
Urban settlements and service
industries:
 CBDs
 Rank-Size Rule
 Primate cities
Changing definitions of a city
Daily Quizzes Urban development:
 Megalopolises
Chapter 12
 Major/Primate cities in LDCs,
and 13 Test:
the destruction of the rank-
Chapter 11 Sec. 3-4
Investigation—Moving out of China: Is
Africa the next world manufacturing
center? Who has the site and situation
factors to be the ‘next manufacturing
mogul’?
Writing (Pros and Cons)—Should Africa
attract manufacturing and, if so, what
must it do to encourage development?
Video—Southeast Asian factory
conditions
Chapter 12
Historical map interpretation—medieval
maps and the development of city zones
Project/Activity—Market areas,
projection of the most advantageous
placement for an expanded business
based on local, national and
international factors. Application of
gravity model
Activity—The Urban Development Game
Chapter 13
Investigation—Which development
model does Lexington illustrate? In what
way? What urban issues are exhibited in
Lexington and what evidence is there for
4/20

size rule, squatter
settlements
Concentric Zone Model vs.
Sector vs. Multiple Nuclei
model
Suburbs and slums: Urban problems
facing cities in MDCs and LDCs
Case Study: Brasilia, Brazil: Starting
over
Case Study: Brazil: Rio and the
Olympics
4/22-4/24
Compare/Contrast: Mass public
transportation in the US, Europe
and Japan
Distribution of natural resources on
global, national and state scales
Daily Quizzes
Discussion and historical analysis:
How can countries and peoples well
endowed with natural resources be
poor?
Resources disputes—the lure of oil
(WWII , Desert Storm, Operation
Iraqi Freedom)
Resource disputes of the future—
Precious water
attempts to curb these problems?
Project—Global cities: their pasts,
present and futures. An investigation
from the following options: London,
Paris, Shanghai, Tokyo, Mumbai, Mexico
City, Rio de Janeiro, Cairo, Baghdad,
Istanbul, Seoul, Johannesburg, Nairobi,
Beijing
Debate—The ethics of squatter
settlements
Investigation--When City Planning Goes
Wrong: China’s Ghost Cities
Chapter 14 Sec. 1-2
Video: Coal Country. The impact of the
coal industry on Kentucky geography and
society
Debate—Oil in Libya. Should we get
involved?
Article—Pollution and the Olympic
Games
Investigation—Nuclear disasters
Resource extraction, pollution and
how it travels
4/28-5/6
Case Study: Nuclear Power: Not In
My Backyard syndrome
Renewable resources—wind, water,
geothermal and solar
Daily Quizzes
Chapter 14
Test: 5/6
Distribution of major renewable
energy and sustainable
development projects, problems
associated with such projects
Chapter 14 Sec 3-4
Writing prompt—Ethical issues
concerning sustainable development in
LDCs
Investigation—The Kyoto Protocol and
other international environmental pacts:
5/8-5/15
Case Study: The Three Rivers Dam in Should the US sign?
China
Article—Electric cars and saving the US
auto industry
Review for the AP test