Syllabus - AP Human Geography
AP Human Geography
Mr. Marrie
Room 5410
“Geography is everything and everything is geography.”
Clear Creek Independent School District Course Syllabus 2017-2018
Instructor Information:
Tutorials: Tuesday and Thursday from 2:40-3:15 pm in room 5410
Conference period: 2nd period
Email: [email protected]
Website: https:/marriegeo.weebly.com
Phone: 281-284-1100
The purpose of the AP Human Geography course is to introduce students to the systematic study of patterns and processes that have shaped human understanding, use, and alteration of Earth’s surface. Students employ spatial concepts and landscape analysis to examine human social organization and its environmental consequences. They also learn about the methods and tools geographers use in their science and practice.
Source: http://apcentral.collegeboard.com
Goals from the Course Description
1. Use and think about maps and spatial data.
2. Understand and interpret the implications of associations among phenomena in places.
3. Recognize and interpret at different scales the relationships among patterns and processes.
4. Define regions and evaluate the regionalization process.
5. Characterize and analyze changing interconnections among places.
Expectations
AP Human Geography is a college level course. At the end of the Spring Semester (05.12.17) students will be taking the AP Human Geography Exam which could earn college credit. Therefore, this course will require more work than a regular high school course. Expect to work every day in class and expect out of class assignments.
The course work will be rigorous and time consuming. The greatest expectation you can have as a student in this course is that you will gain a greater understanding of the world in which we all live and better appreciate how interesting it actually is.
Course Materials Needed
□ Two-inch binder to be used exclusively for this class
□ Pencil
□ Blue or black pen
□ Colored pencils (map pencils). At least eight colors.
□ Email Address (school issued)
□ Microsoft One Drive account (school issued)
□ Computer (school issued or your own). Must be brought to school each day and must be charged. Please also bring your charging cord in case you need it.
Required Textbooks
Rubenstein, James M. The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography AP Edition. 11th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, 2014. Abbreviation used in syllabus is: “R”
Books Used Frequently in Class Lessons and Class Readings
The Introductory Reader in Human Geography: Contemporary Debates and Classic Writings
ed. Moseley/Lanegran/Pandit Abbreviation used in syllabus is: “M”
de Blij, Harm and Murphey, Alexander Human Geography: People, Place, and Culture 9th ed.
Abbreviation used in syllabus is: “B”
The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner
Hungry Planet by Peter Menzel and Faith D’Aluisio
Material World by Peter Menzel
There will also be class readings that may not be mentioned here that pertain to current events and additional topics in geography.
Potential Web Sites/Video Series
1000 Places to see before you die (1000) http://www.1000beforeyoudie.com/
Population Reference Bureau (PRB): http://www.prb.org
The Power of Place http://www.learner.org/powerofplace/
The United States Census Bureau (CB): http://www.census.gov
World Atlas of Maps Flags and Geography Facts and Figures: http://worldatlas.com
The European Union: http://europa.eu
The United Nations: http://www.un.org
USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service: http://www.nass.usda.gov
Food Inc.: http://www.takepart.com/foodinc
CIA World Fact book https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/
Hotel Rwanda http://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/hotel-rwanda
World Mapper http://www.worldmapper.org/
Geo Guesser http://geoguessr.com/
Gap Minder http://www.gapminder.org/
My Footprint http://www.myfootprint.org/
Third World Farmer www.3rdworldfarmer.com/
Hungry Decisions http://hunger.cwsglobal.org/decisions/index.htm
Google Earth http://www.google.com/earth/index.html
Mapping Worlds http://www.mappingworlds.com/
Frontline World: Your Coffee Dollar http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/guatemala.mexico/coffee1.html
Geospatial Revolution http://geospatialrevolution.psu.edu/
Monterey Bay Aquarium http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/
PBS.org http://www.pbs.org/speak/
Project Britain http://projectbritain.com/
My Community, Our Earth http://www.aag.org/sustainable
EWG Farm Subsidy Database http://farm.ewg.org/
Southern Poverty Law Center http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/hate-map
Units
Fall Semester
1. Basic Concepts of Geography: Nature and Perspectives (4 weeks)
2. Population and Migration (4 weeks)
3. Cultural Practices and Processes (7 weeks)
a. Folk and Popular Culture
b. Language
c. Religion
d. Ethnicity
Spring Semester
4. Political Organization of Space (3 weeks)
5. Agricultural and Rural Land Use (4 weeks)
6. Industrialization and Economic Development (4 weeks)
7. Cities and Urban Land Use (3 weeks)
- AP Exam Camp (2 weeks)
8. Globalization and Resources (2 weeks)
AP Exam: May 18th, 2018
Unit Overviews
For each Unit the student must do the following:
1. Define a list(s) of vocabulary from the College Board AP Central Human Geography web site: http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/members/courses/teachers_corner/49389.html
2. Complete a quiz on each Vocabulary List.
3. Complete unit assignments and enrichments.
4. Complete outlines/Cornell notes for each Rubenstein chapter covered.
5. Complete a Unit Test. The Unit Tests are multiple choice questions and short essays (FRQ’s). They are the same format as the AP Human Geography Test.
6. Maintain Student Binder
7. Major Projects
8. Map Tests
First Semester
Unit 1
Basic concepts of Geography: Its Nature and Perspectives (4 weeks)
1. Understanding the main concepts associated with Perspective: location, space, place, scale, pattern, regions, and globalization.
2. Identifying geographic models and the geographers responsible for them.
3. Learning to read, interpret, and analyze various types of maps and patterns found on them.
4. Understanding new technologies, e.g., GIS, GPS.
5. Using internet sources to find data and learning to map the data.
6. Defining Human Geography and understanding it as a field of study.
7. Construct maps at different scales and interrupt the different patterns found at the different scales.
Some Required Reading(s)
R Chapter 1
M Chapter 1 The Four Traditions of Geography (printouts available)
ARTICLE: “Why Geography Matters . . . But Is So Little Learned” by Walter A. McDougall http://www.fpri.org/orbis/4702/mcdougall.geographymatters.html
Unit 2
Population, Health, and Migration (4 weeks)
1. Analysis of population data: types of densities, population distributions, and population compositions (age, sex, race, and ethnicity). Constructing and explaining population pyramids.
2. Understanding population trends (historical and future) and population models, i.e., Demographic Transition Model, Gravity Model, etc.
3. Explaining the effects of various population policies, e.g., China’s and India’s policies to lower population growth.
4. Analysis of migration and the factors that cause people to move (push and pull factors). Analyze United States and world patterns of migration. Explain the Gravity Model, distance decay and Ravenstein’s “laws of migration.”
5. Describe and analyze the different types of migration and give examples for each type, e.g., rural to urban, chain, forced, etc.
6. Understanding the effects of natural hazards on populations, e.g., Hurricane Ike and Katrina’s effects on the Gulf Coast.
Some Required Reading(s)
R Chapter 2 and 3
The Population Implosion by Nicholas Eberstadt
Gray Dawn: The Global Aging Crisis by Peter G. Peterson
An Essay on the Principle of Population by Thomas Malthus (1798)
Unit 3
Cultural Patterns and Processes (7 weeks)
1. Identifying and analyzing culture, cultural traits, diffusion, acculturation, assimilation, and cultural regions.
2. Describing and explaining differences and similarities between world languages, world religions, ethnic groups (ethnicity), and popular/folk cultures.
3. Discussing and analyzing the environmental impact of various cultural practices.
4. Identifying and explaining various cultural landscapes and understanding a sense of place.
5. Understanding how cultural patterns are represented at various scales from local to global.
6. Analyzing and understanding the distribution of religion and languages and language families around the world.
Some Required Reading(s)
R Chapters 4, 5, 6, and 7
Looking for Lawns by Rebecca Lindsey
The Nine Nations of North America by Joel R. Garreau
Excerpts from Northern Ireland: Troubles Brewing by Landon Hancock
Excerpts from The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Second Semester
Unit 4
Political Organization of Space (3 weeks)
1. Understanding the meaning, consequences, and influences of the world’s boundaries.
2. Understanding and applying the terms nation, state, nation states, federal states, and unitary states.
3. Describing and analyzing the changing nature of sovereignty: fragmentation, unification, and alliance.
4. Identifying the spatial relations between political patterns and patterns of economy, ethnicity, and environment.
5. Analyzing electoral geography and the effects of gerrymandering.
Some Required Reading(s)
R Chapter 8
Africa’s Geomosaic Under Stress by H.J. de Blij
The Rise of the Region State by Kenichi Ohmae
Unit 5
Agricultural and Rural Land Use (4 weeks)
1. Explain and analyze the impact of the diffusion of agriculture around the world.
2. Discuss and identify the different agricultural revolutions, e.g., First, Second, Green, etc.
3. Understanding the climate, vegetation, and agricultural zones around the world.
4. Using and applying models, e.g., Von Thunen’s model on land use.
5. Describing and analyzing settlement patterns associated with agricultural types.
6. Analyzing modern agricultural topics, e.g., Biotechnology, GMO’s.
Some Required Reading(s)
R Chapter 10
Excerpts from Crunchy Cons by Rod Dreher
Excerpts from Future of Nature: Writing on a Human Ecology (from Orion Magazine)
Unit 6
Industrialization and Economic Development (4 weeks)
1. Understanding the measurements of industrialization and development.
2. Describing and discussing the diffusion of industrialization. Discuss the Industrial Revolution.
3. Use and applying geographic models and theories, e.g., Bid (land) rent, Core and Peripheral, Weber’s Industrial Location Theory, Central Place Theory.
4. Explaining the impact (landscape, economic, and environmental) of industrialization and development in various places on the globe.
5. Comparing and contrasting development and industrialization in various places on the globe.
6. Analyzing industrial location factors and determining the best location based on a variety of factors.
Some Required Reading(s)
R Chapters
9, 11, and 12
To Have and to Have Not by Anthony R. de Souza
Web Sites
Development Alliance: http://developmentalliance.com
Site Selection: www.siteselection.com
Unit 7
Cities and Urban Land Use (3 weeks)
1. Explain and describe urbanization: its origins and current and future trends.
2. Understanding and applying urban system models, e.g., Multiple Nuclei Model.
3. Identifying and describing urban areas and global cities / megacities and Central Business Districts.
4. Describing the demographic, social, and employment structures in contemporary cities.
5. Analyzing patterns in urban centers with regards to sprawl, race, ethnicity, gender, class, and age.
6. Compare and contrast the urban spatial characteristics for different regions around the world, e.g., Latin American cities, European cities, etc.
7. Analyzing and describing the inner city of the United States, e.g., the inner city of
Houston, Texas.
Some Required Reading(s)
R Chapter 13
Reigning In: What can be done to tackle this growing problem? by Thomas B. Stoel Jr.
Living Large by Design, in the Middle of Nowhere by Rick Lyman
Megacities by Richard Dobbs (Foreign Policy magazine article)
Fighting Gentrification with Money in Houston audio clip from NPR (9/17/2009)
Unit 8
Globalization and Resources (2 weeks)
1. Understanding how the world has eliminated or weakened barriers to trade / capital and the diffusion of cultural ideas.
2. Understanding the importance of international relations as it relates to business, trade, and communications.
3. Understanding the global impact on world resources, environment, and conservation efforts.
4. Discussing the impacts of the new international division of labor as it relates to outsourcing.
Some Required Reading(s)
R Chapter 9
“Globalization and International Relations: A Geographical Perspective” by William Wood
CCISD Grading Scale
A 90 - 100
B 80 - 89
C 70 - 79
F 0 – 69
Class Grading Percentages
45% Class work/Quizzes/Participation
50% Tests/Major Projects
5% Reading
Instructional Strategies
Throughout the course the following instructional strategies are used:
1. Direct instruction with class discussion
2. Individual and Group Activities
3. Internet Research for Unit Projects
4. Visual Analysis using pictures and videos
5. Mapping Exercises and map quizzes
6. Examination of Case Studies using articles and videos
7. Timed writings for each unit to simulate the AP Exam
Assignments
All assignments completed in class should be done in legible handwriting and in pencil or blue/black ink. Out of class assignments should be typed double-spaced with one inch margins and 12 point font.
There will be in class timed writing assessments for the AP Exam. The AP Exam is a timed test, and it is important that the students practice timed writings. Some assignments will be weighted differently to represent time/effort spent.
Quizzes/Daily Grades
Vocabulary / Identification quizzes will be given on each unit.
Location quizzes on countries, cities, and geographic features will also be given occasionally.
Quizzes/Written responses may be given on outside reading/video assignments with each quiz.
Tests /Major Projects
A test will be given at the end of each unit. Each unit test will comprise of multiple choice questions and two to three writing responses /essays similar to the FRQ’s on the AP exam. Some parts of the unit test may be timed. On all Unit Tests students will be allowed to complete a case study or small project on current events in geography to earn back a percentage of points lost. The topic will be over test questions and students can earn back half the points they missed on the test. Each unit may have one to three projects.
Make Up Procedures
Students are expected to turn in all assignments on time. If a student has an absence they are given the amount of days missed to finish work assigned on those days. If an absence is over one week, student will need to make arrangements with the teacher. If students fail to turn in an assignment on the day it is due, then they are expected to turn in the assignment the next 2 school days for 75% credit. On the 3rd day it drops to 50% credit. After that is a zero.
Homework
This is a college level course and therefore will require more work than another course. Students should expect anywhere from 1-4 hours of homework each week. Some weeks will be considerably more work and some units may have more intensive homework than others.
Extra Credit
There will be at least one extra credit assignment each nine weeks. It will be worth in total one additional point to the student’s overall average. A student can only receive credit for extra credit if all assignments are turned in for the nine week grading period.
*Assignments and timeline are tentative and may change if student needs require changes.
Movies
The following are some of the movies that I normally show during the school year. If you would NOT like for your child to see the movies, please check the NO box on my online form. If there are other full-length movies above a G rating that I plan to show, the students will first bring a permission slip home.
□ Hotel Rwanda – PG-13 (2004) – An excellent view of global challenges in Africa chronicling one of the worst atrocities in the history of mankind. An ordinary man shows courage to save lives. A true story.
□ Life in a Day – PG-13 (2011) – User-generated, feature-length documentary shot on a single day to show the differences of world cultures. A unique film with beauty, humor, and joyful honesty of life.
□ Food, INC. – PG (2009) – A lifting of the veil on our nation’s food industry. It reveals surprising – and often shocking truths – about what we eat, how it’s produced and who we have become as a nation.
□ Promises (NR) - A documentary about children living in or around the city of Jerusalem. The film focuses on their thoughts on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. You can find more information at http://www.promisesproject.org/
□ Far and Away (1992) PG-13 (starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman). Instructional Objective – Analyze the effects of immigration on Amer. History. TEKS – 3B, 3C
□ Waiting for Superman – NR (2010) – Documentary revealing the current state of American education. Students will be analyze the documentary and creatively construct/reform education in America from their student perspective
Upon completion of reading this syllabus please go to the following website tocomplete the contact information form. https://goo.gl/forms/uTMei71HAloJQps62
Also, complete the Parent verification of Syllabus & Visual Media Policy Policy.
https://goo.gl/forms/C6xNKrwxqJidFhVB3
I look forward to working with you and your child this year.
Sincerely,
Mr. Patrick Marrie
Mr. Marrie
Room 5410
“Geography is everything and everything is geography.”
Clear Creek Independent School District Course Syllabus 2017-2018
Instructor Information:
Tutorials: Tuesday and Thursday from 2:40-3:15 pm in room 5410
Conference period: 2nd period
Email: [email protected]
Website: https:/marriegeo.weebly.com
Phone: 281-284-1100
The purpose of the AP Human Geography course is to introduce students to the systematic study of patterns and processes that have shaped human understanding, use, and alteration of Earth’s surface. Students employ spatial concepts and landscape analysis to examine human social organization and its environmental consequences. They also learn about the methods and tools geographers use in their science and practice.
Source: http://apcentral.collegeboard.com
Goals from the Course Description
1. Use and think about maps and spatial data.
2. Understand and interpret the implications of associations among phenomena in places.
3. Recognize and interpret at different scales the relationships among patterns and processes.
4. Define regions and evaluate the regionalization process.
5. Characterize and analyze changing interconnections among places.
Expectations
AP Human Geography is a college level course. At the end of the Spring Semester (05.12.17) students will be taking the AP Human Geography Exam which could earn college credit. Therefore, this course will require more work than a regular high school course. Expect to work every day in class and expect out of class assignments.
The course work will be rigorous and time consuming. The greatest expectation you can have as a student in this course is that you will gain a greater understanding of the world in which we all live and better appreciate how interesting it actually is.
Course Materials Needed
□ Two-inch binder to be used exclusively for this class
□ Pencil
□ Blue or black pen
□ Colored pencils (map pencils). At least eight colors.
□ Email Address (school issued)
□ Microsoft One Drive account (school issued)
□ Computer (school issued or your own). Must be brought to school each day and must be charged. Please also bring your charging cord in case you need it.
Required Textbooks
Rubenstein, James M. The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography AP Edition. 11th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, 2014. Abbreviation used in syllabus is: “R”
Books Used Frequently in Class Lessons and Class Readings
The Introductory Reader in Human Geography: Contemporary Debates and Classic Writings
ed. Moseley/Lanegran/Pandit Abbreviation used in syllabus is: “M”
de Blij, Harm and Murphey, Alexander Human Geography: People, Place, and Culture 9th ed.
Abbreviation used in syllabus is: “B”
The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner
Hungry Planet by Peter Menzel and Faith D’Aluisio
Material World by Peter Menzel
There will also be class readings that may not be mentioned here that pertain to current events and additional topics in geography.
Potential Web Sites/Video Series
1000 Places to see before you die (1000) http://www.1000beforeyoudie.com/
Population Reference Bureau (PRB): http://www.prb.org
The Power of Place http://www.learner.org/powerofplace/
The United States Census Bureau (CB): http://www.census.gov
World Atlas of Maps Flags and Geography Facts and Figures: http://worldatlas.com
The European Union: http://europa.eu
The United Nations: http://www.un.org
USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service: http://www.nass.usda.gov
Food Inc.: http://www.takepart.com/foodinc
CIA World Fact book https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/
Hotel Rwanda http://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/hotel-rwanda
World Mapper http://www.worldmapper.org/
Geo Guesser http://geoguessr.com/
Gap Minder http://www.gapminder.org/
My Footprint http://www.myfootprint.org/
Third World Farmer www.3rdworldfarmer.com/
Hungry Decisions http://hunger.cwsglobal.org/decisions/index.htm
Google Earth http://www.google.com/earth/index.html
Mapping Worlds http://www.mappingworlds.com/
Frontline World: Your Coffee Dollar http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/guatemala.mexico/coffee1.html
Geospatial Revolution http://geospatialrevolution.psu.edu/
Monterey Bay Aquarium http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/
PBS.org http://www.pbs.org/speak/
Project Britain http://projectbritain.com/
My Community, Our Earth http://www.aag.org/sustainable
EWG Farm Subsidy Database http://farm.ewg.org/
Southern Poverty Law Center http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/hate-map
Units
Fall Semester
1. Basic Concepts of Geography: Nature and Perspectives (4 weeks)
2. Population and Migration (4 weeks)
3. Cultural Practices and Processes (7 weeks)
a. Folk and Popular Culture
b. Language
c. Religion
d. Ethnicity
Spring Semester
4. Political Organization of Space (3 weeks)
5. Agricultural and Rural Land Use (4 weeks)
6. Industrialization and Economic Development (4 weeks)
7. Cities and Urban Land Use (3 weeks)
- AP Exam Camp (2 weeks)
8. Globalization and Resources (2 weeks)
AP Exam: May 18th, 2018
Unit Overviews
For each Unit the student must do the following:
1. Define a list(s) of vocabulary from the College Board AP Central Human Geography web site: http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/members/courses/teachers_corner/49389.html
2. Complete a quiz on each Vocabulary List.
3. Complete unit assignments and enrichments.
4. Complete outlines/Cornell notes for each Rubenstein chapter covered.
5. Complete a Unit Test. The Unit Tests are multiple choice questions and short essays (FRQ’s). They are the same format as the AP Human Geography Test.
6. Maintain Student Binder
7. Major Projects
8. Map Tests
First Semester
Unit 1
Basic concepts of Geography: Its Nature and Perspectives (4 weeks)
1. Understanding the main concepts associated with Perspective: location, space, place, scale, pattern, regions, and globalization.
2. Identifying geographic models and the geographers responsible for them.
3. Learning to read, interpret, and analyze various types of maps and patterns found on them.
4. Understanding new technologies, e.g., GIS, GPS.
5. Using internet sources to find data and learning to map the data.
6. Defining Human Geography and understanding it as a field of study.
7. Construct maps at different scales and interrupt the different patterns found at the different scales.
Some Required Reading(s)
R Chapter 1
M Chapter 1 The Four Traditions of Geography (printouts available)
ARTICLE: “Why Geography Matters . . . But Is So Little Learned” by Walter A. McDougall http://www.fpri.org/orbis/4702/mcdougall.geographymatters.html
Unit 2
Population, Health, and Migration (4 weeks)
1. Analysis of population data: types of densities, population distributions, and population compositions (age, sex, race, and ethnicity). Constructing and explaining population pyramids.
2. Understanding population trends (historical and future) and population models, i.e., Demographic Transition Model, Gravity Model, etc.
3. Explaining the effects of various population policies, e.g., China’s and India’s policies to lower population growth.
4. Analysis of migration and the factors that cause people to move (push and pull factors). Analyze United States and world patterns of migration. Explain the Gravity Model, distance decay and Ravenstein’s “laws of migration.”
5. Describe and analyze the different types of migration and give examples for each type, e.g., rural to urban, chain, forced, etc.
6. Understanding the effects of natural hazards on populations, e.g., Hurricane Ike and Katrina’s effects on the Gulf Coast.
Some Required Reading(s)
R Chapter 2 and 3
The Population Implosion by Nicholas Eberstadt
Gray Dawn: The Global Aging Crisis by Peter G. Peterson
An Essay on the Principle of Population by Thomas Malthus (1798)
Unit 3
Cultural Patterns and Processes (7 weeks)
1. Identifying and analyzing culture, cultural traits, diffusion, acculturation, assimilation, and cultural regions.
2. Describing and explaining differences and similarities between world languages, world religions, ethnic groups (ethnicity), and popular/folk cultures.
3. Discussing and analyzing the environmental impact of various cultural practices.
4. Identifying and explaining various cultural landscapes and understanding a sense of place.
5. Understanding how cultural patterns are represented at various scales from local to global.
6. Analyzing and understanding the distribution of religion and languages and language families around the world.
Some Required Reading(s)
R Chapters 4, 5, 6, and 7
Looking for Lawns by Rebecca Lindsey
The Nine Nations of North America by Joel R. Garreau
Excerpts from Northern Ireland: Troubles Brewing by Landon Hancock
Excerpts from The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Second Semester
Unit 4
Political Organization of Space (3 weeks)
1. Understanding the meaning, consequences, and influences of the world’s boundaries.
2. Understanding and applying the terms nation, state, nation states, federal states, and unitary states.
3. Describing and analyzing the changing nature of sovereignty: fragmentation, unification, and alliance.
4. Identifying the spatial relations between political patterns and patterns of economy, ethnicity, and environment.
5. Analyzing electoral geography and the effects of gerrymandering.
Some Required Reading(s)
R Chapter 8
Africa’s Geomosaic Under Stress by H.J. de Blij
The Rise of the Region State by Kenichi Ohmae
Unit 5
Agricultural and Rural Land Use (4 weeks)
1. Explain and analyze the impact of the diffusion of agriculture around the world.
2. Discuss and identify the different agricultural revolutions, e.g., First, Second, Green, etc.
3. Understanding the climate, vegetation, and agricultural zones around the world.
4. Using and applying models, e.g., Von Thunen’s model on land use.
5. Describing and analyzing settlement patterns associated with agricultural types.
6. Analyzing modern agricultural topics, e.g., Biotechnology, GMO’s.
Some Required Reading(s)
R Chapter 10
Excerpts from Crunchy Cons by Rod Dreher
Excerpts from Future of Nature: Writing on a Human Ecology (from Orion Magazine)
Unit 6
Industrialization and Economic Development (4 weeks)
1. Understanding the measurements of industrialization and development.
2. Describing and discussing the diffusion of industrialization. Discuss the Industrial Revolution.
3. Use and applying geographic models and theories, e.g., Bid (land) rent, Core and Peripheral, Weber’s Industrial Location Theory, Central Place Theory.
4. Explaining the impact (landscape, economic, and environmental) of industrialization and development in various places on the globe.
5. Comparing and contrasting development and industrialization in various places on the globe.
6. Analyzing industrial location factors and determining the best location based on a variety of factors.
Some Required Reading(s)
R Chapters
9, 11, and 12
To Have and to Have Not by Anthony R. de Souza
Web Sites
Development Alliance: http://developmentalliance.com
Site Selection: www.siteselection.com
Unit 7
Cities and Urban Land Use (3 weeks)
1. Explain and describe urbanization: its origins and current and future trends.
2. Understanding and applying urban system models, e.g., Multiple Nuclei Model.
3. Identifying and describing urban areas and global cities / megacities and Central Business Districts.
4. Describing the demographic, social, and employment structures in contemporary cities.
5. Analyzing patterns in urban centers with regards to sprawl, race, ethnicity, gender, class, and age.
6. Compare and contrast the urban spatial characteristics for different regions around the world, e.g., Latin American cities, European cities, etc.
7. Analyzing and describing the inner city of the United States, e.g., the inner city of
Houston, Texas.
Some Required Reading(s)
R Chapter 13
Reigning In: What can be done to tackle this growing problem? by Thomas B. Stoel Jr.
Living Large by Design, in the Middle of Nowhere by Rick Lyman
Megacities by Richard Dobbs (Foreign Policy magazine article)
Fighting Gentrification with Money in Houston audio clip from NPR (9/17/2009)
Unit 8
Globalization and Resources (2 weeks)
1. Understanding how the world has eliminated or weakened barriers to trade / capital and the diffusion of cultural ideas.
2. Understanding the importance of international relations as it relates to business, trade, and communications.
3. Understanding the global impact on world resources, environment, and conservation efforts.
4. Discussing the impacts of the new international division of labor as it relates to outsourcing.
Some Required Reading(s)
R Chapter 9
“Globalization and International Relations: A Geographical Perspective” by William Wood
CCISD Grading Scale
A 90 - 100
B 80 - 89
C 70 - 79
F 0 – 69
Class Grading Percentages
45% Class work/Quizzes/Participation
50% Tests/Major Projects
5% Reading
Instructional Strategies
Throughout the course the following instructional strategies are used:
1. Direct instruction with class discussion
2. Individual and Group Activities
3. Internet Research for Unit Projects
4. Visual Analysis using pictures and videos
5. Mapping Exercises and map quizzes
6. Examination of Case Studies using articles and videos
7. Timed writings for each unit to simulate the AP Exam
Assignments
All assignments completed in class should be done in legible handwriting and in pencil or blue/black ink. Out of class assignments should be typed double-spaced with one inch margins and 12 point font.
There will be in class timed writing assessments for the AP Exam. The AP Exam is a timed test, and it is important that the students practice timed writings. Some assignments will be weighted differently to represent time/effort spent.
Quizzes/Daily Grades
Vocabulary / Identification quizzes will be given on each unit.
Location quizzes on countries, cities, and geographic features will also be given occasionally.
Quizzes/Written responses may be given on outside reading/video assignments with each quiz.
Tests /Major Projects
A test will be given at the end of each unit. Each unit test will comprise of multiple choice questions and two to three writing responses /essays similar to the FRQ’s on the AP exam. Some parts of the unit test may be timed. On all Unit Tests students will be allowed to complete a case study or small project on current events in geography to earn back a percentage of points lost. The topic will be over test questions and students can earn back half the points they missed on the test. Each unit may have one to three projects.
Make Up Procedures
Students are expected to turn in all assignments on time. If a student has an absence they are given the amount of days missed to finish work assigned on those days. If an absence is over one week, student will need to make arrangements with the teacher. If students fail to turn in an assignment on the day it is due, then they are expected to turn in the assignment the next 2 school days for 75% credit. On the 3rd day it drops to 50% credit. After that is a zero.
Homework
This is a college level course and therefore will require more work than another course. Students should expect anywhere from 1-4 hours of homework each week. Some weeks will be considerably more work and some units may have more intensive homework than others.
Extra Credit
There will be at least one extra credit assignment each nine weeks. It will be worth in total one additional point to the student’s overall average. A student can only receive credit for extra credit if all assignments are turned in for the nine week grading period.
*Assignments and timeline are tentative and may change if student needs require changes.
Movies
The following are some of the movies that I normally show during the school year. If you would NOT like for your child to see the movies, please check the NO box on my online form. If there are other full-length movies above a G rating that I plan to show, the students will first bring a permission slip home.
□ Hotel Rwanda – PG-13 (2004) – An excellent view of global challenges in Africa chronicling one of the worst atrocities in the history of mankind. An ordinary man shows courage to save lives. A true story.
□ Life in a Day – PG-13 (2011) – User-generated, feature-length documentary shot on a single day to show the differences of world cultures. A unique film with beauty, humor, and joyful honesty of life.
□ Food, INC. – PG (2009) – A lifting of the veil on our nation’s food industry. It reveals surprising – and often shocking truths – about what we eat, how it’s produced and who we have become as a nation.
□ Promises (NR) - A documentary about children living in or around the city of Jerusalem. The film focuses on their thoughts on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. You can find more information at http://www.promisesproject.org/
□ Far and Away (1992) PG-13 (starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman). Instructional Objective – Analyze the effects of immigration on Amer. History. TEKS – 3B, 3C
□ Waiting for Superman – NR (2010) – Documentary revealing the current state of American education. Students will be analyze the documentary and creatively construct/reform education in America from their student perspective
Upon completion of reading this syllabus please go to the following website tocomplete the contact information form. https://goo.gl/forms/uTMei71HAloJQps62
Also, complete the Parent verification of Syllabus & Visual Media Policy Policy.
https://goo.gl/forms/C6xNKrwxqJidFhVB3
I look forward to working with you and your child this year.
Sincerely,
Mr. Patrick Marrie